‘Hits close to home’: US Supreme Court hears birthright citizenship case

The U.S. Supreme Court is hearing arguments in a case that could overturn birthright citizenship, the century-old constitutional practice that automatically grants citizenship to infants born on U.S. soil. The case challenges the 14th Amendment's citizenship clause, which has been interpreted since 1898 to confer citizenship on virtually all children born in the country regardless of their parents' immigration status. A ruling against birthright citizenship would represent a fundamental shift in immigration and naturalization law, potentially affecting millions of people and requiring Congress to define new criteria for automatic citizenship. The outcome could reshape who qualifies as an American citizen and force a reconsideration of longstanding legal precedent that has stood for over a century.