This is Calvinball jurisprudence with a twist,” Justice Jackson said in dissent. “Calvinball has only one rule: There are no fixed rules. We seem to have two: that one, and this administration always wins.

The US Supreme Court has derailed researchers’ efforts to reinstate almost $2 billion in research grants issued by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The court’s decision on Thursday represents a remarkable reversal, allowing the administration of US President Donald Trump to proceed with science cuts it began in late February.

But the court, in its emergency-docket order, left in place by a 5-4 order a lower court ruling that threw out National Institutes of Health memos that enforced the administration's policies.