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14th amendment
With Its Birthright Non-Decision, the Supreme Court Chickened Out and Left a Mess Behind
Barrett and the conservative majority produced a complicated and confusing procedural ruling that leaves the executive order in legal limbo.
Jul 10, 2025
Just how bad is the Supreme Court’s June 27 decision on birthright citizenship? Among progressive and liberal commentators, the thinking is surprisingly mixed. Some assert that Trump v. CASA “couldn’t be more disastrous” and will leave the Trump administration with “blood on its hands”; others see “silver linings” in the ruling.
The reason for the diverse reactions is simple: The 6-3 majority decision written by Justice Amy Coney Barrett didn’t address the underlying issue in the case—the constitutionality of President Donald Trump’s executive order ending birthright citizenship under the 14th Amendment for the children of undocumented immigrants. Instead, Barrett and the conservative majority produced a complicated and confusing procedural ruling that leaves the executive order in legal limbo, intact for now but subject to further litigation.
As I have written before, Trump’s birthright order defies the plain text of the very first sentence of the 14th Amendment. Known as the “Citizenship Clause,” the sentence reads: “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.”
Had Barrett and her confederates not ducked the underlying issue of the executive order’s constitutionality, they would have been forced either to rewrite the Citizenship Clause to uphold the order—a step even they apparently are not yet prepared to take—or invalidate a centerpiece of the MAGA mass deportation agenda.
The executive order stunningly disregards these easily understood words, proclaiming that the amendment “has never been interpreted to extend citizenship universally to everyone born within the United States,” but was adopted only to repudiate the Supreme Court’s infamous Dred Scott decision that denied citizenship to Black Americans.
But while repudiating Dred Scott was the immediate impetus for crafting the Citizenship Clause, the Senate and the House debates in 1866 extended far beyond that notorious decision.
The clause was introduced in the Senate by Jacob Howard of Michigan on May 30, 1866, as an add-on to the draft of the 14th Amendment formulated by the House. The clause tracked similar language contained in the Civil Rights Act of 1866 and followed the general principles of English common law and the ancient doctrine of jus solis (the “law of the soil’’)—the principle that all those born within the geographic boundaries of a nation are citizens at birth. (More than 30 countries today recognize the doctrine, including the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Great Britain modified its nationality law in 1981.)
In his introductory remarks, Howard noted the phrase “subject to the jurisdiction” of the United States meant that the citizenship clause would not apply to the children of ambassadors or foreign ministers, the children of occupying foreign soldiers, or to the offspring of Native Americans who claimed allegiance to tribal governments, but that the clause would “include every other class of person,” regardless of race or descent. (Native Americans were accorded citizenship by legislation passed in 1924.)
The citizenship clause, Howard said, “settles the great question of citizenship and removes all doubt as to what persons are or are not citizens of the United States.”
Trump’s executive order also contradicts the court’s precedent opinions dating back to the landmark 1898 case of United States v. Wong Kim Ark, which recognized the citizenship of a man born in the U.S. to parents who at the time were subjects of the Chinese Emperor but domiciled in California. That case and other later decisions demonstrate the inclusive nature of the Citizenship Clause.
Had Barrett and her confederates not ducked the underlying issue of the executive order’s constitutionality, they would have been forced either to rewrite the Citizenship Clause to uphold the order—a step even they apparently are not yet prepared to take—or invalidate a centerpiece of the MAGA mass deportation agenda.
In the end, they chose to do neither.
But they still managed to hand Trump the next best thing to a total victory. Barrett’s ruling granted the administration’s request for a “partial stay” (or pause) on three nationwide preliminary injunctions that had been issued by three federal district court judges—which blocked the birthright order from taking effect anywhere in the country—and sent the cases back to the district judges for further consideration to weed through and apply the jurisprudential mess that Barrett left behind.
In a tortured analysis that New York Magazine’s Chas Danner called “an originalist fever dream,” Barrett limited the court’s review to the sole question of whether, under the Judiciary Act of 1789, federal courts have the authority to issue nationwide, or “universal,” injunctions. The act was one of the first laws passed by Congress after the ratification of the Constitution, and in modified form remains on the books in Title 28 of the United States Code. And as Barrett noted, it is the Judiciary Act that has endowed federal courts with jurisdiction over “all suits… in equity,” and that “still today… authorizes the federal courts to issue equitable remedies,” such as injunctions.
As an originalist, Barrett interprets the Constitution and federal statutes rigidly according to their text and their “original public meaning,” discounting evolving legal norms and practices as well as contemporary social values and needs. When it comes to universal injunctions, however, originalists have a problem. No federal statute, including the Judiciary Act, explicitly authorizes judges to issue nationwide injunctions, but no statute prohibits them from doing so.
In the absence of any guidance from the 1789 act, Barrett and the majority revved up their originalist wayback machine to examine how the English High Court of Chancery operated at the time of the founding, asking if that court issued forms of equitable relief analogous to contemporary universal injunctions. “The answer,” she wrote, “is no.” Equitable remedies at the time of the founding, she concluded, could provide “complete relief between the parties” to a lawsuit, but “complete relief is not synonymous with universal relief” that applies throughout an entire country.
But then, in another confusing twist, Barrett offered the aforementioned silver linings, writing that legal challenges to Trump’s birthright order might proceed under the Administrative Procedures Act, or as class actions, or in lawsuits brought by individual states seeking relief on behalf of their own residents, which 22 states to date have joined. Barrett left it to the district courts to determine which of these alternative legal avenues might suffice, and she gave them 30 days to do so before the executive order takes effect.
In a blistering dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor charged that Barrett’s opinion “kneecaps the Judiciary’s authority to stop the Executive from enforcing even the most unconstitutional policies” and that “newborns subject to the Citizenship Order will face the gravest harms imaginable,” jeopardizing their “chance to participate in American society… unless their parents have sufficient resources to file individual suits.”
In another scathing dissent, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson blasted Barrett’s opinion “as an existential threat to the rule of law.”
Trump, by contrast, hailed the court’s decision, boasting that it will unblock other items on his political agenda that have been stymied by district court injunctions.
In the meantime, attorneys in the CASA case have amended their complaint to proceed as a class action, and New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin has expressed confidence that broad injunctions stopping Trump’s executive order can still be enforced in lawsuits filed by state governments.
Whether the new legal maneuvers succeed remains to be seen. None would be necessary if the Supreme Court had stood up to Trump and done its job in the first place.
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Supreme Court to Hear Arguments in Trump Birthright Citizenship Case
"All persons born on U.S. soil are U.S. citizens, that is what our Constitution dictates and is something President Trump cannot undo by waving a pen," one Democratic congresswoman said.
Apr 17, 2025
The U.S. Supreme Court said Thursday that it will hear oral arguments related to President Donald Trump's effort to enforce an executive order that would end more than a century of constitutionally enshrined birthright citizenship, while deferring a Trump administration request to allow immediate implementation of the edict, which has been blocked by multiple federal judges.
The justices issued an order scheduling oral arguments on May 15 to consider the Trump administration's request to limit the scope of nationwide preliminary injunctions against Trump's day one executive order aimed at denying citizenship to people born in the U.S. if neither of their parents are citizens.
Breaking: SCOTUS sets May 15 arguments in Trump birthright citizenship order request. Technically over the administration's "partial stay" request, a ruling could allow the admin to start implementing the unconstitutional order. Also: More on DOJ Civil Rights. New, at Law Dork —>
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— Chris Geidner ( @chrisgeidner.bsky.social) April 17, 2025 at 12:37 PM
The citizenship clause of the Constitution's 14th Amendment explicitly states that "all persons born or naturalized in the United States" are citizens.
However, Trump argues in his executive order that the 14th Amendment "has never been interpreted to extend citizenship universally to everyone born within the United States," and "has always excluded from birthright citizenship persons who were born in the United States but not 'subject to the jurisdiction thereof.'"
Trump's order sparked outrage and lawsuits by more than 20 states and numerous advocacy groups. Federal district courts in Washington, Maryland, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts blocked the administration from enforcing the president's order by issuing nationwide preliminary injunctions. Federal appellate courts in San Francisco, Boston, and Richmond, Virginia subsequently rejected Trump administration requests to partially block the injunctions.
Trump has argued that the 14th Amendment is "all about slavery." While the amendment was adopted in 1868 during Reconstruction to grant citizenship to emancipated Black slaves, the Supreme Court ruled in United States v. Wong Kim Ark (1898) that the amendment confers citizenship to children born in the country regardless of their parents' status.
Briefs—including one by the immigrant advocacy groups CASA and the Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project, and danother filed on behalf of Arizona, Illinois, Oregon, and Washington—urged the Supreme Court to reject the government's argument against the nationwide injunctions.
"Being directed to follow the law as it has been universally understood for over 125 years is not an emergency warranting the extraordinary remedy of a stay," asserts the brief filed by the states—which calls the Trump administration's focus on the nature of the injunctions "myopic."
CASA and Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project argued that nationwide consistency is imperative for immigration policy and that "the executive branch has been complying with the settled interpretation of the citizenship clause for 125 years, and the government has demonstrated no urgent need to change now."
"Whether a child is a citizen of our nation should not depend on the state where she is born or the associations her parents have joined," the groups added.
Earlier this month, more than 200 Democratic lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives filed an amicus brief opposing Trump's order.
"Birthright citizenship is a core piece of our Constitution. Ending it through executive order is simply unconstitutional and a dangerous overreach of executive power," Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), the ranking member of the House Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement, said in a statement announcing the brief.
"All persons born on U.S. soil are U.S. citizens, that is what our Constitution dictates and is something President Trump cannot undo by waving a pen," Jayapal added.
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We Must Defend the Sacred Promise of Birthright Citizenship
Political opportunism, fearmongering, and xenophobia have conspired to transform birthright citizenship from a cherished right into a polarizing debate.
Jan 30, 2025
A child is born, and with that birth comes a promise that transcends borders, ideologies, and the divisions that too often define our world. In those first moments, a new life is not simply a biological miracle but a profound reminder of our shared humanity. Every child enters this world unmarked by political affiliation, nationality, or social status, bearing only the intrinsic dignity of existence. This truth binds us all—a universal covenant that every life matters, that every life belongs.
In the United States, birthright citizenship has long been the legal and moral embodiment of this sacred principle. Anchored in the 14th Amendment, it guarantees that any child born on U.S. soil is recognized as a citizen, regardless of their parents’ status or origin. It is a cornerstone of American democracy, an egalitarian promise that seeks to reflect the highest ideals of justice and fairness. For generations, this principle has been a beacon of hope for families striving for a better life, a testament to a nation that once boldly declared itself a refuge for the oppressed, the weary, and the hopeful.
To challenge birthright citizenship is to question the very notion that all people are created equal.
Yet, this promise is under siege—not from foreign adversaries, but from within. Political opportunism, fearmongering, and xenophobia have conspired to transform birthright citizenship from a cherished right into a polarizing debate. Opponents decry it as a loophole to be closed, weaponizing a foundational ideal to stoke fear and sow division.
This debate is not just about policy—it is about the soul of a nation. It compels us to confront fundamental questions about who we are and what we stand for: Are we a nation that values the humanity of every child born within our borders? Or are we a country willing to deny basic dignity based on fear, prejudice, and expedience?
The Legacy of Equality
The 14th Amendment, ratified in the ashes of the Civil War, was nothing short of revolutionary. It sought to upend centuries of exclusion and injustice by affirming a profound truth: that citizenship is not a privilege of the few but a birthright for all born within the nation’s borders. It declared that neither the color of one’s skin nor the circumstances of one’s birth could define one’s place in society.
This promise has been a lifeline for countless families, a declaration that opportunity and belonging are not reserved for the privileged few. Yet, detractors of birthright citizenship argue that it incentivizes illegal immigration, reducing children born here to what they call “anchor babies.” This language is not only dehumanizing but also deeply flawed. Studies repeatedly show that birthright citizenship does not drive immigration patterns in the way opponents claim. Instead, such rhetoric weaponizes fear to erode one of America’s most defining principles.
To challenge birthright citizenship is to question the very notion that all people are created equal. It undermines the belief that every child—no matter their heritage, no matter their lineage—deserves the right to belong.
The Danger of Labels
In today’s polarized climate, even the sanctity of birth has become a casualty of political discourse. Children born into challenging circumstances are reduced to labels—“anchor babies,” “crack babies”—as though their lives can be defined or dismissed by a single phrase. These terms strip away humanity and cast children as problems or burdens rather than miracles of infinite potential.
This is a moment of moral clarity, a crossroads where we must decide who we are and what we stand for.
A child born to undocumented parents is not an “anchor” but a human being whose life holds immeasurable promise. A child born into poverty is not a statistic but a testament to resilience and possibility. By allowing such labels to persist, we rob these children of their dignity and blind ourselves to their potential.
Labels do more than dehumanize; they entrench division. They encourage us to see certain children as “other” rather than as fellow members of the human family. In doing so, they erode the shared empathy and moral clarity we need to build a just society.
A Call to Conscience
Birthright citizenship is not merely a legal issue; it is a moral imperative. It is a recognition of the dignity inherent in every life, a reflection of our collective commitment to equality. To dismantle it would not only harm the lives of countless children but also unravel the moral fabric of our democracy.
Around the world, countries like Canada, Brazil, and Mexico affirm birthright citizenship as a testament to their belief in human dignity. The United States, long a leader in championing democratic ideals, must not falter in its commitment. To do so would signal a retreat from the principles that have defined this nation—a betrayal of the promise that every child born here belongs here.
The effort to revoke birthright citizenship is part of a broader campaign to sow fear and exclusion, to pit neighbor against neighbor. But we must resist. We must rise above the politics of division and reaffirm the sacredness of every life.
A Future Worth Defending
Frederick Douglass once wrote, “It is not the mere getting of freedom that makes the man, but his becoming a citizen of the United States.” Citizenship is not just a legal status; it is a profound acknowledgment of belonging. It says, “You matter. You are one of us.”
Today, we are called to defend this principle against forces that seek to diminish it. We must affirm that every child born in this nation is not just a number or a talking point but a miracle—an embodiment of hope, potential, and shared destiny.
This is a moment of moral clarity, a crossroads where we must decide who we are and what we stand for. Let us choose justice over fear, unity over division, and love over hate. Let us protect the promise of birthright citizenship—not as a relic of the past but as a foundation for a more compassionate and inclusive future.
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