WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Supreme Court handed down a major decision today, ruling 6-3 against President Trump’s challenge to birthright citizenship in the United States.
The case centered on an executive order Trump signed on the first day of his second term, seeking to upend the long-standing interpretation of the 14th Amendment, which grants citizenship to nearly anyone born on U.S. soil, with very few exceptions.
The order would have denied citizenship to babies born in the United States if their parents were in the country illegally or temporarily.
During oral arguments in April, both conservative and liberal justices appeared skeptical of the legality of the president’s order.
Five justices said the order violated the 14th Amendment.
Conservative Justice Brett Kavanaugh said it violated federal law, but not the Constitution.
House Speaker Mike Johnson said he was “very disappointed” with the ruling, adding that birthright citizenship law has been “grossly abused over the years.”
World Relief, a Christian humanitarian organization and refugee resettlement agency, applauded the decision, calling it “consistent with the straightforward reading of the text.”
Trump’s birthright citizenship restrictions had already been blocked by several lower courts and had not taken effect in the U.S.
