Mark Levin on Constitutional Issues: Israel Relations, Injunctions, Birthright Citizenship, and Treaties

US-Israel Relations and Middle East Policy

• ⚠️ Mark Levin expresses concern over a perceived growing hostility towards Israel from the United States.
• 🎯 He questions the administration's decisions regarding deals with Qatar and Saudi Arabia, noting their impact on Israel's security.
• 💰 Levin criticizes financial competition with oil-rich monarchies, emphasizing that the bond between America and Israel is based on shared Judeo-Christian values, not just financial transactions.
• 🗣️ He calls for a national discussion on US foreign policy, asking if the American people support dealings with countries like Qatar, which he links to funding Hamas.

Nationwide Injunctions and Judicial Power

• 🏛️ Levin criticizes the concept of nationwide injunctions, arguing they are misused by liberal judges to circumvent the normal judicial appeal process.
• ⚖️ He questions Justice Jackson's reasoning that national injunctions lead to faster Supreme Court review, suggesting it bypasses established appellate procedures.
• 📜 Referencing historical Supreme Court decisions like Dred Scott and Plessy v. Ferguson, Levin argues that courts are not infallible and have made egregious errors.
• 🚫 He asserts that there should be no national injunctions, as they concentrate power in the hands of unelected judges and undermine representative government.

Birthright Citizenship and the 14th Amendment

• ❓ Levin questions the constitutional basis for birthright citizenship, stating the phrase is not explicitly in the Constitution.
• 📜 He argues the 14th Amendment was intended to grant rights to formerly enslaved people, not to grant automatic citizenship to children of immigrants.
• 🧐 He contends that the interpretation of "jurisdiction thereof" in the 14th Amendment has been twisted to mean that any child born on US soil is a citizen, ignoring historical context and the intent of the amendment's authors.
• 🚫 The Supreme Court has never ruled that children of illegal aliens are citizens, and Congress has not passed a law to that effect.

The Treaty Clause and Executive Agreements

• 📜 Levin emphasizes the importance of the Treaty Clause (Article 2, Section 2, Clause 2) requiring Senate consent (two-thirds majority) for treaties.
• 🚫 He criticizes the executive branch for pushing through agreements with foreign governments without Senate approval, citing the Iran deal as an example.
• 🗣️ Levin advocates for transparency and the involvement of elected representatives in foreign policy decisions, urging the current administration to present any Iran deal to the Senate as a treaty or for statutory approval.
• 🌍 He believes that agreements with foreign powers have significant impacts on the American people and require broad, informed consent.