Supreme Court Backs Trump as 14th Amendment Returns to Original Intent Saying Citizenship Was for Freed Black Americans

In a pivotal legal win for former President Donald Trump, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 on Friday that lower federal courts cannot issue sweeping nationwide injunctions without certifying a national class. This decision opens the door for the Trump-aligned policy restricting birthright citizenship to move forward in key jurisdictions, reshaping the legal debate around the 14th Amendment.At the center of this controversy is Trump’s long-standing view that the 14th Amendment has been misinterpreted for decades. His administration argues that automatic U.S. citizenship should not apply to children born to undocumented immigrants, as they are not “subject to the jurisdiction” of the United States in the full constitutional sense.The 14th Amendment, ratified in 1868, was specifically designed to protect formerly enslaved Black Americans in the aftermath of the Civil War. It ensured that Black people, previously denied citizenship and legal protections, would now be recognized as full citizens with equal standing under the law. Legal historians widely agree that its core intent was to reverse the Supreme Court’s 1857 Dred Scott ruling, which infamously declared that no Black person could be a citizen of the United States.Supporters of Trump’s interpretation argue that extending birthright citizenship to the children of non-citizens—especially those in the country illegally—stretches the amendment’s language and dilutes its historical purpose. They emphasize that “subject to the jurisdiction thereof” was never meant to apply universally to all foreign nationals or those residing unlawfully.Critics contend the move undermines over a century of precedent. However, the Court’s decision doesn’t decide the constitutionality of Trump’s policy—it simply curtails the ability of lower courts to impose nationwide injunctions. That gives the executive branch broader freedom to test new interpretations of federal law.Heading into the 2024 election cycle, Trump’s camp sees this ruling as a momentum boost. It reframes the immigration debate around an overlooked truth: the 14th Amendment was crafted for the protection and recognition of freed Black Americans—not as a blanket policy for global births on U.S. soil.