In a 6-3 ruling, the Supreme Court has blocked Trump’s executive order that banned birthright citizenship for the children of undocumented immigrants and some temporary foreign visitors.
The majority of justices reaffirm the principle that nearly all children born on US soil are citizens.
Chief Justice John Roberts wrote the majority opinion, joined by Barrett, Kavanaugh, and the three liberal justices.
Writing for the majority, Roberts emphasized that the “children born of parents unlawfully or temporarily present in the United States” “satisfy both elements of the Citizenship Clause.” “Under the Constitution,” he concluded, “they are citizens at birth.”
While Kavanaugh joined the court’s majority to strike down the executive order, he said he based his decision on a federal law, not on the Constitution.
Listen to audio transcript
00:00
/
00:35