Trump attends Supreme Court as justices hear birthright citizenship case

WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court cast doubt Wednesday on President Donald Trump’s attempt to restrict birthright citizenship in a high‑stakes case highlighted by the president’s appearance in the courtroom.

Justices questioned whether Trump’s order declaring that children born to parents who are in the United States illegally or temporarily are not American citizens is consistent with the Constitution or federal law.

Trump, the first sitting president to attend arguments at the Supreme Court, spent over an hour in the courtroom Wednesday as his administration’s top lawyer defended his limits on birthright citizenship.

He listened as Solicitor General D. John Sauer presented the administration’s case, then left shortly after attorney Cecillia Wang began arguing in support of broad birthright citizenship.

What we know:

The court is reviewing Trump’s appeal of a lower-court ruling that struck down citizenship restrictions. It was one of several lower‑court decisions blocking the policy nationwide. The restrictions have not taken effect anywhere in the country.

The case presents a test of Trump’s use of executive power. A ruling is expected by early summer.

Trump signed the birthright‑citizenship order on the first day of his second term as part of his broader immigration agenda. The policy challenges the long‑standing interpretation of the 14th Amendment and federal law, which grant citizenship on nearly all children born on U.S. soil, with narrow exceptions.

Lower courts have repeatedly found the order unconstitutional. The administration argues that children of noncitizens are not "subject to the jurisdiction" of the United States and therefore not entitled to citizenship.