**Supreme Court Strikes Down Trump's Executive Order on Birthright Citizenship**
*By Nathan Rennolds, Euronews World - 30/06/2026*
In a landmark decision, the Supreme Court of the United States has invalidated an executive order signed by former President Donald Trump that sought to end the automatic birthright citizenship for children born on American soil. The ruling, delivered on June 30, 2026, centers around the interpretation of the 14th Amendment, which guarantees citizenship to "all persons born or naturalized in the United States."
The court's majority, comprising five Justices, concluded that Trump's executive order was unconstitutional. Chief Justice John Roberts, along with Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Amy Coney Barrett, and Ketanji Brown Jackson, determined that the order violated the citizenship clause of the 14th Amendment. Justice Brett Kavanaugh concurred with the majority's judgment but noted in a separate opinion that while he did not believe the order violated the 14th Amendment, it did contravene federal statutes.
The executive order, signed in January 2025 at the start of Trump's second term, aimed to restrict citizenship for children born in the U.S. to parents who were in the country illegally or temporarily. The order stated that such children would no longer be entitled to citizenship at birth, a move that sparked significant debate over immigration policy and constitutional rights.
In delivering the majority opinion, Chief Justice Roberts emphasized that children born in the United States to parents unlawfully or temporarily present are indeed "subject to the jurisdiction" of the United States and thus entitled to citizenship at birth. He articulated the historical context of the 14th Amendment, stating, "Citizenship, then and now, was the right to have rights— to freely participate in our political community. The Framers of the Fourteenth Amendment extended that promise to 'every free-born person in this land.'"
The dissenting opinions came from Justices Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, and Samuel Alito, who argued against the majority's interpretation of the 14th Amendment and the implications of the ruling.
In response to the Supreme Court's decision, Trump took to his social media platform, Truth Social, to express his views. He remarked that while his Republican party had been "treated very fairly" by the court in general, he would seek to address the issue of birthright citizenship through legislative means in Congress.
This ruling is significant as it reinforces the long-standing interpretation of the 14th Amendment regarding birthright citizenship, which has been a contentious topic in U.S. politics, particularly in discussions surrounding immigration reform. The decision is likely to have lasting implications for future immigration policies and the legal status of children born in the United States to non-citizen parents.
As the political landscape continues to evolve, the Supreme Court's ruling serves as a reminder of the enduring principles enshrined in the Constitution and the ongoing debates surrounding citizenship and immigration in America.