Overview
- Justice Neil Gorsuch, in recent interviews promoting a children’s book about the Declaration of Independence, said the United States is united by shared ideals rather than a common religion, race, or culture.
- Conservative commentators attacked the claim as incoherent or unfaithful to the founders, citing John Jay’s emphasis on shared ancestry and arguing a real creed would be enforced through penalties like denaturalization.
- Some Trump allies read the comment as a hint that the Supreme Court could reject the president’s effort to curb birthright citizenship for children of undocumented or temporary visitors.
- Legal analysts point to the 14th Amendment’s Citizenship Clause and longstanding precedent as major hurdles to changing birthright citizenship, and no ruling has altered that law.
- Coverage diverged by outlet, with the Christian Post detailing the right-wing criticism, Alternet stressing fears of a court loss for Trump, and Reason defending civic nationalism as a mainstream view reflected in recent polling.