US President Donald Trump has asked the US Supreme Court to intervene in his bid to curb automatic birthright citizenship, scaling back nationwide injunctions issued against his order.
The Justice Department filed a request with the justices on Thursday, challenging the scope of three nationwide injunctions issued by federal judges in Washington state, Massachusetts, and Maryland. The administration claims that universal injunctions have become “epidemic” and seeks to limit their application only to the plaintiffs who brought the cases.
Trump’s order, signed on January 20, directed federal agencies to refuse recognition of citizenship for US-born children without at least one American citizen or lawful permanent resident parent. However, it has been blocked nationwide by multiple federal judges.
The administration argues that the 14th Amendment’s citizenship clause does not extend to immigrants in the country illegally or those with temporary presence in the US. They claim that a policy of universal birthright citizenship creates strong incentives for illegal immigration and “birth tourism.”
In contrast, a 1898 US Supreme Court ruling (United States v. Wong Kim Ark) has been interpreted as guaranteeing American citizenship to children born in the US to non-citizen parents.
The Supreme Court’s conservative majority, including three justices appointed by Trump, may weigh in on this issue, potentially limiting the impact of the injunctions.
Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-asks-us-supreme-court-intervene-bid-curb-birthright-citizenship-2025-03-13