Birthright citizenship was reaffirmed by the Supreme Court today: the Court blocked President Trump’s attempt to limit it and said the Constitution still guarantees automatic citizenship to nearly all children born in the United States. The ruling left the long-standing 14th Amendment rule in place, with only narrow exceptions such as children of foreign diplomats.

What changed

Trump had tried to use an executive order, issued on January 20, 2025, to deny citizenship to some U.S.-born children depending on their parents’ immigration status. The Court’s 6-3 decision said that approach was unlawful and inconsistent with the Citizenship Clause of the 14th Amendment.

Why it matters

This means babies born on U.S. soil are still generally citizens at birth, as they have been under the traditional reading of the 14th Amendment. It also means the administration cannot enforce that executive order unless a future constitutional amendment or a different legal ruling changes the rule.

Background

The fight over birthright citizenship has been a major immigration and constitutional issue throughout Trump’s second term, with lower courts already blocking the order before the Supreme Court stepped in. In the news cycle, this has been one of the biggest Supreme Court cases of the summer because it affects citizenship rules for potentially hundreds of thousands of children born each year.

TL;DR

Birthright citizenship did not end. The Supreme Court stopped Trump’s attempt to restrict it, so the U.S. still recognizes citizenship at birth for almost everyone born on U.S. soil.