Supreme Court restricts judge's authority; future of Trump's birthright citizenship decree remains uncertain
In a twist of events, the Supreme Court, exhibiting a divide, decided last Friday that individual judges don't hold the power to instate nationwide injunctions. This ruling, though seemingly a win for President Trump, leaves the future of his disputed birthright citizenship restrictions uncertain.
Trump has long complained about judicial barriers to his agenda, and this decision marks a step in his favor. However, the conservative majority didn't completely close the door on the possibility that the birthright citizenship restrictions could still be subject to a nationwide blockade. Trump's executive order aims to deny citizenship to US-born children of undocumented immigrants.
Birthright citizenship simply means that anyone born within the borders of the United States becomes an American citizen. This principle, enshrined in the 14th Amendment of the Constitution following the Civil War, also applies to children born to mothers living in the country illegally.
In a significant Supreme Court case from 1898, United States v Wong Kim Ark, the court determined that only four groups of children would not automatically receive US citizenship: diplomats' children who hold allegiance to another government, enemies during hostile occupation, children born on foreign ships, and those born to members of sovereign Native American tribes.
When it comes to birthright citizenship, the United States is joined by roughly 30 other countries, primarily in the Americas. Notable examples include Canada and Mexico. The principle is known as jus soli, or the "right of the soil."
Trump's victory in the Supreme Court case regarding nationwide injunctions could potentially be beneficial for his executive order aimed at denying citizenship to US-born children of undocumented immigrants. However, the future of the birthright citizenship restrictions remains uncertain due to the conservative majority's reluctance to completely close the door on the possibility of a nationwide blockade.
The Supreme Court ruling, while a step forward for President Trump, does not guarantee an end to the judicial opposition to his birthright citizenship restrictions, as the principle is a general topic of interest in policy-and-legislation and politics, often appearing in general-news reports.
