Trump Appeals to Supreme Court for Birthright Citizenship Executive Order Review

Politics

Trump Appeals to Supreme Court for Birthright Citizenship Executive Order Review

2 months ago

News sources:

LATIMES

ABCNEWS

THEHILL

Trump Appeals to Supreme Court for Birthright Citizenship Executive Order Review

Credited from: ABCNEWS

Trump's administration requests Supreme Court review of birthright citizenship restrictions.
Solicitor General argues the policy is crucial for border security.
Lower courts have blocked the executive order, citing unconstitutionality.
The case centers around interpretations of the 14th Amendment's citizenship clause.
A decision from the Supreme Court is expected by next summer.

The Trump administration has filed a petition with the Supreme Court seeking a definitive judgment on President Trump's executive order that restricts birthright citizenship. This order asserts that children born in the U.S. to parents who are in the country illegally or only temporarily are not entitled to citizenship, a significant reinterpretation of over a century of legal precedent. Solicitor General D. John Sauer stated that the lower court rulings that blocked the order “confere without lawful justification, the privilege of American citizenship on hundreds of thousands of unqualified people,” which he argues undermines border security, according to latimes, abcnews, and thehill.

according to latimes, abcnews, and thehill.

Cody Wofsy, a lawyer from the American Civil Liberties Union representing affected children, argues that Trump's efforts are unconstitutional, stating, "This executive order is illegal, full stop." The ACLU's statements reflect a broader consensus among legal experts that the 14th Amendment guarantees birthright citizenship to all individuals born in the U.S., regardless of their parents’ immigration status. In 1898, the Supreme Court affirmed such rights in the case of U.S. v. Wong Kim Ark, emphasizing that children born on U.S. soil are indeed American citizens. This historical precedent poses challenges for the Trump administration as it seeks to overturn a long-held interpretation of the law, according to latimes, abcnews, and thehill.

The administration is appealing two specific cases regarding the executive order: one from a federal appeals court in Seattle and another from a federal judge in New Hampshire. Both have blocked the order from being enacted, reinforcing a standing that views the order as violating the 14th Amendment's guarantee to citizenship for all individuals born on U.S. soil, except for a few specified exceptions. The continuation of legal challenges against this order illustrates both its contentious nature and the ongoing debate about immigration policy in the United States, according to latimes, abcnews, and thehill.