WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that children born in the United States to parents who are unlawfully or temporarily present remain citizens at birth — and a year and a half of fear for thousands of mixed-status families ended with five words from Chief Justice John Roberts: the Constitution still means what it says.
In Trump v. Barbara, the Court split 6-3, with Roberts joined by Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Amy Coney Barrett and Ketanji Brown Jackson finding the president’s executive order unconstitutional, while Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote separately that the order violates federal law. Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch dissented.