Supreme Court Upholds Birthright Citizenship in 6-3 Ruling

The U.S. Supreme Court last week reaffirmed the constitutional right to citizenship for nearly everyone born in the United States in a 6-3 decision. The ruling rejected efforts to limit birthright citizenship through executive order.

The decision referenced the 1857 Dred Scott ruling, which held that Black people could not be citizens. It also noted that the Indian Citizenship Act granting citizenship to Indigenous peoples was enacted only in 1924. Officials had denied citizenship to one individual on the grounds that he owed allegiance to China.

The Court upheld a policy allowing the government to turn away asylum seekers at southern border ports of entry. The change directly affects hundreds of thousands of Haitians and thousands of Syrians living and working in the United States.

The administration has pursued denaturalization proceedings at a rate described as unprecedented in the post-Civil Rights era. Officials have also moved to deport individuals, including human rights advocates, based on speech. A congressional caucus of approximately 60 Republican representatives from 25 states has formed to oppose what it terms "Sharia law," asserting that such practices threaten constitutional principles.

The meaning of American citizenship and belonging continues to be contested.