Supreme Court Rejects Trump's Birthright Citizenship Order but Leaves Legislative Path Open

The Supreme Court on Tuesday issued a 6-3 decision upholding birthright citizenship and striking down President Trump's executive order issued on the first day of his presidency. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for the majority that citizenship remains the right to have rights and that the Fourteenth Amendment extended that promise to every free-born person in the land.

President Trump responded on his social media platform that the ruling was too bad for the country but that Congress could address the issue through legislation.

He added that no long constitutional amendment was necessary and urged Congress to begin work immediately on ending what he called expensive and unfair birthright citizenship. House Speaker Mike Johnson, speaking before Trump's post, told reporters he was very disappointed with the decision and that Congress would examine amending the Constitution.

Johnson said the policy has been grossly abused and subjects the country to serious challenges going forward.

He acknowledged that a constitutional amendment would be very complicated and a many-years-long process but suggested it might be the only way forward. Amending the Constitution requires a two-thirds majority in both chambers of Congress and ratification by three-quarters of the states. Birthright citizenship is rooted in both the Constitution and 1940 federal citizenship law.

Even if Congress changes the statute, any new law would likely face court challenges on constitutional grounds and could return to the Supreme Court. ABC News asked the White House how the president would use Congress as a workaround and whether he was prepared for further legal scrutiny, but the White House referred questions to Trump's post.

On Monday, Trump said he would accept the Supreme Court's results and acknowledged that the matter was up to the justices.