For Immediate Release:
January 29, 2026
For press inquiries only, contact:
Amanda Priest (334) 322-5694
William Califf (334) 604-3230
(Montgomery, Ala) – Attorney General Steve Marshall announced that Alabama has joined a coalition of 26 States and territories filing an amicus brief in the U.S. Supreme Court supporting President Trump’s Executive Order No. 14,160, Protecting the Meaning and Value of American Citizenship, which prohibits “birthright” citizenship.
On his first day in office, President Trump issued an executive order to stop automatic citizenship for the children of aliens, including illegal immigrants and “birth tourists.” That policy was enjoined nationwide, notwithstanding the Supreme Court’s prior decision that nationwide injunctions are improper. In this case, Trump v. Barbara, the Supreme Court will address the constitutionality of the birthright-citizenship order under the Fourteenth Amendment.
The States’ brief emphasizes significant constitutional and policy justifications for President Trump’s order. The States explain that the Fourteenth Amendment did not grant automatic citizenship to children of illegal aliens, who are not “subject to the jurisdiction” of the United States. The States also explain that the influx of illegal aliens has burdened our nation’s infrastructure; cost billions of dollars in public spending on education, health, and law enforcement; and prevented assimilation. By providing an incentive for illegal immigration, so-called birthright citizenship weakens enforcement of our immigration laws. The Supreme Court will hear arguments for the case in April.
“The framers of our Constitution never meant for American citizenship to be handed out automatically to anyone who happens to be born here,” stated Attorney General Marshall. “For decades, the Fourteenth Amendment has been distorted and exploited, imposing enormous costs and serious public-safety consequences on the States. Thankfully, President Trump acted swiftly to close this loophole and restore the original meaning of the Citizenship Clause. As our coalition’s brief explains, this case is about fidelity to the Constitution’s text and history. The Court must finally correct this longstanding error.”
Alabama joined the Iowa and Tennessee-led brief along with Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia, Florida, Guam, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
Read the full brief here.
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