Politics
Letitia James Melts Down After Brutal Court Ruling
New York Attorney General Letitia James furiously denounced the U.S. Supreme Court following its landmark ruling on President Donald Trump’s effort to end birthright citizenship, a sign of how personally invested she had become in the case she started.
In a statement, the Democrat lambasted the high court’s conservative majority for striking down the ability of federal district judges to issue nationwide injunctions, a legal maneuver that has stymied swaths of President Trump’s second-term agenda.
“Every child born on U.S. soil is a citizen of this country, no matter which state they are born in. This has been the law of the land for more than a century,” James said, calling the decision a “profound and disappointing setback for the families who now face tremendous uncertainty and danger, for the millions of people who rely on the courts to protect their constitutional rights, and for the fundamental rule of law.”
Lawyers for the Trump administration argued in “Trump v. CASA” that the ability of local judges to enforce nationwide injunctions likely exceeds “the equitable authority that Congress has granted to federal courts,” instead suggesting that an injunction should only apply to the individual or parties directly involved in the case.
With the court’s 6-3 decision, Trump’s executive order removing birthright citizenship now applies to any affected individual not party to “Trump v. CASA,” effectively making it the law of the land, given the court’s decision to sidestep the fundamental question of its constitutionality.
Trump’s order states that any child born after Feb. 19 to parents in the U.S. unlawfully, or if one parent is here illegally while the other is not a U.S. citizen, would be ineligible for birthright citizenship, which is contained in the 14th Amendment.
James was the first to file suit against Trump’s order, arguing that New York’s Child Health Plus program, which provides healthcare regardless of immigration status, would be negatively impacted as affected children lose access to federal funding.
The Democrat said that her office and other attorneys general “will continue to defend the Constitution and the common values that unite us,” implying potential further legal action, ABC New York reports.
Whether James gets another chance to argue for birthright citizenship in court may depend on whether she remains free to do so.
Earlier this month, the FBI launched an investigation into potential mortgage fraud by James after federal authorities turned over evidence suggesting she lied on mortgage applications to obtain more favorable terms. Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte cited documents related to James’ 2023 purchase of a Virginia home, which she listed as her primary homestead, as well as ownership paperwork of a New York brownstone where she allegedly listed her father as her husband.
During the New York State Assembly’s passage of its fiscal year budget, lawmakers inserted a loophole into state law that allows New Yorkers to obtain up to $10 million in taxpayer compensation if they face “discriminatory or retaliatory” federal charges. Sources familiar with the amendment said it was added to benefit James.
Any “legally compulsive process” that began after January 1, 2025, would be covered, meaning any suit or criminal charges brought after Trump took office.
