WASHINGTON—Today, the United States Supreme Court paused a federal district court’s decision that protected the 14th Amendment’s guarantee of citizenship to anyone born in the United States. On his first day in office, President Trump issued an executive order attempting to end the 14th Amendment’s citizenship guarantee. Federal courts swiftly blocked the order via nationwide injunctions, recognizing it as a blatant violation of the Constitution.

The practical implication of the Supreme Court’s ruling is that those injunctions will only apply to the individuals who challenged the executive order and only in the jurisdictions of the courts that issued them.

Common Cause filed an amicus brief in Trump v. CASA Inc., arguing that it is not just the future of birthright citizenship at stake, but the ability for federal courts to defend constitutional rights against presidential overreach.

Statement from Common Cause President & CEO Virginia Kase Solomón

The Supreme Court turned its back on the American people today and left our Constitution exposed to the whims of a lawless president. The lives of thousands of Americans will be upended, and many will be wrongfully deported. The ruling undermines the ability of the federal courts to protect the Constitution from a president with no respect for the rule of law and a dislike for people who don’t look like him.

Just because President Trump wants to get rid of birthright citizenship, does not mean he has the power to rewrite the Constitution by executive order. Ultimately the courts will rule against this blatantly unconstitutional act by the president. But the ruling today prevents lower courts from stopping unconstitutional acts nationwide before they do serious harm.

Real harm will come from this ruling. Families will be torn apart. The Trump administration will use it to illegally deport citizens in violation of the 14^th Amendment.

To read the Common Cause brief, click here.