Supreme Court hears high-stakes birthright citizenship case

<p>The US Supreme Court heard arguments Wednesday in perhaps its most controversial case this term, the one involving <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2026/04/01/supreme-court-trump-birthright-citizenship-takeaways/89421817007/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">birthright citizenship.</a> On the first day of his second term, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing federal agencies to not recognize the citizenship of babies born in the United States if neither parent is a citizen or lawful permanent resident. The decision could impact about a quarter of a million babies born in the United States each year. It could also affect millions of others. USA TODAY Supreme Court Correspondent Maureen Groppe joins The Excerpt to break down Wednesday’s arguments.</p><p>Let us know what you think of this episode by sending an email to&nbsp;<a href="mailto:podcasts@usatoday.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">podcasts@usatoday.com</a>.&nbsp;</p><p>Episode transcript&nbsp;<a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2026/04/02/could-supreme-court-end-birthright-citizenship-the-excerpt/89435382007/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">available here</a>.&nbsp;</p><p>See Privacy Policy at <a href="https://art19.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://art19.com/privacy</a> and California Privacy Notice at <a href="https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info</a>.</p>