New York State Bar Association Commends US Supreme Court for Defending the Rule of Law in Birthright Citizenship Case
6.30.2026
New York State Bar Association President Taa Grays issued the following statement today about the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Trump v. Barbara:
“‘In the framework of our Constitution, the President’s power to see that the laws are faithfully executed refutes the idea that he is to be a lawmaker.’ Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co. v. Sawyer, 343 U.S. 579, 587 (1952).
“The 14th Amendment established birthright citizenship shortly after the civil war, to ensure that Black Americans had full rights under the U.S. Constitution. Since 1898, the case law has made clear that children born in this country are U.S. citizens – no matter where their parents are from. The passage of the Immigration and Nationality Act in 1952 codified the case law with a clear definition of birthright citizenship. Over a century of precedent and clearly established federal law makes birthright citizenship a settled legal matter.
“Executive Order 14160 entitled ‘Protecting the Meaning and Value of American Citizenship’ was neither based on the Constitution nor an act of Congress.
“As members of the bar, and defenders of the New York State and U.S. Constitutions, the rule of law requires that no matter our personal beliefs, we adhere to the precedent and established case law. We commend the U.S. Supreme Court for doing just that.”
