President Donald Trump has announced his intention to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to reconsider its recent ruling that upheld birthright citizenship.
This move follows the Court’s 6-3 decision in June which struck down the President’s executive order aimed at denying citizenship to children born in the U.S. to parents who are in the country illegally or on a temporary basis.
The triggering evidence
The President’s decision to pursue a rehearing stem from recent concerning maternity services. Trump cited advertisements from a Texas hospital targeting expectant mothers in Mexico which he linked to the broader issue of “birth tourism.”
On his social media platform, Truth Social, the President expressed his frustration, writing: “AMERICAN CITIZENSHIP IS NOT FOR SALE! In fact, that is a crime and therefore the Supreme Court’s ruling is wrong.”
He further declared, “I will be asking for a Rehearing by the United States Supreme Court, IMMEDIATELY.”
Legal challenges ahead
The Supreme Court ruled last month that the President’s directive violated the 14th Amendment which grants citizenship to those born in the U.S. and “subject to the jurisdiction thereof.”
Chief Justice John Roberts, writing for the majority, emphasized that this interpretation has been a standard of American law for over a century.
Legal experts note that the President faces an uphill battle; the Supreme Court rarely grants requests for a rehearing and it has been decades since such a request was accepted following a fully argued case.
A divisive policy legacy
Birthright citizenship was a signature of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown initiated via executive order on his first day in office.
While the administration argued that children of non-citizens are not “subject to the jurisdiction” of the U.S., the court maintained that the Constitution’s protections are broad.
Despite the legal defeat, Trump remains defiant claiming the justices “will destroy America if they don’t change their absolutely insane decision.”
