The justices will weigh the legality of an executive order seeking to restrict citizenship to children born to parents with legal U.S. residency status.
The Supreme Court will consider whether President Trump’s executive order limiting birthright citizenship is valid under the 14th Amendment. The directive, issued at the start of his second term, would deny automatic citizenship to children born in the U.S. unless their parents are citizens or permanent residents.
Lower courts blocked the order, citing long-established precedent that birth within U.S. borders generally confers citizenship. Civil rights groups claim the question was settled in the 1898 Wong Kim Ark decision, while the Justice Department says the issue turns on legal interpretation of constitutional jurisdiction and should be reviewed now.
The president’s order points to the amendment’s phrase “subject to the jurisdiction thereof” as allowing narrower eligibility. The Justice Department asked the Supreme Court to intervene before the First Circuit rules, saying the matter involves questions of law central to the administration’s approach to immigration.
The United States is currently one of 36 nations that offer relatively unrestricted birthright citizenship.
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For Supreme Court justices to be prudent as they examine the constitutional questions and long-standing precedents involved.
- For Justice and State Department officials as they present their arguments and perspectives on the case.
Sources: Roll Call, SCOTUSBlog, UPI News
