Today's Supreme Court decision did not weigh in on whether the Trump's executive order on birthright citizenship is constitutional, but the government's request to lift temporary blocks by district courts in related cases was granted in a 6-3 ruling.
For 157 years birthright citizenship has made anyone born in the United States a citizen – whether the child of citizens, foreign nationals living legally in the U.S. or unauthorized immigrants. The matter will return to lower courts, for now.
During May 15 oral arguments, none of the justices voiced support for the Trump administration’s theory that the president’s order is consistent with the 14th Amendment’s citizenship clause and past Supreme Court decisions about that provision.
Changes to birthright laws would impact a large portion of the U.S. population. According to 2023 data from the U.S. Census, 22.8 million foreign-born, non-U.S. citizens live in the country.
Here's how many U.S. residents gained citizenship through birthright:
