Supreme Court rejects Trump’s attempt to limit birthright citizenship

BREAKING NEWSUpdated 7 minutes agoSupreme CourtSupreme CourtSupreme Court rejects Trump’s attempt to limit birthright citizenshipThe Trump administration sought to upend the historical understanding of the 14th Amendment, which has long been interpreted to extend birthright citizenship broadly.Listen to this article with a free profile00:0000:00Demonstrators rally in support of birthright citizenship April 1 as President Donald Trump attended oral arguments in the case.Kent Nishimura / AFP via Getty ImagesShareAdd NBC News to GoogleJune 30, 2026, 10:36 AM EDT / Updated June 30, 2026, 10:39 AM EDTBy Lawrence HurleyWASHINGTON — Delivering a major blow to President Donald Trump, the Supreme Court on Tuesday blocked his contentious attempt to limit citizenship at birth for those born on U.S. soil.Limited time: Save 25% on NBC News subscriptionGet exclusive reporting, live Q&As and ad-free reading.The court, divided 6-3, ruled that the executive order Trump issued Jan. 20, 2025, the first day of his second term, was unlawful. Five justices said the order fell foul of the Constitution’s 14th Amendment, which has long been interpreted to bestow birthright citizenship on almost anyone born in the United States. One justice, conservative Brett Kavanaugh, said the order violated federal law but not the Constitution.It is the third significant Supreme Court loss for Trump in recent months, following the February ruling that invalidated his sweeping tariffs and Monday’s decision that barred him from immediately firing Lisa Cook from the Federal Reserve. The court has a 6-3 conservative majority, including three justices Trump himself appointed, and has ruled in the president’s favor in other important cases.The 14th Amendment has long been interpreted as granting citizenship to nearly every person born in the U.S.Francis Chung / Politico via APTrump's order sought to radically reinterpret the 14th Amendment, which states: “All persons born or naturalized in the United State...