The United States Supreme Court has ruled against President Donald Trump's effort to restrict birthright citizenship, affirming that children born on American soil are entitled to US citizenship under the Constitution, irrespective of their parents' immigration status.
In a 6-3 judgment delivered on Tuesday, the court rejected the administration's bid to enforce an executive order that sought to deny automatic citizenship to children born to undocumented immigrants and individuals residing in the country on temporary visas.
The ruling marks a significant setback for President Trump, whose administration had argued that the longstanding interpretation of the 14th Amendment should be narrowed to exclude children whose parents were not lawfully or permanently present in the United States.
Chief Justice John Roberts, writing for the majority, reaffirmed that the Citizenship Clause of the 14th Amendment guarantees citizenship at birth to individuals born in the United States.
He noted that the amendment, adopted after the Civil War, was intended to ensure that "every free-born person in this land" enjoys the full rights and protections of citizenship.
Roberts described citizenship as "the right to have rights," adding that the court was upholding a constitutional promise that has existed for more than a century.
The decision preserves a legal principle that has guided US citizenship law for over 150 years and leaves in place the constitutional protection that applies to nearly everyone born within the country's borders.
Trump's executive order had been challenged shortly after it was issued, with opponents arguing that it violated the plain language of the 14th Amendment, which provides that all persons born or naturalised in the United States are citizens.
Federal lower courts had blocked the order before the case eventually reached the Supreme Court.
By refusing to overturn established constitutional precedent, the justices affirmed those lower court rulings and prevented the executive order from taking effect.
The judgment is expected to have far-reaching implications for US immigration policy and represents one of the administration's most significant legal defeats on a key campaign issue.
While the ruling closes the door on using executive action to limit birthright citizenship, analysts say the administration may continue pursuing other immigration measures aimed at reducing illegal entry into the United States.
The United States remains one of about 30 countries worldwide that grant automatic citizenship to anyone born within their territory.
Also on Tuesday, the Supreme Court issued another notable decision, striking down federal restrictions on coordinated campaign spending between political parties and individual candidates, in a case brought by Republican challengers, including Vice President JD Vance. The ruling was among the court's final decisions before the close of its current term.
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