Attorney General Nick Brown, alongside a coalition of attorneys general from 19 states and the District of Columbia, issued a joint statement following the Supreme Court's oral arguments on birthright citizenship. The group expressed their collective stance in defense of birthright citizenship and adherence to established legal precedents.
The statement emphasized the long-standing clarity of the law: "We were proud to stand together to defend birthright citizenship and the rule of law at the U.S. Supreme Court today. For 127 years, since the Supreme Court settled the issue, the law has been clear: if you are born in this country, you are a citizen of the United States and of our States."
The attorneys general criticized an argument presented by the Trump Administration that seeks to alter this precedent. They argued that allowing "the President to strip American citizenship from people based solely on the state in which they happen to be born" would disrupt established law and practice.
The coalition further stated, "The President cannot rewrite the Constitution and contradict the Supreme Court’s own holdings with the stroke of a pen."
This statement was backed by attorneys general from Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington D.C.
Washington’s Attorney General Office plays a crucial role in representing state agencies while also focusing on consumer protection and civil rights enforcement among other responsibilities.