Story perspectives

Supreme Court Upholds Birthright Citizenship; Trump Vows Congressional Reversal

7/1/2026

Summary

Story summary

Supreme Court majority upheld the Fourteenth Amendment rule that anyone born on U.S. soil is a citizen.
U.S. President Donald Trump mocked the ruling on Truth Social and vowed to reverse it through Congress.
Justices Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch dissented, saying the decision misinterprets the Citizenship Clause, while an Associated Press-NORC poll showed about two-thirds of U.S. adults support automatic citizenship but only 44% of Republicans do.

History

Historical Context

In 1898 the Supreme Court’s 7-2 decision in United States v. Wong Kim Ark declared that any child born on U.S. soil, even to Chinese parents barred by the Chinese Exclusion Act, is a citizen under the Fourteenth Amendment’s Citizenship Clause. The ruling built on earlier cases such as Look Tin Sing (1884) and has anchored disputes over birthright citizenship, including recent challenges by President Donald Trump and Congress.

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Story summary

Supreme Court majority upheld the Fourteenth Amendment rule that anyone born on U.S. soil is a citizen.
U.S. President Donald Trump mocked the ruling on Truth Social and vowed to reverse it through Congress.
Justices Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch dissented, saying the decision misinterprets the Citizenship Clause, while an Associated Press-NORC poll showed about two-thirds of U.S. adults support automatic citizenship but only 44% of Republicans do.

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