Birthright Citizenship?
The Supreme Court hearing on Wednesday last to hear argument on Trump’s EO [to end birthright citizenship] since Congress seems entirely unwilling to codify it one way or another - and which is the right way to resolve the issue and not still another Supreme Court precedent, was a fascinating listen. I am afraid the SCOTUS decision is going to be a 6-3 at best, or 7-2 with high probability, and perhaps even a 9-0 may be possible - against the President, whose silent attendance was interestingly on its own.
The argument went sideways relative to domicile issues. There’s a dead end. Another is the central phrase causing all the hardship: “…subject to the jurisdiction thereof..” That should have been easily understood since every single illegal alien, regardless of any other conditions, being here illegally by US immigration laws [yes, we do have them, and no new legislation in that regard is necessary; just enforcement of what we have] but it was ignored during the entire Biden administration. As long as a person has allegiance to another country, but being physically in ours; the only jurisdictional subjectivity for them in the US is the adjudication of their illegality being here, but they should have no other subjectivity at all.
However, the case should not turn on even that disagreement.
What really matters was not brought up by either plaintiff nor respondent: Is citizenship a right, since the respondent had much to say with regard to rights, and that Congress can add rights to US citizens, but they cannot remove them by legislation.
But it begs a question no one, specifically the Justices, ever asked:
Is US citizenship a right or a privilege? One is universally applied; the other is limited application. A driver’s license, for example, is thought of as a right, but, it has limited application. Not everyone, particularly under-age minors, cannot have a DL. Therefore, that is a privilege, not a right. Voting, same thing. It is not a right since it, too, has age limitation. Voting is not a right; it is a privilege. Citizenship, as well, was established as a privilege, not a right. And that should settle the matter for the Court, but not in this case, since no one ever really went there. I am very disappointed by this particular Roberts Court.