How the Supreme Court justices ruled on birthright citizenship

A majority of Supreme Court justices on Tuesday ruled to uphold birthright citizenship, citing the 14th Amendment as clearly enshrining jus soli, Latin for “right of the soil.”

Chief Justice John Roberts and conservative Justice Amy Coney Barrett sided with their three liberal counterparts to strike down President Trump’s January executive order aiming to thwart automatic citizenship granted to children born on U.S. soil.

Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch dissented, while Justice Brett Kavanaugh disagreed with the majority decision but ultimately voted to block Trump’s order under federal law.

Roberts, who wrote the opinion for the court, said there was little evidence in support of the Trump administration’s position giving birthright citizenship exclusively to the descendants of citizens with legal status. 

The chief justice noted America’s founding principles as proof that the Founding Fathers intended for the U.S. to welcome foreigners for short- or long-term........

© The Hill