this post was submitted on 03 Apr 2026
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top 42 comments
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[–] SirEDCaLot@lemmy.today 13 points 1 day ago

Saving you a click:

But then Barrett asked: What about slaves who were brought to this country illegally and against their will, as many were? Surely some of them still “felt allegiance to the countries where they were from” and intended “to return as soon as they can.” So wouldn’t their children be excluded from birthright citizenship, too?

[–] wampus@lemmy.ca 4 points 1 day ago

Heh, anyone pointing out the Trump's are birthright citizens seems to've missed the Trump gold card citizenship racket that's paired with anything related to citizenship revocation. If they change the law, rich people just pay some money to buy a gold citizenship card. Trump's family would likely get theirs paid for by tech bros, wouldn't even need to pay out of pocket.

While white nationalist racists are a part of Trump's base, and are likely in favour of this law getting changed, thinking it'll help their agenda... it's really just another attack on poor/middle class people.

At this point, as a non-American, I'm fine with them disenfranchising most of their population and declaring them non-citizens. For regulated industries, it'd make things like FATCA reporting much simpler, and it's not as though those 'citizens' deserve any respect/special consideration -- look at the guy they elected as their leader. Who they still follow. Even as he openly makes moves to strip them of their rights.

[–] Soulphite@reddthat.com 61 points 3 days ago (6 children)

It would be fucking hilarious to find out somewhere in this pedophiles family tree that one of his blood relatives is a birthright citizen; therefore nullifying his entire lineage up to himself according to himself. So, his case is stupid. He's stupid. He's also a pedophile rapist piece of shit, that part is very important.

[–] BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today 1 points 1 day ago

Traitor, also. Never forget that he is the very definition of a traitor, in literally every way possible.

[–] teft@piefed.social 62 points 3 days ago (1 children)

His grandfather moved here from germany doing what their family loves to do best, running from their wartime fighting obligations because they’re a family of cowards. He started a whorehouse.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_Trump

[–] Objection@lemmy.ml 9 points 3 days ago (1 children)

running from their wartime fighting obligations because they’re a family of cowards.

Dodging drafts is the only cool thing any Trump has ever done, actually.

[–] BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today 3 points 1 day ago

I never have a problem with people doing anything they have to, to avoid an evil institution like the Draft, and I will never question whether they were motivated by morality or cowardice.

What I have a problem with are people like Trump, and most of those in the Bush administration who avoided the Draft, only to grow up and scream for war to kill a different generation of young Americans. Chicken Hawks are literally the worst brand of politician.

[–] ceenote@lemmy.world 24 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Ivanna was not yet a citizen when she had Don Jr., Ivanka, and Eric Trump.

He used to care about Ivanka a lot. Then she grew up. :-(

[–] homes@piefed.world 15 points 3 days ago (2 children)

His kids are all birthright citizens

[–] BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today 2 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Not really, because he was an American citizen, so his kids born on American soil are also citizens, no matter what their mother's status is. I wish it meant we could deport his weak-chinned, mentally-deficient demon spawn, but alas, they're legal, even under his rules.

[–] kbobabob@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 3 days ago

It would be hilarious if the judge asked that question.

[–] Hoomod@lemmy.world 14 points 3 days ago

His children are, but he doesn't really care about them

[–] Fredselfish@lemmy.world 3 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Trump would be just that. His fucking grandfather was an illegal alien. Which means his father would not have been immergrant. Also learn that all his children mother was not a citizen until long after the last child was born.

Well his father was the one arrested at the KKK rally. Being that he was a German at a rally of people who didn't like people who looked different then them one can only ponder what values they passed on to their kid who is trying to take citizenship away from those he doesn't like.

[–] ptz@dubvee.org 37 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

Wednesday’s Supreme Court arguments over birthright citizenship went very poorly for Donald Trump.

The phrase "went very poorly for Donald Trump" can pretty much universally be translated as "Went well for literally everyone else".

[–] Tenthrow@lemmy.world 17 points 3 days ago (4 children)

So what's the TLDR? This is paywalled for me.

[–] arctanthrope@lemmy.world 38 points 3 days ago

the gist, as I understand, is that the argument that was presented is basically "the purpose of the 14th amendment was only to grant citizenship to newly freed slaves; children of parents who do not intend to permanently live in the US, or who still feel allegiance to a foreign country, are not intended to be included." Barrett's response was essentially "your argument is self-contradictory. many parents of newly freed slaves did not feel allegiance to the US and wished to return to the countries that they or their ancestors were taken from against their will. the amendment cannot have been intended to both include and exclude their children."

[–] midribbon_action@lemmy.blahaj.zone 17 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Sauer claims that the birthright citizenship should only apply to people born here who intend to stay, and have no foreign allegiances. He justified that by saying the history of birthright citizenship is specifically to help newly freed slaves after the US civil war, and should not apply to children of illegal immigrants.

Barret noted that most slaves were trafficked here against their will, and undoubtedly some of them wanted to go back to their home, or were still allegiant to their home country. So, Sauer's test of whether someone is domiciled and has no foreign allegiances would preclude a sizeable amount of freed slaves. Therefore, his test is ahistorical, because in fact all slaces received citizenship regardless of their allegiance or willingness to stay.

The article claims the case will be won 7-2 in favor of birthright citizenship without any loyalty test.

[–] TheMadCodger@piefed.social 11 points 3 days ago

Who are the two dissenters?

/s

[–] CainTheLongshot@lemmy.world 9 points 3 days ago

Trump's solicitor general was saying the 14th amendment wasn't intended to cover the children of people here illegally, that it was intended for slaves.

Barrett argued that slaves were brought here illegally, so his basis is flawed.

It goes on about the governments position on domiciled people's vs jus soli, based on soil, and jus sanguinis, based on descent and how basing citizenship on decent could get confusing very quickly therefore the writers of the 14th amendment clearly intended on jus soli.

[–] Triumph@fedia.io 3 points 3 days ago

Just before the paywall for me:

What about slaves who were brought to this country illegally and against their will, as many were? Surely some of them still “felt allegiance to the countries where they were from” and intended “to return as soon as they can.” So wouldn’t their children be excluded from birthright citizenship, too? And if so, doesn’t that just blow up Sauer’s theory that the whole point of this clause was to protect the citizenship of these exact people?

[–] resipsaloquitur@lemmy.world 10 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Wasn’t Donald’s grandfather a German immigrant?

Let him lose his citizenship.

[–] Bakkoda@lemmy.world 7 points 3 days ago (2 children)

His dead wife who he buried on a golf course had all their kids before she became a US citizen iirc

[–] Notyou@sopuli.xyz 6 points 3 days ago

......mother of god.....is this just a long game from trump so that he can deport his children?

[–] resipsaloquitur@lemmy.world 1 points 3 days ago

It’s always projection.

[–] altphoto@lemmy.today 6 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Pay walled so we can't know what happened unless someone pays.

[–] blargh513@sh.itjust.works 8 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

See kids, this is why we still use Firefox (I did not pay):

Wednesday’s Supreme Court arguments over birthright citizenship went very poorly for Donald Trump. The president watched from the front row as a majority of the justices expressed deep skepticism toward his executive order seeking to deny U.S. citizenship to the American-born children of many immigrants. He walked out of the courtroom midway through arguments and later ranted on Truth Social that the nation is “stupid” for protecting this fundamental right. Trump is not a sophisticated legal observer, but even he seemed to understand that the case is not going to go his way.

There was no single turning point against the administration at arguments—but one exchange between Justice Amy Coney Barrett and Solicitor General John Sauer may have locked in the government’s loss. On a special Slate Plus bonus episode of Amicus, co-host Mark Joseph Stern discussed this pointed exchange with Evan Bernick, a professor at Northern Illinois University College of Law and co-author of a significant amicus brief in the case. A preview of their conversation, below, has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Mark Joseph Stern: Justice Barrett had a lot of skeptical questions for the solicitor general. And she really drilled down on his theory that children do not receive birthright citizenship if their parents lack “domicile” in the United States or hold “allegiance” to a foreign power. She asked how the government would know whether certain immigrants intended to stay in the country or maintain loyalty to a foreign power. And where would we draw the line? What about, for instance, the child of a woman who’s illegally trafficked into the U.S. then gives birth here? Is that person an automatic citizen?

Sauer kept returning to his claim that the lone purpose of the 14th Amendment’s citizenship clause was to overturn Dred Scott and grant citizenship to newly freed slaves and their children. But then Barrett asked: What about slaves who were brought to this country illegally and against their will, as many were? Surely some of them still “felt allegiance to the countries where they were from” and intended “to return as soon as they can.” So wouldn’t their children be excluded from birthright citizenship, too? And if so, doesn’t that just blow up Sauer’s theory that the whole point of this clause was to protect the citizenship of these exact people?

Evan Bernick: Justice Barrett likes to show why history supports a rule that makes sense rather than doing history just for the sake of history. She wants to show how there’s latent wisdom to the rule that was incorporated into this history. And for Barrett, that is the rule of jus soli—the idea that if you’re born in a place and governed by that place, you’re a citizen of that place. If you have that rule, you don’t have to worry about the “domicile” or “allegiance” of people who were illegally trafficked.

She made very clear that she viewed the children of slaves through the lens of unlawful immigration. She thought that the situation of enslaved people’s children was not something that could be settled on the basis of any domicile requirement. Because if we think about domicile as “presence with intent to remain,” well, enslaved people didn’t intend to remain anywhere! They were taken. They were forced into a place. So domicile can’t be the rule, because then you can’t unproblematically grant citizenship to the children of formerly enslaved people.

Just to draw this out: Sauer’s argument is that if people came here illegally, their children don’t get birthright citizenship. Barrett responded: OK, but many slaves were brought here illegally, and everyone acknowledges that the point of the 14th Amendment first and foremost was to grant citizenship to them and their children. So this felt like the moment that Sauer completely lost the case, because he had to admit that his chief theory cannot be squared with what he himself acknowledges the 14th Amendment was ratified to do.

Yes. And I inferred another implication from what Barrett was saying: If domicile is the rule, and domicile requires that you have the permanent intention to stay in a place, enslaved people who were forcibly imported into the country against their will did not have an intention to stay there. So if we’re going to tie the status of children to whether their parents are “domiciled,” under Sauer’s own theory, why would the children of formerly enslaved people be citizens at all? The citizenship clause would not accomplish its most basic function of overruling Dred Scott.

So I think that is what’s going on with Barrett. She read the briefs. She has a firm idea about the distinction between two very different theories of citizenship: jus soli, based on soil, and jus sanguinis, based on descent. The former is much less complicated than the latter. The framers of the 14th Amendment had good reasons to use the less complicated one. And we have good reason to keep it, because it prevents all these very complicated problems from subsequently arising.

Barrett did ask tough questions of the ACLU’s Cecillia Wang, who argued against Trump’s order. She really pressed Wang on whether Congress could expand the limited classes that do not receive birthright citizenship. What did you make of that?

Wang took the position that the set of exceptions to birthright citizenship is closed. Congress can’t create new exceptions to birthright citizenship, but it can get rid of old exceptions. And Barrett was unsatisfied with this, because Wang didn’t really elaborate a theory about it. So it came off more as “this is good policy” rather than “I’ve got text and history on my side.” And Barrett wondered where this closed set came from.

But you still think this case will probably come down 7–2 against Trump with Barrett in the majority?

Absolutely. Barrett was outright hostile to the solicitor general’s arguments. I just think her professor mindset was triggered by some of Wang’s answers.

[–] stoly@lemmy.world 5 points 3 days ago

Yeah. I seriously find it offensive when people post articles that nobody can read. WSJ and Economist are other such examples.

[–] homesweethomeMrL@lemmy.world 4 points 3 days ago

Yeah well trump’s assholes were arguing “nuh uh” against The Constitution.

I would seriously hope most of us could unravel that demented rapist drooled-on garbage easily enough. FFS.

[–] GutterRat42@lemmy.world 4 points 3 days ago (3 children)

Are evil people just dumb and incompetent?

[–] big_slap@lemmy.world 8 points 3 days ago

no. don't be fooled, there are a lot of evil people who are smart, intelligent and actively ruining society

[–] NauticalNoodle@lemmy.ml 1 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Trump strikes me as an outlier amongst evil rich people because he's so incompetent.

[–] GutterRat42@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago

Elon Musk is just as dumb and incompetent. I think they just are great at marketing and having money to waste

[–] A_norny_mousse@piefed.zip 1 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Trump is certainly all of the above. But others around him are much more intelligent. Relatively speaking of course. OTOH being aggressively and confidently dumb and imcopetent was Trump's charm when he got elected, so I don't really see one of the clever ones winning. Yes, I'm fully aware what I just wrote there: many people want to vote for dumb braggarts.

But then again, it is not impossible to have charisma AND be intelligent AND NOT evil. Here's to hoping.

[–] GutterRat42@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago

The Homer Simpson effect

[–] KairuByte@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 3 days ago

Mark Joseph Stern: Justice Barrett had a lot of skeptical questions for the solicitor general. And she really drilled down on his theory that children do not receive birthright citizenship if their parents lack “domicile” in the United States or hold “allegiance” to a foreign power. She asked how the government would know whether certain immigrants intended to stay in the country or maintain loyalty to a foreign power. And where would we draw the line? What about, for instance, the child of a woman who’s illegally trafficked into the U.S. then gives birth here? Is that person an automatic citizen?

Sauer kept returning to his claim that the lone purpose of the 14th Amendment’s citizenship clause was to overturn Dred Scott and grant citizenship to newly freed slaves and their children. But then Barrett asked: What about slaves who were brought to this country illegally and against their will, as many were? Surely some of them still “felt allegiance to the countries where they were from” and intended “to return as soon as they can.” So wouldn’t their children be excluded from birthright citizenship, too? And if so, doesn’t that just blow up Sauer’s theory that the whole point of this clause was to protect the citizenship of these exact people?