US Supreme Court rejects Trump bid to restrict birthright citizenship
The US Supreme Court has rejected President Donald Trump's attempt to restrict birthright citizenship, upholding a broad reading of the constitutional guarantee for children born in the United States. In a 6-3 ruling on Tuesday, the court backed a lower court order that had blocked the executive action. The decision is a major setback for one of Mr Trump's central immigration pledges.
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The executive order sought to direct US agencies not to recognise the citizenship of children born in the country if neither parent is an American citizen or a legal permanent resident. Challengers argued that the measure conflicted with the 14th Amendment, which says that people born in the United States and subject to its jurisdiction are citizens. The case reached the court through a class-action lawsuit filed in New Hampshire by parents and children whose citizenship was said to be at risk.
The ruling comes after months of legal uncertainty over the scope of the order and its possible effect on families across the country. Before the decision, some experts estimated that the directive could affect the legal status of as many as 250,000 babies born each year. They also warned that millions of families could be forced to prove the citizenship status of their newborn children.
The court's decision leaves in place the long-standing interpretation that birthright citizenship applies broadly, with only narrow exceptions such as children of foreign diplomats or members of an enemy occupying force. The judgment is also significant because it marks the second time this year that the court has struck down a major Trump initiative, following its February decision to invalidate his sweeping global tariffs. That pattern matters politically because it shows the administration facing resistance not only from lower courts but also from the country's highest judicial body.
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It also places the immigration agenda at the centre of a wider debate over presidential power and the limits of executive authority. Birthright citizenship has been part of American constitutional law for generations and is closely tied to the 14th Amendment adopted after the Civil War. The clause at issue has long been understood to protect citizenship for most people born on US soil, regardless of their parents' immigration status.
Trump issued the order on his first day back in office last year as part of a broader effort to tighten both legal and illegal immigration controls. Critics have accused him of discrimination in the way he has approached immigration policy. The timing of the ruling also gives it added political weight, coming just ahead of the July 4 holiday and the 250th anniversary of the United States' founding.
The court's 6-3 conservative majority did not produce a different outcome in this case, underscoring that the legal question turned on the constitutional reading of citizenship rather than party alignment alone. For the administration, the ruling removes a key tool from its immigration agenda and leaves the broader policy debate unresolved. What remains unclear is how the White House will respond and whether any further legal or administrative steps will follow.
The ruling settles the immediate challenge to the executive order, but it does not end the wider political argument over immigration and citizenship. The practical impact on agencies and families should become clearer as the decision is implemented. Observers will also be watching whether the administration seeks new ways to test the boundaries of citizenship policy.
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