The U.S. Supreme Court has scheduled a hearing for May 15 to consider former President Donald Trump’s controversial attempt to end birthright citizenship.
Trump issued an executive order on his first day back in office, aiming to deny automatic U.S. citizenship to children born on American soil to undocumented immigrants or individuals holding temporary visas. Federal appellate courts quickly blocked the measure, leading Trump to escalate the case to the nation’s highest court on March 13.
Birthright citizenship is protected under the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which states: *“All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.”* Ratified in the aftermath of the Civil War, the amendment was primarily intended to ensure citizenship for formerly enslaved people and their descendants.
The Trump administration argues that undocumented immigrants and temporary visa holders do not fall under U.S. jurisdiction in the constitutional sense—meaning their U.S.-born children should not automatically be considered citizens.
Originally set to take effect on February 19, the executive order was quickly met with legal challenges. In one such case, District Judge John Coughenour of Washington State, a Reagan appointee, called the order “blatantly unconstitutional.” Coughenour added, “In over 40 years on the bench, I’ve rarely seen a case where the legal question is this straightforward.”
This case is the latest in a string of legal battles over Trump-era immigration policies. In response to mounting judicial pushback, House Republicans recently passed a bill seeking to limit federal judges’ ability to issue nationwide injunctions. However, the measure faces tough odds in the Democratic-controlled Senate.
