Supreme Court upholds birthright citizenship and sides with states on transgender athletes

The U.S. Supreme Court issued two landmark rulings that will have nationwide implications for immigration and school sports.

(NBC)- The U.S. Supreme Court issued two landmark rulings that will have nationwide implications for immigration and school sports.

In a 6-3 decision, the court upheld birthright citizenship, reaffirming that children born in the United States are citizens regardless of their parents’ immigration status. The ruling preserves citizenship rights for more than 250,000 babies born each year to undocumented immigrants or non-citizen parents.

The case stemmed from President Donald Trump’s executive order seeking to end automatic birthright citizenship. The Supreme Court ruled that the right is firmly protected by the 14th Amendment, with the chief justice writing that the Constitution would “keep that promise.”

Immigrant rights advocates praised the decision, saying it provides certainty for families who feared separation, while the Trump administration criticized the ruling. Republican leaders have vowed to continue pursuing changes through Congress, though doing so would require a constitutional amendment.

In a separate decision, the Supreme Court sided with states seeking to bar transgender athletes from competing on girls’ and women’s sports teams in school and college athletics, marking another significant ruling on one of the nation’s most closely watched social issues.