Stephen A. Smith Says He Understands Supreme Court’s Birthright Citizenship Ruling but Supports Challenging the Law

Sports commentator Stephen A. Smith weighed in on the Supreme Court’s recent decision regarding birthright citizenship, saying he understands why the justices reaffirmed the Constitution’s protections while also arguing that the issue should be open to legal and legislative debate.

During an episode of his Straight Shooter show, Smith discussed several recent Supreme Court rulings, including the court’s 6-3 decision rejecting an executive order issued by President Donald Trump that sought to limit birthright citizenship for certain children born in the United States.

The ruling effectively reaffirmed the protections of the 14th Amendment, which has long been interpreted as granting citizenship to nearly everyone born on U.S. soil.

While Smith acknowledged that the Constitution and the 14th Amendment guided the court’s decision, he said he does not object to efforts aimed at challenging the current interpretation of birthright citizenship.

“I’m not sure I agree with that decision,” Smith said. “The Constitution’s the Constitution and the 14th Amendment of the Constitution says what it says so I get that part, but if folks are coming over here unlawfully and illegally, intending to give birth on American soil just to ensure that the child is an American citizen, I don’t have a problem with that being challenged.”

Smith also emphasized that he supports migrants who are already living in the United States, provided they are not breaking the law. At the same time, he argued that securing the nation’s borders remains an important responsibility.

“And I’m a support of migrants,” he continued. “I think those who are here should be left to be here unless they’re committing lawless acts, but you’ve got to control the borders. You have to. Every other nation does it. We should be able to do it too.”

Trump’s executive order sought to deny automatic U.S. citizenship to children born in the United States whose parents were either in the country illegally or were present only as temporary residents.

The Supreme Court, however, concluded that the executive order conflicted with the Constitution’s guarantee of birthright citizenship under the 14th Amendment.

Writing for the majority, Chief Justice John Roberts pointed to the historical purpose of the amendment and its broad promise of citizenship.

“Citizenship, then and now, was the right to have rights — to freely participate in our political community,” Roberts wrote in the opinion. “The Framers of the Fourteenth Amendment extended that promise to ‘every free-born person in this land.’ We keep that promise today.”

The decision drew criticism from Trump and other Republicans who have argued that birthright citizenship should be changed. Following the ruling, the president called on Congress to pursue legislation addressing the issue rather than attempting to amend the Constitution.

In a Truth Social post, Trump argued lawmakers have the authority to act.

“The Supreme Court upheld Birthright Citizenship, which is too bad for our Country, but we can easily make it up in Congress through Legislation, with the support of the President, that has now been determined during this process,” Trump wrote.

He added, “No long and unwieldy Constitutional Amendment is necessary! Congress should start TODAY to work on ending expensive and unfair to our Country, Birthright Citizenship. They will have my Complete and Total Support!”

Smith’s comments reflected a position that acknowledged the Supreme Court’s constitutional reasoning while expressing support for continued debate over whether the nation’s birthright citizenship policy should remain unchanged. His remarks also underscored his view that the United States should maintain secure borders while continuing to support migrants who are living in the country and not committing crimes.