What happened
The Supreme Court yesterday said it will consider President Donald Trump's emergency request to lift or limit nationwide injunctions blocking his order to deny citizenship to the U.S.-born children of undocumented immigrants and temporary residents. Three federal judges have halted Trump's effort to end birthright citizenship, enshrined in the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, and appellate courts have declined to intercede.
Who said what
By taking on such a weighty issue "at this stage — before it has been fully aired" in lower courts, The Wall Street Journal said, the Supreme Court is "setting the stage for a decisive ruling" on Trump's authority to "unilaterally alter an age-old understanding of a fundamental right provided by the Constitution." The oral arguments are expected to focus more narrowly on the "scope of the nationwide orders," not the "constitutionality of the administration's proposal," The Washington Post said. But the "justices probably will find it hard to avoid that underlying issue," The Associated Press said.
Trump said he was "so happy" the court had agreed to hear his appeal, adding that the case was "so misunderstood" and "birthright citizenship is about slavery." New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said a constitutional right like birthright citizenship "cannot be turned on or off at the whims of a single man."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
What next?
The Supreme Court left the nationwide blocks on Trump's order intact at least until its May 15 hearing.
-
Film reviews: Roofman and Kiss of the Spider WomanFeature An escaped felon’s heart threatens to give him away and a prisoner escapes into daydreams of J.Lo.
-
Broadway actors and musicians are on the brink of a strikeThe explainer The show, it turns out, may not go on
-
Pentagon reporters turn in badges after refusing rulesSpeed Read They refused to sign a restrictive new press policy imposed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth
-
Supreme Court points to gutting Voting Rights Actspeed read States would no longer be required to consider race when drawing congressional maps
-
‘An exercise of the Republicans justifying their racist positions’instant opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Trump says he authorized covert CIA ops in VenezuelaSpeed Read He is also considering military strikes inside the country
-
Are inflatable costumes and naked bike rides helping or hurting ICE protests?Talking Points Trump administration efforts to portray Portland and Chicago as dystopian war zones have been met with dancing frogs, bare butts and a growing movement to mock MAGA doomsaying
-
‘Are we just going to stand in passive witness to the degradation of our democracy?’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Supreme Court: Judging 20 years of RobertsFeature Two decades after promising to “call balls and strikes,” Chief Justice John Roberts faces scrutiny for reshaping American democracy
-
Venezuela: Does Trump want war?Feature Donald Trump has accused Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro of leading a drug cartel and waging a narco-terrorism campaign against the United States
-
Two years on, a Gaza truce may be in sightFeature Israel and Hamas consider the U.S.’ 20-point peace plan exchanging hostages for prisoners
