Supreme Court Blocks Trump's Bid to End Birthright Citizenship

The Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld birthright citizenship, rejecting an executive order from President Donald Trump that sought to end automatic citizenship for many children born in the United States to immigrant parents.

The Court ruled that the Citizenship Clause of the 14th Amendment, ratified in 1868, guarantees citizenship to "all persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof." The decision preserves a constitutional principle that has been in place for more than 150 years.

Chief Justice John Roberts wrote the majority opinion, joined by Justice Amy Coney Barrett and the Court's three liberal justices: Elena Kagan, Sonia Sotomayor, and Ketanji Brown Jackson.

Justice Brett Kavanaugh agreed that Trump's executive order could not take effect, but for different reasons. In a separate opinion, he argued the order did not violate the 14th Amendment itself but instead conflicted with a federal law enacted in 1940 that governs U.S. citizenship for people born in the country.