President Trump is challenging the longstanding interpretation of a constitutional provision guaranteeing birthright citizenship to nearly everyone.
The Supreme Court gave a tough – but not dismissive – review of President Donald Trump's effort to redefine who is an American, debating the issue on Wednesday as the president himself added to the historical significance of the case by attending the arguments.
"The examples you give to support (your position) strike me as very quirky," Chief Justice John Roberts told the Justice Department's attorney shortly after the debate began.
But the conservative justices, who have a 6-3 majority, also had probing questions for the other side, particularly about how to understand the court's landmark 1898 ruling upholding the citizenship of a San Francisco-born man whose Chinese parents were barred from becoming citizens under the laws of the time.
