The Trump administration has petitioned the Supreme Court to allow enforcement of its executive order ending birthright citizenship, a move that has faced significant legal opposition from multiple lower courts.

The executive order, signed by President Donald Trump on his first day in office during his second term, seeks to deny U.S. citizenship to children born in the country to parents who are in the United States illegally. However, federal district courts in Maryland, Massachusetts, and Washington state have issued nationwide injunctions blocking its implementation.

Birthright citizenship is a long-standing principle enshrined in the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which states that anyone born on American soil is a citizen. Critics argue that the executive order directly contradicts this constitutional provision. In January, a federal judge described the order as “blatantly unconstitutional,” and shortly after, a Maryland judge ruled that the administration’s attempt “runs counter to our nation’s 250-year history of citizenship by birth.”

Despite the setbacks in lower courts, the administration has continued to press its case, arguing that birthright citizenship should not extend to children whose parents lack legal residency. Appeals courts have dismissed efforts to overturn the lower court rulings, maintaining the national injunctions against the order.

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