Supreme Court Justices Appear Sceptical Over Trump’s Plan To End Birthright Citizenship

The United States Supreme Court has begun hearing arguments on one of the most contentious legal challenges of the current administration: the executive order seeking to end birthright citizenship for the children of undocumented immigrants. During a high-stakes session on Wednesday, April 1, 2026, several justices, including some from the conservative wing, appeared highly sceptical of the administration’s legal justification for the move.

The White House argues that the 14th Amendment’s clause—granting citizenship to those born in the U.S. and "subject to the jurisdiction thereof"—was never intended to apply to those whose parents are in the country illegally. Government lawyers contended that the President holds the inherent authority to redefine the scope of this jurisdiction through executive action. However, the justices repeatedly pressed the Solicitor General on over a century of legal precedent, most notably the 1898 United States v. Wong Kim Ark decision, which established that birth on U.S. soil confers citizenship regardless of parental status.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor noted that the amendment’s language is "categorical," while Chief Justice John Roberts questioned whether such a fundamental shift in American law could be achieved without a constitutional amendment passed by Congress. Legal experts suggest that if the Court rules against the administration, it would be a major judicial blow to the President’s cornerstone immigration policy. A final decision is expected by the end of the current term in June, as civil rights groups and proponents of the policy continue to hold rallies outside the Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C.