Trump's own Supreme Court pick branded 'DEI hire' by furious MAGA base after birthright citizenship betrayal

By CHASE HOPE, POLITICAL REPORTER FOR THE DAILY MAIL Published: 20:26, 30 June 2026 | Updated: 20:44, 30 June 2026 Conservative figures are torching Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett after her vote helped defeat Donald Trump's push to restrict birthright citizenship. Barrett, taking office in 2020, was the final of three justices appointed by Trump during his first term. But she sided with Chief Justice John Roberts, also a Republican appointee, and the Court's three liberals to overrule the dissent of justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, and Neil Gorsuch.  Justice Brett Kavanaugh, Trump's second appointee, concurred with the judgment but disagreed with the majority's argument. The Court cited the 14th Amendment to hold that 'children born in the United States to parents unlawfully or temporarily present are "subject to the jurisdiction" of the United States and are citizens at birth.' The decision struck down a Trump executive order seeking to prevent the children of temporarily or illegally present people from attaining citizenship. Barrett has faced intense criticism for joining the liberals in the ruling. 'It turns out that Amy Coney Barrett is a DEI hire, little better than Ketanji [Brown] Jackson,' Daily Wire pundit Matt Walsh wrote on X on Tuesday morning. 'Terrible pick.' Memes caricaturing Barrett as a liberal, complete with blue hair and nose rings, circulated online Donald Trump speaks on the day he signs an executive order on vehicle repairs in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, US, June 29 Memes caricaturing Barrett as a liberal, complete with blue hair and nose rings, circulated online. Conservative outlet Blaze Media's Auron MacIntyre said that appointing Barrett 'was just as damaging to the country as "electing" Joe Biden.'  Conservative writer Megan Basham added Roberts in her complaints, labeling the decision 'an absolute monstrosity.' 'Amy Coney Barrett has got to be one of Trump's biggest L's,' another X user wrote. Some even cast aspersions at Barrett's adoption of two Haitian children, suggesting everything from a conflict of interest on Barrett's part to deporting the children. Kavanaugh's more middle-ground position may have helped to insulate him from the harsh criticism received by Barrett and Roberts. Kavanaugh disagreed that Trump's executive order violated the 14th Amendment's definition of citizenship, but he went along with the majority's decision because he believed the order contradicted a law passed by Congress in 1940. Kavanaugh suggested that Congress could pass a law establishing the same citizenship restrictions sought by Trump.  The backlash comes just a day after Trump supporters were outraged with Barrett for her vote in the Court's 5-4 decision on late-receipt mail-in ballots.  Talk show host Megyn Kelly called Barrett a 'turncoat' on Monday. Barrett authored the majority opinion in the mail-in voting case. Barrett was targeted last month in an alleged swatting incident, and her sister Amanda Coney Williams received a bomb threat last March. The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.