WASHINGTON — Delivering a major blow to President Donald Trump, the Supreme Court on Tuesday blocked his contentious attempt to limit citizenship at birth for those born on U.S.soil.Limited time: Save 25% on NBC News subscriptionGet exclusive reporting, live Q&As and ad-free reading.The court, divided 6-3, ruled that the executive order Trump issued Jan.
20, 2025, the first day of his second term, was unlawful.Five justices said the order fell foul of the Constitution’s 14th Amendment, which has long been interpreted to bestow birthright citizenship on almost anyone born in the United States.
One justice, conservative Brett Kavanaugh, said the order violated federal law but not the Constitution.It is the third significant Supreme Court loss for Trump in recent months, following the February ruling that invalidated his sweeping tariffs and Monday’s decision that barred him from immediately firing Lisa Cook from the Federal Reserve.The court has a 6-3 conservative majority, including three justices Trump himself appointed, and has ruled in the president’s favor in other important cases.The 14th Amendment has long been interpreted as granting citizenship to nearly every person born in the U.S.Francis Chung / Politico via APTrump's order sought to radically reinterpret the 14th Amendment, which states: “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States."Under his proposal, birthright citizenship would have been limited to those 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 not be citizens at birth.The executive order was quickly blocked by lower courts and has never been in effect.The 14th Amendment's citizenship clause was ratified after the Civil War to ensure that formerly enslaved Black people have equal rights.
For more than a century, it has been assumed to apply ...