The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear oral arguments on May 15 in a case challenging US President Donald Trump’s plan to end birthright citizenship for most individuals born in the United States.
While the Court declined the Trump administration’s request to immediately implement the policy, its decision to take up the case marks a significant and historic moment. The administration framed the appeal as a “modest” effort to limit lower court orders, but a ruling in Trump’s favor could enforce a policy previously labeled “blatantly unconstitutional” by lower courts.
The core issue before the Court is whether federal district courts have the authority to issue nationwide injunctions—orders that block government actions beyond the scope of individual lawsuits. Legal experts have noted the implications of using this particular case to resolve such a procedural debate.
“This administration is trying to use a procedural issue to activate a policy that many view as unconstitutional across nearly the entire country,” said Steve Vladeck, a CNN Supreme Court analyst and Georgetown University law professor. “It would be stunning if the justices resolved this through a case with such high political stakes.”
Trump had made ending birthright citizenship a key part of his reelection campaign. Although the 14th Amendment has long been interpreted to grant citizenship to anyone born or naturalized in the U.S., Trump signed an executive order on his first day back in office to prevent the government from recognizing citizenship for individuals born to undocumented foreign parents.
The move triggered a flurry of lawsuits and nationwide injunctions. Trump’s legal team narrowed their focus in the appeal, challenging the breadth of the court orders rather than the constitutionality of birthright citizenship itself.
Legal precedent on the issue dates back to the 1898 Supreme Court decision in United States v. Wong Kim Ark, which affirmed that individuals born in the U.S. are citizens. The current Court has not expressed interest in revisiting that ruling, but some conservatives argue that children of undocumented immigrants should not qualify as citizens under the 14th Amendment’s “subject to the jurisdiction” clause.
The Department of Justice has criticized lower courts for issuing broad injunctions that impact people who were not directly involved in the lawsuits. However, opponents argue that birthright citizenship is a national issue that demands a uniform ruling, rather than fragmented state-by-state outcomes.
Emergency court rulings, while not deciding the merits of a case, can have major short-term consequences. For instance, in 2021, the Supreme Court declined to block a Texas law banning most abortions after six weeks, effectively allowing enforcement until Roe v. Wade was overturned months later.
In the case of birthright citizenship, several lower courts quickly intervened after Trump signed the executive order. A federal judge in Washington—appointed by President Ronald Reagan—blocked the administration from enforcing the policy and later issued a preliminary injunction. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the decision in a lawsuit brought by four states: Washington, Arizona, Illinois, and Oregon.
In a separate case, a federal judge in Maryland—appointed by President Joe Biden—issued a nationwide injunction, which was also upheld by the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals. Another injunction was issued by a federal judge in Massachusetts in a case led by New Jersey and 17 other states.
Trump appealed all three cases to the Supreme Court on March 13. The outcome of the case could reshape the interpretation of the 14th Amendment and redefine how citizenship is granted in the United States.
Source: Linda Ikeji
