Kathrine Frich
The US Supreme Court has officially closed a major case.
Big promises often echo loudly online, especially when made by high-profile leaders.
Yet those fierce declarations sometimes quietly fade away when the actual paperwork is due.
A major legal crusade has just ended precisely this way.
The clock runs out
The US Supreme Court has officially closed a major case regarding birthright citizenship.
For months, President Donald Trump pushed hard to ban automatic citizenship for children of temporary or undocumented migrants according to Daily Beast.
The justices struck down his executive order in a six to three decision late last June, starting a strict 25 day countdown for the president to request a rehearing.
A forgotten promise
The president quickly took to social media to announce his next move.
“I will be asking for a Rehearing by the United States Supreme Court, IMMEDIATELY,” he posted on Truth Social. He claimed the decision would “destroy America” if left unchanged.
Despite the strong words, the administration let the deadline pass without filing any documents.
The Supreme Court clerk then followed standard procedure. A certified judgment was issued recently to permanently block the executive order, according to SCOTUSblog.
History in the chamber
This quiet conclusion wraps up one of the most intense battles of his second term.
The president cared so deeply about the issue that he made history in April by becoming the first sitting leader to attend oral arguments in person.
His visit was cut short when he abruptly left the courtroom.
He walked out after watching justices he appointed heavily criticize his legal team.
Unlikely odds
Winning a rehearing was always going to be a massive hurdle.
It requires at least one justice to change their vote, and the court has not reheard an argued case in more than half a century.
The original decision saw conservative justices Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, and Samuel Alito object.
Brett Kavanaugh sided with the majority but noted the order violated a federal statute rather than the Constitution itself.
Looking for a workaround
Following the initial defeat, Trump claimed lawmakers could easily fix the issue through basic legislation.
He insisted a long and complicated constitutional amendment was entirely unnecessary.
Legal experts disagree with that assessment.
Because the court based its majority decision directly on constitutional grounds, an actual amendment is the only way to alter the citizenship rules, according to the Associated Press.
Sources: SCOTUSblog, Associated Press, Truth Social, Daily Beast
