Supreme Court Ends Term With Two Major Rulings on Citizenship and Transgender Athletes

The Supreme Court closed out its term with two rulings that will touch hundreds of thousands of Americans, upholding birthright citizenship while siding with states that ban transgender athletes from girls' and women's school sports.

In a 6-3 decision, the justices struck down President Trump's push to redefine who counts as an American citizen. The ruling brings relief to families of more than 250,000 babies born in the U.S. each year to parents who are undocumented immigrants or non-citizens. The court found that birthright citizenship is firmly rooted in the Constitution's 14th Amendment, with the Chief Justice writing that the court would "keep that promise."

The Northwest Immigrant Rights Project filed one of the first lawsuits challenging Trump's executive order, which sought to limit birthright citizenship. "Relieved now that they don't have this uncertainty, that they're not forced with this idea of family separation," said Matt Adams of the organization.

The Trump administration pushed back hard on the ruling. Vice President Vance said, "We have to be even more aware of who is coming into our country to make sure that they're not benefiting from this atrocious Supreme Court ruling." House Speaker Mike Johnson said Republican leadership plans to keep fighting the decision, though reversing it would require a constitutional amendment, something highly unlikely in a deeply divided Congress.

The court handed conservatives a win on a separate, contentious issue, transgender athletes. The justices sided with two states that bar transgender athletes from competing on girls' and women's teams in school and college sports. The ruling will likely reinforce similar bans already in place in 25 other states. Supporters of the ban celebrated the decision, with one calling it a matter of "fairness... safety... justice." Advocates for transgender rights called it a devastating blow that pushes transgender people further to the sidelines.