Trump, in historic first, attends Supreme Court arguments on birthright citizenship

SHARE NOW

(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump is attending oral arguments at the Supreme Court on Wednesday, a historic first for a sitting president, as the justices consider his executive order seeking to end birthright citizenship.

“I’m going,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Tuesday.

No cameras are allowed inside the courtroom. Trump’s motorcade was seen arriving outside the building on Wednesday morning.

Trump previously floated attending arguments last year when the court took up his global tariff policy, but ultimately he did not attend.

Trump has repeatedly attacked the Supreme Court in the wake of the ruling invalidating most of his tariffs, including two justices he appointed, Neil Gorsuch and Amy Coney Barrett.

“I love a few of them, I don’t like some others,” Trump said on Tuesday when asked which justices he would be listening for most closely.

Solicitor General John Sauer is arguing for the government, asking the justices to uphold Trump’s Day 1 executive order eliminating birthright citizenship under a novel interpretation of the 14th Amendment and requiring parents to prove their own legal status before citizenship is granted to their children.

Lower courts have struck down Trump’s executive order.

American Civil Liberties Union Legal Director Cecillia Wang is arguing on behalf of the class of plaintiffs.

ACLU Executive Director Anthony D. Romero addressed Trump’s attendance, saying he will “watch the ACLU school him in the meaning of the Constitution and birthright citizenship.”

“Any effort to distract from the gravity and importance of this case will not succeed. The Supreme Court is up to the task of interpreting and defending the Constitution even under the glare of a sitting president a couple dozen feet away from them,” he said.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.