US President Donald Trump launched a sharp attack on birthright citizenship on social media just as the Supreme Court of the United States heard arguments on his administration’s attempt to restrict the long-standing constitutional principle.Posting on his platform Truth Social ahead of the hearing, Trump wrote: “We are the only Country in the World STUPID enough to allow ‘Birthright’ Citizenship!” He followed it up with a broader critique of the judiciary, adding: “Dumb Judges and Justices will not a great Country make!” The remarks set the tone for a politically charged case that could reshape how citizenship is defined in the United States.The hearing itself quickly revealed scepticism from several justices. Chief Justice John Roberts questioned the administration’s attempt to expand narrow historical exceptions — such as children of diplomats — to include children of undocumented migrants. “I’m not quite sure how you can get to that big group from such tiny and idiosyncratic examples,” he said.Representing the Trump administration, Solicitor General John Sauer argued that citizenship should not extend to children of those in the country temporarily or unlawfully, stressing “permanent domicile” as key to jurisdiction under the 14th Amendment.Opposing him, Cecillia Wang of the American Civil Liberties Union maintained that the Constitution clearly grants citizenship to anyone born on US soil, citing historical precedents. Justices on both sides raised questions about exceptions and how citizenship status is determined at birth.Justice Elena Kagan also pushed back, questioning the legal basis of the administration’s argument that undocumented migrants lack sufficient “allegiance” to qualify under the Constitution. “The text of the clause does not support you,” she told Solicitor General D. John Sauer.Trump, in an unprecedented move for a sitting president, attended the hearing briefly, listening as Sauer defended the executive order before leaving the courtroom. The order, signed at the start of his second term, seeks to deny automatic citizenship to children born in the US to parents who are in the country illegally or on temporary visas.Several justices raised practical concerns as well. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson questioned how such a policy would even be enforced, asking whether citizenship determinations would effectively take place “in the delivery room”.At the heart of the dispute is the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which guarantees citizenship to all persons born in the United States and “subject to the jurisdiction thereof”. Lower courts have already blocked Trump’s order, relying in part on the landmark 1898 ruling in United States v. Wong Kim Ark, which affirmed birthright citizenship for children born on US soil.The administration argues that the amendment was intended primarily to secure rights for formerly enslaved people and should not extend to undocumented migrants. Critics, including lawyers for civil liberties groups, warn that accepting this interpretation could put the citizenship status of millions at risk.The case marks a major test of Trump’s expansive view of executive power and his broader immigration crackdown. A ruling, expected by early summer, could determine whether his effort to end birthright citizenship survives constitutional scrutiny — or becomes one of the most consequential legal setbacks of his presidency.
