Jamie Raskin Defends Birthright Citizenship Using Judicial Rulings

Judicial Consensus on Birthright Citizenship

• ⚖️ Rep. Jamie Raskin highlighted that four different courts have halted an executive order concerning birthright citizenship.
• 🏛️ These courts, with judges appointed by Presidents Reagan, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden, have issued temporary restraining orders or preliminary injunctions.
• 🗣️ Raskin quoted Judge Kunau (Reagan appointee) stating that citizenship by birth is an "unequivocal constitutional right" that the president cannot alter by executive order.
• 🚫 He also cited US District Judge Ilant (Bush appointee) and Judge Deborah Borman (Biden appointee), who noted the executive order's interpretation of the 14th Amendment has been rejected by the Supreme Court and no court has endorsed it.
• 👨‍⚖️ Judge Sokin (Obama appointee) was quoted saying the 14th Amendment does not mention parents' status regarding birthright citizenship.

Original Intent of the 14th Amendment

• 📜 Raskin emphasized the clarity of the 14th Amendment's citizenship clause, noting it is not vague or open to interpretation.
• 🏛️ He referenced Republican founders like John Bingham and Senator Benjamin Wade from Ohio as primary authors and proponents of the amendment.
• 🇺🇸 Senator Wade insisted on making the citizenship clause clear to prevent future political parties from altering its meaning, especially during times of high partisan feeling.
• 🎯 Raskin suggested Wade foresaw a future where political parties might try to strip citizenship and political power from certain groups of Americans.

Preventing Legal and Social Hierarchies

• ⚖️ The original purpose of the 14th Amendment was to prevent the government from creating racial or ethnic caste systems based on inherited legal status.
• 🤝 It ensured that everyone born in the United States would attain equal citizenship at birth, preventing the establishment of classes like slaves, serfs, legal outcasts, or nobility.