Supreme Court Upholds Unconditional Birthright Citizenship
Your Daily Update for July 1, 2026. Plus: Yesterday, the Supreme Court blocked efforts by the Trump administration to add conditions to birthright citizenship.
Welcome to today’s daily update for Wednesday, July 1, 2026. Here’s everything you need to know.
The Breakdown
The Supreme Court has ruled in favor of protecting unconditional birthright citizenship.
On January 20 of last year, Trump signed an executive order eliminating birthright citizenship for the children of parents who were not US citizens. Lower courts quickly halted the order, arguing that it needed approval from higher courts before implementation.
Currently, in the 14th Amendment, the United States Constitution states:
"All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside."
The Trump administration based their argument on the word “jurisdiction” in the amendment, claiming that this required some sort of permanent status in the United States.
This meant that, under the executive order, the children of current US citizens would still receive birthright citizenship – instead, children of illegal immigrants, visa holders, or green card holders would not receive immediate citizenship, dramatically changing the landscape for citizenship in the United States.
The order drew heaps of praise from Republicans and far-right supporters in the US, who have long criticized the country’s laws on birthright citizenship; the policy is largely popular in the Western Hemisphere, but most countries in Europe, Africa, and Asia do not grant unconditional citizenship upon birth.
They also argued that children of US citizens would still receive citizenship, protecting the rights of many Americans while minimizing illegal immigration. Republicans also confirmed that the rule would only apply to new births, and children or existing residents that have already been granted citizenship would not be stripped of their rights.
However, the move sparked massive backlash among Democrats and leftists, who claimed that adding conditions to birthright citizenship would endanger the country’s democracy and directly violate the Constitution.
They also argued that the change was a severe overextension of presidential power – under US law, any formal changes to amendments go through a extensive process that includes approval from Congress.
Finally, the decision arrived in the Supreme Court, who confirmed their decision yesterday.
The court, which voted 6-3 against the executive order, based their judgments off of multiple primary points. First, they confirmed that the move did, in fact, directly violate the 14th Amendment, immediately deeming it unconstitutional. Furthermore, the amendment completely focuses on the location of the birth, excluding any language that limits the jurisdiction to those with permanent legal status.
Democrats hailed the win, which is a massive blow to the Trump administration’s agenda – from the beginning of his term, Trump had championed his changes to birthright citizenship as a core part of his plan to “Make America Great Again.”
Nevertheless, Trump remained persistent. He confirmed that Republicans plan to introduce it as a bill into Congress, allowing them to formally change the 14th Amendment.
However, the party needs a two-thirds majority in both houses to pass, which is incredibly unlikely given the current, approximately 53-47 split between Republicans and Democrats – respectively – across the House of Representatives and the Senate. Additionally, some Republican representatives and senators do not support Trump’s agenda, making a success in Congress even more improbable.
The Global Snapshot
Temperatures are approaching 100°F (38°C) across the eastern United States as an extreme heat wave moves in. Various cities, including Dallas, Charlotte, and Washington D.C. will exceed that temperature threshold, but high humidity levels will make it feel much, much hotter throughout the region. Authorities have advised locals to stay indoors, drink water, limit outdoor exercise, and avoid dehydrating beverages like alcohol.
Recent reports have confirmed that US President Donald Trump has gained at least $2.2 billion in net worth since returning to the White House for his second term. At least $1.4 billion alone are from the president’s cryptocurrency company, World Liberty Financial, alongside sales of the $TRUMP memecoin. The release has triggered severe backlash among the American public, who are facing rising costs and rapidly decreasing affordability across the nation as the gap between the bottom 50% and the upper 1% continues to widen.
At least three people were injured after an explosion in Monaco, including a Ukrainian business tycoon. A manhunt is currently underway as officials search for the suspect in the bombing.
At least 14 children were killed in Pakistan after the roof of a tutoring center in the city of Lahore collapsed. One teacher and eight other children were injured, and the owner of the center and another person have been arrested by local police after the cause was found to be poor construction quality and several violations of safety standards.
Fact of the Day (The Fact Site): While the North Carolina-based Wright brothers are credited with the invention of the plane in 1903, the first jet-powered aircraft was invented in Nazi Germany. Development started in 1936, and the first takeoff occurred in 1939.
Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): Life begins at the end of your comfort zone. (Neale Donald Walsch)
Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Bereft (adj, bih-REFT) - To be bereft is to be deprived or robbed of something, or to lack something that you need, want, or expect. Bereft is also used as a synonym of bereaved.
In a Sentence: They appear to be completely bereft of new ideas.
Image: Official White House photo by Joyce N. Boghosian is Public Domain