Trump Demands Supreme Court Rehear Birthright Citizenship Case
President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that he plans to push to convince the U.S. Supreme Court to reconsider its recent ruling on birthright citizenship. His decision follows viral social media outrage over a South Texas hospital that advertised its maternity services across the Mexican border.
The high court handed Trump a major policy defeat on June 30th, when a 6-3 majority ruled that children born in the country are automatic citizens under the 14th Amendment, even if their parents are temporary visitors or undocumented immigrants. Chief Justice John Roberts noted that children born in the U.S. "to parents unlawfully or temporarily present" are considered "citizens at birth" under the Constitution's Citizenship Clause. Five of the justices agreed that Trump’s executive order, which was signed on January 20th, 2025 to deny citizenship documents to these children, directly violated the 14th Amendment, while Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote that it broke federal law.
Unhappy with the decision, Trump pointed to a Fox News report about an advertising campaign by Mission Regional Medical Center, a public nonprofit hospital located five miles from the border in Mission, Texas. The hospital had placed two Spanish-language billboards in Reynosa, Mexico, and published an online ad that read:
"Are you pregnant, living abroad, and looking to welcome your baby in South Texas? Look no further! Come and learn about the maternity packages Mission Regional Medical Center has for you and discover why thousands of families choose to have their baby with us every year."
Images of the billboards, which advertised natural births for $3,950 and cesarean sections for $5,525 through the website havemybabyinTEXAS.com, were originally posted online in April by former Republican Congresswoman Mayra Flores. While Flores originally complained that the prices were unfairly cheaper than what U.S. citizens pay, Trump supporters recently recirculated the images to demand a complete ban on pregnant foreign nationals entering the country.
Trump reacted strongly on social media, claiming that "Signs and Billboards are being put up all over our Southern Border, and Mexico, advertising BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP, with 'Deliveries starting at $4000'". He went on to write that "Billions of Dollars will be illegally made by this SCAM, with Citizenship going to anyone willing to pay."
The president warned that "AMERICAN CITIZENSHIP IS NOT FOR SALE! In fact, that is a crime, and therefore, the Supreme Court’s ruling is wrong," before asserting that "This miscarriage of justice will destroy America if they don’t change their absolutely insane decision."
Though the hospital’s advertisements never explicitly mentioned citizenship, Texas Governor Greg Abbott ordered a state investigation into the facility on Tuesday for allegedly promoting "birth tourism." In response to the backlash, the hospital pulled the website, took down the billboards, and wiped the promotions from social media.
In an official statement, the medical center defended its actions:
"Mission Regional Medical Center, a public nonprofit hospital, is committed to providing high-quality, compassionate healthcare and expanding access for the communities we serve. Like hospitals across the nation, we share information about the healthcare services we provide. We do not support or facilitate any unlawful activity and work to comply with all applicable federal and state laws and regulations."
The hospital added, "The marketing materials regarding maternity services are no longer in use due to any unintended misunderstanding. We intend to work cooperatively and transparently with local and state officials. Our focus remains on delivering safe, high-quality care to every patient who seeks our services."
Under Supreme Court rules, a losing party can formally file a request for a rehearing within 25 days of a decision, but it requires a majority vote from the nine justices to pass. Legal experts say the odds of Trump winning a rehearing are incredibly low. The high court rarely reverses its own rulings on argued cases, and according to Georgetown University Law Professor Steven Vladeck, the Supreme Court hasn't even agreed to rehear an argued case since 1965.
If the Supreme Court rejects the request, Trump has vowed to take his fight against the 150-year-old birthright policy directly to the U.S. Congress to push for new legislation.
This caps off a busy week of Supreme Court actions for the president. Separately, Trump asked the justices to reconsider their June 29th refusal to hear his appeal regarding a New York federal court verdict that found him civilly liable for defaming and sexually abusing author E. Jean Carroll. Despite that pending appeal, a Manhattan District Court judge ordered Wednesday that the $5 million Trump deposited with the court, plus roughly $800,000 in accrued interest, be paid out to Carroll immediately.
