Supreme Court Blocks Trump's Bid to Limit Birthright Citizenship

The Supreme Court has rejected President Trump's attempt to limit birthright citizenship, ruling 6-3 that his executive order was unlawful. The decision means children born in the United States will continue to be automatically recognized as citizens, no matter their parents' immigration status.

Trump signed the order on his first day back in office, seeking to limit automatic citizenship to children with at least one parent who is a U.S. citizen or permanent resident. Babies born to temporary visitors or people who entered the country illegally would have been excluded. Lower courts blocked the order almost immediately, so it never actually took effect.

Five justices said the order violated the 14th Amendment, which has long been understood to grant citizenship to nearly everyone born on U.S. soil. The amendment was ratified after the Civil War to guarantee equal rights for formerly enslaved Black people, and for more than a century it's applied broadly, with only narrow exceptions, like children born to diplomats. Conservative Justice Brett Kavanaugh agreed the order should be struck down but said it broke federal law rather than the Constitution itself.

Trump had argued the existing system was "tremendously destructive" and "extremely costly." Opponents, including the ACLU, said the order threatened something foundational to the country. With Tuesday's ruling, birthright citizenship stays protected, though the administration could still pursue other legal avenues to challenge it.