Overview
- President Trump announced on Wednesday that he will ask the U.S. Supreme Court to rehear the case challenging his executive order that sought to deny automatic citizenship to most children born on U.S. soil, and administration lawyers had not filed a formal petition as of the latest reports.
- The Supreme Court on June 30 ruled 6–3 that the 14th Amendment and precedents such as United States v. Wong Kim Ark make children born in the United States to parents unlawfully or temporarily present citizens at birth.
- Legal scholars note rehearing requests are rarely granted by the Court, the justices have not reopened an argued decision in decades, and reversal on rehearing would be historically exceptional.
- The president pointed to Spanish‑language billboards and 'birth tourism' claims as justification for action, but reporting shows the advertisements cited were limited, did not promise citizenship, and have prompted a Texas state probe rather than evidence of a large, organized scheme.
- With the judicial route seen as a long shot, Republican leaders are exploring legislative or constitutional options to change the rule, a path that would likely require a new statute or, to achieve the administration’s aims, a constitutional amendment and broad political support.