SCOTUS: Americans born in Jerusalem can't list Israel as birthplace on passports


The Supreme Court ruled Monday that parents cannot put Israel as the birthplace on the passports of children born in Jerusalem, the Chicago Tribune reports. The decision acknowledges the ongoing dispute between Israel and Palestine, which both claim the city as their capital.
The 6-3 decision strikes down the controversial part of a 2002 law requiring Jerusalem-born Americans to list Israel as their country of birth. The State Department and Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama have disagreed with that provision. The ruling gives the president sole authority to recognize foreign states.
"The congressional command would not only prevent the nation from speaking with one voice but also prevent the Executive itself from doing so in conducting foreign relations," Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote.
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Julie Kliegman is a freelance writer based in New York. Her work has appeared in BuzzFeed, Vox, Mental Floss, Paste, the Tampa Bay Times and PolitiFact. Her cats can do somersaults.
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