Joint Statement of 24 Attorneys General Ahead of Supreme Court Oral Argument on Birthright Citizenship

Press Releases

04/01/2026

Joint Statement of 24 Attorneys General Ahead of Supreme Court Oral Argument on Birthright Citizenship

(Hartford, CT) - Attorney General William Tong and 23 other attorneys general this morning released a joint statement ahead of oral arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court in Trump v. Barbara, the case regarding President Donald Trump's illegal attempt to rewrite the constitution and end birthright citizenship.

"The President's executive order redefining birthright citizenship violates our Constitution, federal statutes, and the rule that has governed our Nation for more than 150 years. We were proud to lead the fight against this unlawful order, and grateful for the injunctions we obtained that prevented this action from ever taking effect. We are optimistic the U.S. Supreme Court will agree with every judge to consider this executive order on the merits and hold that it violates this fundamental constitutional right," the attorneys general state.

On his first day in office in 2025, President Trump issued an executive order to end birthright citizenship for countless children born in the United States to immigrant parents, in violation of the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and Section 1401 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). Groups of states, including Connecticut, immediately filed lawsuits challenging the order, one in the Western District of Washington and one in the District of Massachusetts. Both suits were successful, repeatedly obtaining nationwide preliminary injunctions that blocked this Executive Order from ever taking effect.

The Supreme Court is now considering the validity of this order in the context of a challenge brought by a class of children who would lose citizenship under the order, Barbara v. Trump. Attorney General Tong joined a coalition of 24 attorneys general filing an amicus brief supporting the children. For Attorney General Tong, this fight is personal. Born in Hartford, Connecticut in 1973, he became the first United States citizen in his immediate family by right of his birth on American soil. He was the first Asian American elected to state office in Connecticut history, and the first Chinese American to be elected Attorney General in the nation. Attorney General Tong was at the Supreme Court for oral arguments on the case on May 15.

Birthright citizenship dates back centuries-including to pre-Civil War America. Although the Supreme Court's notorious decision in Dred Scott denied birthright citizenship to the descendants of slaves, the post-Civil War United States adopted the Fourteenth Amendment to protect citizenship for children born in the country. The U.S. Supreme Court has repeatedly upheld birthright citizenship, regardless of the immigration status of the baby's parents. In addition, Congress codified birthright citizenship into law twice, first in 1940 and then again in 1952.

If allowed to stand, this Executive Order-for the first time since the Fourteenth Amendment was adopted in 1868-would mean thousands of babies born each year who otherwise would have been citizens will no longer enjoy the privileges and benefits of citizenship.

The attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawai'I, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, District of Columbia joined today's statement. Twitter: @AGWilliamTong Facebook: CT Attorney General

Media Contact:

Elizabeth Benton [email protected]

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