Supreme Court upholds birthright citizenship, rejecting Trump order

On June 30, 2026, the Supreme Court said children born in the United States to parents who are unlawfully or temporarily present are citizens at birth under the Fourteenth Amendment, rejecting President Trump’s Executive Order 14160 in Trump v. Barbara. The ruling keeps the long-settled birthright-citizenship rule in place.

What the Court decided

The opinion says the Citizenship Clause applies to people born in the United States and subject to U.S. jurisdiction, with only narrow exceptions. The Court rejected the claim that a parent’s immigration status takes a child outside that protection.

Why this matters

For families, the immediate takeaway is straightforward: babies born on U.S. soil remain citizens at birth. For federal and state agencies, the decision leaves the existing rule in place unless Congress changes the law or a later ruling alters it.

The vote split

AP reported the case as a 6-3 decision overall, but only five justices joined the constitutional majority. Justice Brett Kavanaugh agreed that a federal law supports citizenship here, while disagreeing with the constitutional reasoning.

What to watch next

The ruling is a major setback for Trump’s effort to narrow birthright citizenship by executive order, but it does not end every immigration dispute. The next fights are more likely to involve implementation, related lawsuits, or possible congressional action.

Sources

• Supreme Court opinion, Trump v. Barbara (June 30, 2026)
• Associated Press report on the birthright-citizenship ruling
• WUNC/NPR report on the ruling