Once More the Supreme Court Upholds Birthright Citizenship: Trump v. Barbara

‍For those of us who are both Supreme Court watchers and World Cup fans, there was an odd convergence of worlds with the hand-down of Trump v. Barbara on June 30, 2026, the last day of the Supreme Court’s annual Term, and the United States Men’s National Soccer Team’s trials and tribulations that took place during the following week. With a red card suspension slated to sideline the U.S. Team’s star forward Folarin Balogun from their Round of 16 World Cup match against Belgium, President Donald Trump picked up the phone to call his friend Gianni Infantino, head of FIFA, the World Cup organizer. By President Trump’s own telling, he urged Infantino to set aside Balogun’s suspension and let him play. Hours later, that is precisely what happened. The President then posted on Truth Social, “Thank you to FIFA for doing what was right, and reversing a great injustice!” The irony was more than a little rich. Balogun was born in New York City in 2001 when his mother traveled there to visit her sister and was then refused boarding on her return flight due to her advanced pregnancy. But under Executive Order 14160, which President Trump issued as his first act in office of his second White House term on January 20, 2025, the circumstances of Balogun’s birth would render him ineligible for United States citizenship.