U.S. Supreme Court blocks Trump birthright citizenship order and limits his power to fire FTC officials

On Jan. 30, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected President Donald Trump’s executive order that sought to deny citizenship to children born in the United States to undocumented or temporary‑status parents. The Court held that the Constitution’s Fourteenth Amendment guarantees birthright citizenship and that a president cannot alter that right by decree. The majority opinion was joined by both conservative and liberal justices, and Chief Justice John Roberts emphasized that “our Constitution created three branches, but the president is only one,” underscoring the limits of executive authority.

In a separate ruling the same day, the Court expanded the president’s authority to remove members of independent agencies such as the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) but protected the Federal Reserve’s independence. The justices ruled that the president may dismiss FTC commissioners only for “inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance,” rejecting Trump’s attempt to fire an FTC member without cause, while affirming that the Fed board member could retain his position. The decisions signal a significant check on Trump’s efforts to reshape federal agencies.