The country came within a single Supreme Court vote of overturning more than a century of settled birthright law. That’s how fragile even its oldest constitutional guarantees have become under Trump
On Tuesday, the US Supreme Court narrowly upheld the long-standing US practice of awarding citizenship to all children born in the country, regardless of who their parents are. The case, Trump vs Barbara, arose from an executive order Trump 2.0 issued on his first day in office, directing local governments to deny citizenship to any children born of mothers who were not citizens, not married to citizens, or were in the US on non-resident visas.
The court outcome wasn’t a surprise, but few expected the decision to be as close as it was. This reinforces the perception of the Court as being political, rather than impartial. And even if the timing of the decision was a ploy to quiet calls for Court reform, it’s unlikely to work.
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