Trump to seek Supreme Court rehearing

President Donald Trump said on July 8 that he will ask the U.S. Supreme Court to rehear the birthright citizenship case the justices decided against him on June 30. The court held 6-3 that children born in the United States to parents who are unlawfully or temporarily present are citizens at birth under the 14th Amendment, according to SCOTUSblog’s case page. (usnews.com) Trump announced the move in a Truth Social post, calling the ruling wrong and saying, “I will be asking for a Rehearing by the United States Supreme Court, IMMEDIATELY.” CNBC described the effort as a long-shot bid, and Reuters reported the court rarely grants rehearing requests after issuing merits rulings. (scotusblog.com) ### What exactly is Trump asking the court to do? (gov.texas.gov) A rehearing petition asks the Supreme Court to revisit a decision it has already issued. In this case, Trump said he wants the justices to reconsider their June 30 ruling striking down his executive order that sought to restrict automatic citizenship for some U.S.-born children. The June 30 opinion, written by Chief Justice John Roberts, said the 14th Amendment’s citizenship clause covers children born in the United States to parents unlawfully or temporarily present in the country. That ruling affirmed lower-court decisions against Trump’s order. (scotusblog.com) ### What did the Supreme Court decide on June 30? The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that Trump’s directive violated the Constitution’s 14th Amendment, which grants citizenship to people born in the United States who are “subject to the jurisdiction thereof,” Reuters reported. NBC Washington and Roll Call also reported that the ruling wiped out Trump’s effort to redefine birthright citizenship by executive order. (usnews.com) January 20, 2025, is when Trump signed the executive order at issue. The order sought to deny automatic citizenship to children born in the United States if their parents lacked legal status or were in the country on temporary visas, according to reporting cited by Reuters and Al Jazeera. (scotusblog.com) ### Why does Trump say the court should revisit it now? Trump said on July 8 that there is new evidence tied to what he called “birth tourism.” In his post, he argued that “American citizenship is not for sale” and pointed to advertising for maternity services aimed at foreign nationals. (usnews.com) Texas Governor Greg Abbott on July 7 directed the Texas Health and Human Services Commission to investigate Mission Regional Medical Center. Abbott’s office said reports showed the hospital targeted foreign nationals with “birth packages in South Texas” to profit from birth tourism and ordered an “immediate and thorough investigation.” (usnews.com) ### What are the billboards and hospital allegations Trump referenced? Mission Regional Medical Center, a hospital in South Texas, became the focus of Abbott’s order after reports that it advertised maternity packages to foreign nationals. Abbott’s press release said the probe would examine whether the hospital violated state law or contractual obligations. (aljazeera.com) Texas media reports and other outlets said the allegations involved billboards and marketing in or near the border region promoting “birth packages.” Abbott said in his statement that birth tourism is an illegal practice and that Texas would investigate the hospital’s conduct. (gov.texas.gov) ### How likely is a rehearing to change the ruling? CNBC said Trump’s planned filing is a long-shot bid. Reuters reported that the Supreme Court rarely grants requests to rehear argued cases after issuing a ruling, and SCOTUSblog separately characterized the move as Trump seeking to keep the dispute before the court. (gov.texas.gov) The next formal step is a rehearing petition filed with the Supreme Court. Texas Health and Human Services Commission investigators, meanwhile, were directed by Abbott on July 7 to examine Mission Regional Medical Center, and any court action would appear on the Supreme Court’s public docket in Trump v. Barbara. (cnbc.com) (gov.texas.gov)