1. United States
2. N.C.
3. Letter

I am writing to urge you to publicly oppose any effort to reinterpret or undermine birthright citizenship as guaranteed by the 14th Amendment of the United States Constitution. The Supreme Court's decision to hear this case threatens a constitutional principle that has stood for nearly 160 years. The 14th Amendment's language is unambiguous: "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States." This provision was adopted after the Civil War to ensure citizenship for freed slaves and their children, but its text does not limit its application to any particular group. This has been settled constitutional law for over 150 years. The Trump administration's executive order attempting to end birthright citizenship was blocked by multiple federal courts because it violates the Constitution. No president has the authority to rewrite the Constitution through executive action. The phrase "subject to the jurisdiction thereof" has only two recognized exceptions: children of diplomats and foreign military forces. Expanding these exceptions would require a constitutional amendment, not judicial reinterpretation. The practical consequences of eliminating birthright citizenship would be severe. Research from the Migration Policy Institute and Pennsylvania State University projects that repealing birthright citizenship could increase the unauthorized population by 2.7 million by 2045 and 5.4 million by 2075. This would create a permanent underclass of stateless individuals born on American soil. I ask that you make a public statement defending the 14th Amendment's guarantee of birthright citizenship and oppose any legislative or judicial efforts to weaken this constitutional protection. Our Constitution should not be subject to political reinterpretation.