Donald Trump’s administration has taken its fight against birthright citizenship straight to the Supreme Court, asking the justices to uphold an executive order that would deny automatic citizenship to children born in the United States to parents who are in the country illegally or on temporary visas.

The petition, shared with the Associated Press, opens the door to a landmark constitutional showdown that could reshape America’s long-standing understanding of citizenship.

Why this matters

Birthright citizenship has been a bedrock principle of American law for more than 125 years, grounded in the 14th Amendment, which was ratified after the Civil War to guarantee citizenship to formerly enslaved people and their descendants. Under current rules, anyone born on U.S. soil is a citizen, wi

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