U.S. Supreme Court affirms birthright citizenship, recalling Dred Scott precedent

The United States Supreme Court issued a 5‑to‑4 ruling that nearly all babies born on U.S. soil are entitled to citizenship under the 14th Amendment. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote that the Trump administration’s attempt to limit birthright citizenship amounted to “rewriting history,” while three conservative justices dissented, including Clarence Thomas, who argued the amendment was intended for freed slaves and their descendants. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson stressed that the 14th Amendment was a national reset beyond merely addressing the legacy of slavery.

In a related cultural event, descendants of Dred Scott and former Chief Justice Roger Taney gathered in Washington, D.C., to reflect on the 1857 decision that denied citizenship to Black Americans and helped spark the Civil War. The historic ruling declared that no Black person could be a U.S. citizen, treated enslaved people as property, and struck down the Missouri Compromise. The recent decision revives debate over the Constitution’s race‑related provisions, linking past and present interpretations of citizenship.