NATIONWIDE — ALMOST HALF THE STATE ATTORNEY GENERALS IN THE U.S. JOINED A COALITION URGING THE U.S. SUPREME COURT TO REJECT PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP’S CHALLENGE TO BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP.
New York Attorney General Letitia James leads the 24-state coalition in urging the Supreme Court to reaffirm that birthright citizenship is a constitutional guarantee that a president cannot undo by executive order. The coalition filed an amicus brief on Thursday, Feb. 26, urging the court to strike down the president’s unlawful executive order to dismantle longstanding birthright citizenship protections, arguing it violates the U.S. Constitution and the Immigration and Nationality Act, which codifies birthright citizenship into federal law.
The coalition emphasizes that the 14th Amendment guarantees citizenship to all people born in the U.S. and subject to its jurisdiction, with narrow and well-established exceptions covering the children of foreign diplomats. The Supreme Court confirmed this principle more than a century ago, holding that children born on American soil are citizens regardless of their parents’ immigration status.
James and 18 other attorneys general filed a lawsuit on Jan. 21, 2025, challenging Trump’s executive order. The coalition secured a preliminary injunction that was later upheld in a court ruling. The Feb. 26 amicus brief is being filed in Trump v. Barbara, a separate case challenging the legality of the birthright citizenship order.
