United States (US) President Donald Trump said Wednesday that his legal team will “immediately” ask the Supreme Court to rehear its own decision on birthright citizenship. Earlier, the court rejected his executive order last month in a 6-3 decision.
Trump criticized the decision, describing it as a “miscarriage of justice”.
The case challenged Trump’s executive order from his first day back in office, which sought to deny citizenship to children born in the United States to parents who are undocumented or only in the country temporarily.
Chief Justice John Roberts wrote the majority opinion. He said the 14th Amendment makes it clear that anyone born on American soil and “subject to the jurisdiction of the country” is a citizen at birth. That includes children of undocumented immigrants and those on temporary visas.
Five other justices supported Roberts’ opinion, while three dissented.
If Trump gets SCOTUS to rehear the case, it would mark a historic first, as the high court has never reheard a case following its ruling, nor has it granted a rehearing of an argued case in decades.
Court rules require a rehearing motion within 25 days of the ruling, and only in exceptional circumstances, such as a major legal issue that the justices may have overlooked.
Trump doesn’t seem deterred. In his post, he pointed to allegations that billboards near the southern border and in Mexico advertise “birthright citizenship” services, with prices starting at $4,000.
“This miscarriage of justice will destroy America if they do not reverse their absolutely insane decision,” Trump wrote.
