Supreme Court delivers Trump a win on birthright citizenship

Summary

Here's the Scoop – June 27, 2025 Episode Summary

Host: Yasmin Vossoughian
Guests: Laura Jarrett (NBC Senior Legal Correspondent), Lawrence Hurley (Senior Supreme Court Reporter)

---

1. Supreme Court Ruling on Birthright Citizenship

Key Decision:
On the final day before the summer recess, the Supreme Court delivered a landmark ruling that significantly favors the Trump administration's efforts to end automatic birthright citizenship. This decision allows President Trump to proceed with his executive orders aimed at redefining citizenship eligibility as outlined in the 14th Amendment.

Details and Implications:

• Judicial Power Struggle: The core of the ruling centers on whether a single court in any state can block a president's executive order on a nationwide scale. The Supreme Court ruled that district courts have overstepped by broadly blocking these orders without sufficient justification.

  • Yasmin Vossoughian (00:55): "The court said generally no. Are there some circumstances under which a court can do that, and there are reasons to do that, maybe, but the courts have to be really narrowly tailored."

• Scopes of Rulings: The decision primarily addressed the judiciary's overreach rather than the substantive issue of birthright citizenship itself.

  • Lawrence Hurley (02:54): "They didn’t say anything at all, actually, about the scope of the injunctions that these plaintiffs have got would be now they just sent those cases all back to lower courts."

• Future Legal Battles: The actual merits of the birthright citizenship plan remain unsettled and are expected to be revisited by the Supreme Court in the future.

  • Lawrence Hurley (07:33): "The fact that this executive order is so unprecedented... and even the Trump administration has signaled that it doesn’t think it’s Constitution."

---

2. Dissenting Opinions and Judicial Concerns

Justice Sotomayor and Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson's Dissent:

• Critical Views: Justices Sotomayor and Jackson vehemently opposed the majority decision, labeling it a "travesty for the rule of law" and asserting that it allows the executive branch to override constitutional protections without proper legal recourse.

  • Laura Jarrett (03:05): “Justice Amy Coney Barrett said in her majority opinion, essentially this is not a ruling on birthright citizenship. This is merely about the power of the courts.”

  • Justice Sotomayor (03:47): “She dissent in a quite stern kind of way.”

  • Justice Jackson (03:47): “This is an existential threat to the rule of law.”

Impact of the Dissent:
Their strong opposition underscores a significant divide within the court and highlights concerns over executive overreach and the erosion of judicial checks and balances.

• Lawrence Hurley (04:24): “Justice Sotomayor... did tell everyone to go and get a lawyer, basically, which, you know, that’s pretty unusual, too.”

---

3. Shift in Judicial and Presidential Dynamics

Consolidation of Executive Power:
The ruling is viewed as a consolidation of executive power, with the conservative majority on the court showing reluctance to check the president's authority adequately.

• Yasmin Vossoughian (06:56): “I think this is a consolidation of executive power and that this is a conservative majority that does not see the same sort of problems with a check on the executive.”

Comparison to Previous Administrations:
There are accusations of a double standard, as previous Democratic administrations, including Obama and Biden, also faced nationwide injunctions but did not receive similar court interventions.

• Yasmin Vossoughian (05:03): “It’s a great point that he makes because it is not as if the Democratic presidents have not been frustrated by district courts doing this.”

Use of Executive Orders:
Both Republican and Democratic presidents have increasingly relied on executive orders due to congressional gridlock, leading to more frequent nationwide injunctions.

• Lawrence Hurley (06:11): “Presidents of both parties making more use of executive power over the last sort of few decades.”

---

4. Supreme Court's Procedural Anomalies

Justice Amy Coney Barrett's Role:
Justice Barrett delivered the majority opinion unexpectedly first, defying expectations that the Chief Justice would handle significant cases last.

• Lawrence Hurley (08:22): “It wasn’t surprising that this decision was on ideological lines. It was a bit surprising that Barrett had the ruling.”

Presidential Interaction with the Court:
President Trump publicly praised Justice Barrett post-ruling, reflecting a departure from traditional norms of presidential respect for the judiciary.

• Yasmin Vossoughian (09:30): “The president took special care to praise her from the podium today and to thank her for this.”

---

5. Other Major Headlines

a. President Trump Ends Trade Talks with Canada

• Reason: Dispute over Canada's proposed tax on US tech companies.
• Quote: Yasmin Vossoughian: "Canada is our second largest trading partner."

b. Senate Referee Reviews Trump's "Big, Beautiful Bill"

• Issues: Key policies, including healthcare cuts, face scrutiny for non-compliance with budget rules.
• Economic Impact: The bill could increase the national debt by $2.4 trillion over the next decade.
  • Yasmin Vossoughian: "The Congressional Budget Office says the House approved version is projected to add $2.4 trillion to the national debt."

c. Sean “Diddy” Combs’ Trial Approaches Jury Deliberation

• Charges: Five criminal counts, including racketeering and sex trafficking.
• Potential Punishment: Up to life in prison if convicted on all counts.
  • Yasmin Vossoughian: “Deliberations could stretch anywhere from hours to days.”

d. Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez’s Lavish Venice Wedding

• Cost: Approximately $50 million.
• Guests: High-profile celebrities including Oprah, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Ivanka Trump.
• Events: Foam party, candlelit dinner, Great Gatsby-themed soirée, and a highly anticipated reception with performances by Elton John and Lady Gaga.
• Protests: Environmental activists opposing the event’s impact on Venice’s tourism and ecosystems.
  • Yasmin Vossoughian: “Protestors have taken to the canals and piazzas with banners reading the 1% ruins the world.”

---

Conclusion:

The episode of "Here's the Scoop" delves deeply into the Supreme Court's pivotal ruling favoring President Trump's stance on birthright citizenship, highlighting the broader implications for executive power and judicial authority. The discussion underscores the ongoing tension between the branches of government and sets the stage for future legal battles over constitutional interpretations. Additionally, the episode covers significant national and international headlines, providing listeners with a comprehensive overview of the day's most pressing issues.

Notable Quotes:

• Justice Sotomayor (03:47): “A travesty for the rule of law.”
• Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson (03:47): “This is an existential threat to the rule of law.”
• Yasmin Vossoughian (06:56): “What is to stop you from doing whatever you want?”
• Lawrence Hurley (07:33): “Patients of the 14th Amendment protects birthright citizenship.”

---

Credits:
Produced by Amanda Llewellyn and Associate Producer Kathleen Rocco
Audio Engineer: Katie Lau
Supervising Producer: Katie Remchin
Executive Producer: Annmarie Fertoldi
Head of Audio Production: Bryson Barnes
Head of Audio: Alexa Danner
Senior Executive Producer: Shalini Sharma
Executive Vice President of Editorial: Katherine Kim

---

Stay informed with "Here's the Scoop" from NBC News, your go-to source for breaking down the day's top stories with clarity and insight.

Transcript

[Yasmin Vasugin]

Close your eyes.

[Laura Jarrett]

Exhale. Feel your body relax. And let go of whatever you're carrying today. Well, I'm letting go of the worry that I wouldn't get my new contacts in time for this class. I got them delivered free from 1-800-contacts. Oh, my gosh, they're so fast. And breathe. Oh, sorry. I almost couldn't breathe when I saw the discount they gave me on my first order. Oh, sorry. Namaste. Visit 1-800-contacts.com today to save on your first order. 1-800-contacts. Hey, guys. Welcome to here's the scoop from NBC News. I'm Yasmin Vasugin. What a summer. Friday today on the pod. Next steps for President Trump's big, beautiful bill. The case against Sean Diddy Combs drawing to a close. And a lavish wedding in Venice. We gotta start, though, with the Supreme Court. The justices handed down some major rulings on their last day before summer recession. Amongst these key rulings, the justices upheld a Texas law that requires age verification for online pornography that's designed to restrict access for minors. In a separate decision, the court sided with the parents in a Maryland county who objected to LGBTQ themed books in elementary school classrooms, ruling that their religious rights were violated. But the most significant ruling was a big victory for the Trump administration, allowing the president to move forward with ending automatic birthright citizenship. There's a lot going on here, though, so I want to get right to our resident experts. We got Laura Jarrett, NBC senior legal correspondent, and our senior Supreme Court reporter, Lawrence Hurley. Hey, guys.

[Yasmin Vasugin]

So exciting. The inaugural opportunity for Lawrence and I to be together doesn't come around too often. One night only, Lawrence. This is our chance.

[Laura Jarrett]

One day only. Make it or break it. Can we talk about today and what took place at the Supreme Court? What stood out to you this morning, Laura?

[Yasmin Vasugin]

This was all about a fight over judicial power. Does a single court in a single state have the power to block the president's executive order nationwide? And so while this case is concerned with birthright citizenship and that executive order, it actually applies to every executive order that President Trump is doing right now and future presidents as well as it's now setting president for the future until it's overturned. And so the question was, do these district courts that have set said that the president's executive order on birthright citizenship is unconstitutional or likely unconstitutional, and so they've blocked it. Does a district court in New York, in Washington, in any state, get to block that nationwide? And today the court said generally no. Are there some circumstances under which a court can do that, and there are reasons to do that, maybe, but the courts have to be really narrowly tailored with the how they're going to go about doing that. The courts have to exercise a lot of rigor before they're doing that. And the general tone of today's decision is that these district courts are going too far.

[Laura Jarrett]

But Lawrence, Justice Amy Coney Barrett said in her majority opinion, essentially this is not a ruling on birthright citizenship. This is merely about the power of the courts.

[Lawrence Hurley]

That's right. And you know, that issue is probably gonna get up to the Supreme Court in the future, and the court will have to rule on the merits of the birthright citizenship plan. But in the meantime, there's absolute chaos on the ground because the court decided only one thing, which is can courts issue these so called universal injunctions? They didn't say anything at all, actually, about the scope of the injunctions that these plaintiffs have got would be now they just sent those cases all back to lower courts. And now those judges have to figure out, okay, what exactly did the Supreme Court mean? Is this blocked in this state, but not another state? Is it blocked for these plaintiffs, not for other plaintiffs? And so the Supreme Court in its own eyes has solved one problem, but it's just created a whole bunch of new ones.

[Laura Jarrett]

I gotta read Lawrence, for you, the dissenting opinion from Supreme Court Justice Sotomayor along with Ketanji Brown Jackson, because I think they were pretty astounding and they said travesty for the rule of law. This is from Sotomayor and an open invitation to bypass the Constitution. And then you have Kentaji Brown Jackson saying, I agree with every word of Justice Sotomayor's dissent. I write separately to emphasize a key conceptual point. The Court's decision to permit the executive to violate the Constitution with respect to anyone who has not yet sued is an existential threat to the rule of law. Those are some pretty powerful words in a dissenting opinion.

[Lawrence Hurley]

Yeah. And Justice Sotomayor actually took the pretty unusual step of reading a summary of her dissent in the courtroom. And you could hear her voice. She was pretty passionate about it, especially when she finished it and said, I dissent in a quite stern kind of way. But yeah, the liberal justices see this as kind of taking away power from the courts, but giving it to the President. They didn't say this, but people on the left are already saying, how come the Supreme Court is curbing these nationwide injunctions now that Donald Trump is president? Because the Biden administration was hit by a lot of these nationwide injunctions too. And the Supreme Court didn't do anything about it then. So there are these kind of accusations of a bit of a double standard.

[Yasmin Vasugin]

It's a great point that he makes because it is not as if the Democratic presidents have not been frustrated by district courts doing this. So this happened a lot under Obama. It happened some under President Biden. Right. And think about something like the abortion pill. Right. A single judge in Texas. How does a single judge in Texas get to do that? Right. That was the refrain from the Biden administration. That whole idea is that nationwide injunctions encourage forum shopping because then plaintiffs can be strategic about where they wanna sue. They find the judge they know is going to get something blocked. And so it encourages people to be choosy about where they want to go to get the result that they want.

[Laura Jarrett]

Can you fact check for me? Because we heard from Justice Amy Coney Barrett from Color inside the courtroom in which she said essentially these nationwide injunctions didn't really begin until the 20th century. And honestly, they've been happening a lot more recently than ever before. Is that true?

[Yasmin Vasugin]

So the way that Donald Trump has gone about this second term is to do a lot more through executive order.

[Laura Jarrett]

Yeah.

[Yasmin Vasugin]

And so it's almost like comparing apples to oranges to say the district courts are blocking things more than they would have under Biden. But that's cuz Donald Trump is doing more by executive order than President Biden.

[Lawrence Hurley]

And also there's a theme of presidents of both parties making more use of executive power over the last sort of few decades just because, you know, deadlocking Congress, it's harder to get things through Congress. So President's just like, well, I'll just do it myself and see how it goes in the courts. And so that's one of the reasons why there's been more of these nationwide injunctions. And President Trump, as we all know, likes nothing more than signing an executive order in the Oval Office in front of the TV cameras.

[Laura Jarrett]

For those that don't agree with what the President is doing on a legislative basis, especially when it comes to his executive orders, they're going to look at this decision and go, does he now have carte blanche? Right. Because it seemed as if the judicial system was essentially kind of the checks and balances to the President with these executive orders. So does he now have carte blanche with this decision? Laura?

[Yasmin Vasugin]

I think this is fair to say it is a consolidation of executive power and that this is a conservative majority that does not see the same sort of problems with a check on the executive, if anything, I think they think that district courts have gone too far. But if you're the president right now, what is to stop you from doing whatever you want?

[Laura Jarrett]

You know, Lawrence said this earlier, that this is eventually going to end up at the Supreme Court once again, kind of this fight over birthright citizenship. And are there indications that, in fact, if it ends up in the Supreme Court, they were ruled that, in fact, this executive order was unconstitutional?

[Lawrence Hurley]

Well, well, I think the court hasn't really signaled one way or the other yet, but I think the fact that this executive order is so unprecedented, seeking to basically rewrite everyone's understanding of what the 14th Amendment meant, and even the Trump administration has signaled that it doesn't think it's Constitution, because when they went to the Supreme Court, they didn't ask it to hear the merits. It just asked for them to limit the injunction. So that's a tell. And I think even on this conservative court, you'd imagine there's probably votes there to say the 14th Amendment protects birthright citizenship.

[Laura Jarrett]

Were you surprised, Lawrence, at all that they voted down ideological lines and that Justice Amy Coney Barrett delivered the majority opinion? There's been a lot of talk, and I asked this because there's been a lot of talk about how Justice Amy Coney Barrett has kind of been floating more towards center from right. Is there any truth to that?

[Lawrence Hurley]

I would say no. I mean, she's a conservative justice. That's why she was appointed to the court. She voted to overturn Roe v. Wade. She voted to grant Trump immunity in the previous case. She's done all these other conservative things. She's a very conservative judge. The fact that she is a bit different temperamentally to some of the other conservatives and occasionally departs from them on some issues, doesn't mean she's a moderate. It just means she's conservative in a different way. And it wasn't surprising that this decision was on ideological lines. It was a bit surprising that Barrett had the ruling. I was in the press room at the Supreme Court when the ruling came down. They issued them in reverse order of seniority, which meant that was the first decision they handed down today out of six. And pretty much everyone in the press room was thinking that the birthright case would be the. The last case that they were going to issue, because probably the Chief justice would have it. And he always has the. Often has the big cases, and he goes last. So suddenly Justice Barrett has this ruling, and everyone's falling over themselves trying to run to their desks to file their stories, and it Was a bit of a scene in there to be first with that story.

[Laura Jarrett]

Any clue as to why Justice Amy Coney Barrett delivered this opinion and it was delivered first.

[Yasmin Vasugin]

Who knows what the chief's thought on that was? He's absolutely paying attention to the coverage of Amy Coney Barrett and he's absolutely well aware of the reporting about the president's frustrations with Amy Coney Barrett. Do I think that's why. Yes. Do I think that's why he assigned it to her? I have no idea. I don't know. I did think it was noteworthy that the president took special care to praise her from the podium today and to thank her for this and to thank every single one of the justices that he appointed. It never fails to amaze me how things have changed.

[Laura Jarrett]

Yeah.

[Yasmin Vasugin]

In terms of how the president talks about members of the court, in terms of how they interact. It's fascinating to watch how the degradation of norms have happened in that way.

[Lawrence Hurley]

I mean, all those norms have been blown away. It used to be that, you know, the president sort of took this kind of arm's length approach from the Supreme Court. And I remember when President Obama was kind of heavily critiqued because he at a State of the Union address, he criticized a Supreme Court ruling on, I think it was the Citizens United case on campaign finance where when the some of the justices were in the room sitting in front of him and that was like this sort of direct confrontation of the Supreme Court. But, you know, that happens like every week now with President Trump in office. And he's very transactional about it, too, because, you know, he praises them when they rule in his favor and he criticizes them when they rule against him. And that's kind of the way it is.

[Laura Jarrett]

Laura, if you have folks at home right now that are listening that are worried about giving birth to a child that may not as easily get citizenship now because of this ruling, what would you say to them?

[Yasmin Vasugin]

Well, I'm not their lawyer, but I would say the court certainly has left room for them to get relief if they live in a place where a district court will think that that is appropriate.

[Lawrence Hurley]

And in fact, Justice Sotomayor, who, despite being on the Supreme Court, actually did tell everyone to go and get a lawyer, basically, which, you know, that's pretty unusual, too.

[Laura Jarrett]

That is unbelievable.

[Lawrence Hurley]

I know.

[Laura Jarrett]

Quite a summer Friday, to say the least, coming out of the Supreme Court. Lawrence Early, Laura Jarrett, you guys are incredible. And thank you for your time.

[Lawrence Hurley]

Thanks for having us.

[Yasmin Vasugin]

Thank you. Can we come back on a day that's not a Supreme Court Friday.

[Laura Jarrett]

Maybe I'll look at my schedule and get back to you. We're going to take a quick break and then we'll be back with more. Stay tuned.

[Udemy Ad]

Not sure if you have the experience to start your dream job. Good news these days it's the skills that count. Udemy can help you get those in demand. Skills. Want to be an AI mastermind? Learn with us Game developer. We've got you covered. AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner. We can help you prep. You'll learn from real world experts who love what they do so that you can love what you do. Go to udemy.com for the skills to get you started and get set for your dream job.

[What Was That Like Ad]

Have you ever wondered what it's like to be buried in an avalanche?

[Tom Yamas]

Weird foreign feeling of despair?

[What Was That Like Ad]

Or how it feels to crash a skydive?

[Laura Jarrett]

I remember feeling my body hit the ground.

[What Was That Like Ad]

These are the stories you'll hear on the podcast called what was that Like? True stories told by the actual person who went through it. And you'll hear actual 911 calls.

[Yasmin Vasugin]

911 there's a man at my back.

[Laura Jarrett]

Door trying to get in search for.

[What Was That Like Ad]

What was that like on any podcast app [e-mail].

[Laura Jarrett]

Welcome back to Here's a scoop on this Summer Friday, let's get to some headlines. President Trump has ended trade talks with Canada, calling out their plan to put a tax on US Tech companies. In a post on Truth Social, Trump called the plans a blatant attack. Canada is our second largest trading partner. The Canadian prime minister's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. An administration official telling NBC News the president is staying in Washington this weekend to bring his one big, beautiful bill over the finish line. But last night, the Senate's referee found a series of key policies in the bill, including health care cuts that don't actually comply with the chamber's budget rules. The bill has a hefty price tag. The Congressional Budget Office says the House approved version is projected to add $2.4 trillion to the national debt over the next decade. The high profile Sean Diddy Combs trial will be handed over to the jury on Monday. Twelve jurors will determine the music mogul's fate. Deliberations could stretch anywhere from hours to days. He faces five criminal counts, including racketeering and sex trafficking charges, which he has repeatedly denied, and if found guilty on all those counts, could face up to life in prison. Alexa Play Go into the Chapel Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's epic three day Wedding extravaganza is in full swing in Venice, Italy. The price tag around $50 million. But can you really put a price tag on love? The guest list reads like a celebrity bingo card. You got Oprah, Kim and Chloe, Tom Brady, Mick Jagger, Leonardo DiCaprio, Ivanka Trump, even Queen Rania of Jordan made the boat ride. It all kicked off with this foam party aboard Bezos $500 million super yacht. Followed by a candlelit welcome dinner that had guests dodging raindrops and paparazzi. Oh, and by the way, did I mention the Great Gatsby themed soiree? I bet Leah loved that one. The happy couple reportedly exchanged vows this evening, but the main event is the reception. It's supposed to take place tomorrow. Rumor has it that Elton John and Lady Gaga will be serenading the couple. But not everybody's toasting the billionaire bash. Protestors have taken to the canals and piazzas with banners reading the 1% ruins the world, calling out the environmental impact in Venice's ongoing struggle with over tourism. Some even threatened to block the canals with inflatable crocodiles. Bezos and Sanchez have reportedly made a $3 million donation to preserve the city's lagoon. Now, whether that is enough to deter the inflatable reptiles, that's still to be seen. In all seriousness, congratulations, Jeff and Lauren. Alexa, stop. That's gonna do it for us at here's the scoop from NBC News. Our show was produced by Amanda Llewellyn and associate producer Kathleen Rocco. Katie Lau is our audio engineer. Our supervising producer is Katie Remchin. Annmarie Fertoldi is our executive producer. Our head of audio production is Bryson Barnes. Alexa Danner is our head of audio. Shalini Sharma is the senior executive producer and Katherine Kim is the executive vice president of editorial. Have a great weekend and thanks for joining us on Week One. We'll be back Monday to break down whatever the day may bring. Signing off, I'm Yasmin Vesuyan. Later Gators foreign.

[Tom Yamas]

Of NBC nightly news, a 75 year old broadcast. It's a great responsibility.

[Laura Jarrett]

Good evening.

[Tom Yamas]

I'm Tom Yamas. You have to go out there to bring people at home. Closer to the store, wildfires continue to be a threat. With that massive hurricane comes the massive response. The best reporters in our business know how to listen. And when you listen, you get the truth. For NBC News, NBC News, I'm Tom Yamas. That's what we do every night.

[Laura Jarrett]

NBC Nightly News with Tom Yamas.

[Lawrence Hurley]

Evenings on NBC.