The Supreme Court on Friday delivered a significant victory to President Donald Trump, allowing his administration to advance—at least in part—its plan to end automatic birthright citizenship.
In a 6-3 decision split along ideological lines, the justices ruled that nationwide injunctions issued by lower courts should be narrowed to apply only to the plaintiffs and states that filed the lawsuits. The decision does not address the constitutionality of Trump’s policy itself but clears the way for the administration to begin laying groundwork for its implementation while litigation continues.
“This is a monumental decision,” Trump said at the White House. “It delivers a victory for the Constitution, the separation of powers, and the rule of law by striking down excessive nationwide injunctions.”
The administration argues that the 14th Amendment’s guarantee of citizenship to all people born in the U.S. does not apply to the children of non-citizens and undocumented immigrants. Trump’s executive order, signed on his first day in office in January, would confer citizenship only on children with at least one parent who is a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident.
For more than a century, courts have held that nearly all children born on U.S. soil are automatically citizens, with narrow exceptions such as children of foreign diplomats. Every court that has considered Trump’s order has so far blocked it.
The Supreme Court’s decision leaves injunctions in place but limits them to the specific plaintiffs involved in the suits in Maryland, Massachusetts, and Washington state. Justice Amy Coney Barrett, writing for the majority, said the broad injunctions were “more sweeping than necessary.” She directed lower courts to re-evaluate how wide the orders should reach.
“Federal courts must not exceed their authority simply because they believe the executive has exceeded his,” Barrett wrote.
Liberal justices strongly dissented. From the bench, Justice Sonia Sotomayor called the ruling “a travesty for the rule of law” and warned that it would “hamstring” federal judges who need to prevent harm nationwide. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson in a separate dissent described the decision as “an existential threat to the rule of law.”
The Trump administration has repeatedly complained that nationwide injunctions have derailed its agenda on issues including deportations, federal workforce cuts, and regulation of universities. The Justice Department has argued such injunctions are an unconstitutional overreach by the judiciary.
Advocacy groups challenging the birthright citizenship order wasted no time in responding. Within hours, lawyers filed amended lawsuits and new class-action claims, which could potentially block the policy on a national basis again.
William Powell, senior counsel at the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection, said his group was seeking class certification to protect all affected children and parents nationwide. “Given this ruling, a class action is the fastest and most effective way to secure relief,” he said.
Trump, who has frequently attacked judges that stand in his way, portrayed the ruling as a correction of judicial activism. “This brings back the Constitution,” he said. “This is what it’s all about.”
For now, the policy technically remains blocked in New Hampshire under a separate lawsuit. The Supreme Court’s ruling allows the administration to continue drafting regulations and planning enforcement while further litigation plays out.
New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin, whose state challenged the plan, said he was confident Trump’s order would never take effect. “And in the meantime, our fight continues,” he said.
