Trump Announces Bizarre Plan to Physically Attend Supreme Court Case
- Donald Trump planned to attend a Supreme Court hearing on birthright citizenship
- The hearing focused on Trump’s appeal against rulings blocking his executive order
- The case placed renewed attention on long standing interpretations of citizenship law
President Donald Trump is planning an unusual appearance at the Supreme Court on Wednesday, April 1, as the justices hear arguments on his administration’s effort to curb birthright citizenship. If he attends, Trump would become the first sitting president to observe oral arguments in person at the nation’s highest court, AP reported.
Source: Getty Images
The visit appeared on the president’s official schedule released by the White House. The court is set to consider Trump’s appeal of a lower court decision that invalidated his executive order on citizenship.
The order was signed on the first day of his second term and has since remained blocked nationwide.
Challenge to long-standing citizenship rule
Trump’s directive seeks to deny automatic citizenship to children born in the United States to parents who are in the country illegally or on temporary status. The policy departs from decades of legal interpretation rooted in the 14th Amendment and federal statutes dating back to 1940, which grant citizenship to nearly everyone born on American soil.
While Trump previously floated the idea of attending a Supreme Court hearing, he stopped short during his first term. He later said appearing at a case involving his tariff policies could have created an unnecessary distraction.
That hesitation appeared to fade on Tuesday during remarks in the Oval Office. Asked about the upcoming arguments, Trump said, “I’m going.” When pressed on whether he would attend in person, he added, “I think so, I do believe.”
Rare presidential presence at court
Trump has visited the court before for ceremonial reasons, including the swearing-in of Justice Neil Gorsuch. Two other justices appointed during his presidency, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett, also sit on the bench.
Although past presidents have had close ties to the judiciary, none are known to have attended arguments while in office. Richard Nixon argued a case before becoming president, while William Howard Taft later served as chief justice after leaving the White House.
US to strip Nigerian fraud convict of citizenship
In a different story, Legit.ng reported that United States authorities have moved to revoke the citizenship of a Nigerian national convicted for his role in a sprawling identity theft and tax fraud operation that targeted hundreds of thousands of victims and sought tens of millions of dollars in fraudulent refunds.
The United States Department of Justice disclosed that it filed a civil complaint seeking to strip Emmanuel Oluwatosin Kazeem of his American citizenship.
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Prosecutors alleged that the status was obtained through deception and deliberate concealment of criminal conduct. The complaint was lodged on Wednesday at the US District Court in Baltimore, Maryland.
Trump: 2 reasons US suspended Nigerians
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that President Donald Trump disclosed two security and compliance reasons behind the decision to place Nigeria on a fresh list of countries facing new United States travel restrictions, following the signing of a proclamation that tightens entry rules for nationals of several nations deemed high risk.
The proclamation, signed on Tuesday, December 16, expanded existing US travel controls to cover 15 additional countries, with Nigeria among those subjected to partial restrictions.
Source: Legit.ng
