The US Supreme Court has issued a decision affecting President Donald Trump’s bid to end birthright citizenship, and it is one of the most consequential in the country’s modern history.
Justices in a 6-3 vote along ideological lines on Friday morning granted Trump’s request to narrow injunctions blocking his executive order to end birthright citizenship, or automatic citizenship rights.
The ruling represents a major victory for Trump and allows his administration to push forward with its proposal to get rid of birthright citizenship – at least in states that challenged it.
However the future of birthright citizenship was left unclear by the high court, and it remains possible that changes to it nationwide could stay blocked.
What is Donald Trump’s ‘birthright citizenship’ plan?
Trump on his Inauguration Day signed an executive order to mandate that children born in America who do not have at least one parent who is a US citizen or lawful permanent resident, no longer receive citizenship automatically.
It is aimed at curtailing children of illegal immigrants and people without temporary visas from receiving birthright citizenship rights dating back over a century.
However several lower courts froze his plan from being implemented.
Trump asserted that the courts overstepped their power with orders to block his policies, including his birthright citizenship plan, nationwide.
What does the Supreme Court’s decision mean?
The Supreme Court ruled that judges may only provide relief to individuals or groups bringing a lawsuit, and cannot extend the decisions to cover others without converting the suit into a class action.
‘The universal injunction was conspicuously nonexistent for most of our Nation’s history,’ stated Justice Amy Coney Barrett in the majority opinion.
However, the high court did not rule on the constitutionality of Trump’s birthright citizenship executive order.
The three liberal justices stated that Trump’s order is illegal, and Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson wrote on their behalf: ‘The Court’s decision to permit the Executive to violate the Constitution with respect to anyone who has not yet sued is an existential threat to the rule of law.’
What did Trump say about the Supreme Court’s decision?
Trump hailed the decision in a Truth Social post immediately afterward: ‘GIANT WIN in the United States Supreme Court! Even the Birthright Citizenship Hoax has been, indirectly, hit hard.’
Then in a rare appearance in the White House briefing room, he called it a ‘monumental victory for the Constitution, the separation of powers and the rule of law’.
“Big one, wasn’t it? This was a big decision,’ he stated. ‘Amazing decision, one that we’re very happy about.’
Trump also bashed ‘the excessive use of nationwide injunctions to interfere with the normal functioning of the executive branch’.
How likely is Trump’s plan to go into effect?
The ruling keeps Trump’s birthright citizenship ban on hold for at least 30 days and sends cases to the lower courts to decide the next steps.
Justices did not prevent challengers from continuing with their efforts to stop Trump’s plan.
The citizenship ban could go into effect in dozens of states that have not already filed lawsuits against Trump’s order.
Individuals and immigrants rights groups challenging Trump’s order have urged a federal judge to certify a nationwide class including children already born or born after February 19, 2025, affected by the order. They have filed an updated lawsuit against Trump’s order for the potential new class.