# ACLU Prepares for Birthright Citizenship Fight as Supreme Court Term Reshapes Civil Rights Landscape

Cecillia Wang, National Legal Director of the American Civil Liberties Union, discussed the organization's Supreme Court strategy at SCOTUSblog's term-in-review event, focusing on the contentious birthright citizenship debate and broader civil rights challenges ahead.

Wang addressed the ACLU's involvement in cases touching on citizenship rights, a core constitutional issue that has gained renewed attention following the 2024 term. The organization prepares arguments defending the 14th Amendment's citizenship clause against mounting legal challenges that could fundamentally alter who qualifies as a U.S. citizen by birth.

The ACLU National Legal Director outlined the term's trajectory for civil rights litigation, highlighting decisions that reshape enforcement of constitutional protections. Wang emphasized the stakes for vulnerable populations as the Court's ideological composition continues shifting rightward.

The organization's docket reflects priority areas: voting rights, reproductive freedom, immigrant protections, and LGBTQ equality. Wang signaled that the ACLU will maintain aggressive litigation challenging restrictions on these fronts, regardless of an increasingly hostile judicial environment at the appellate level.

Birthright citizenship represents a flashpoint. The 14th Amendment grants citizenship to all persons born in the United States, a provision interpreted since 1898 in United States v. Wong Kim Ark to extend citizenship to children of non-citizens. Proposed constitutional amendments and legislative efforts now challenge this interpretation, arguing that the framers intended to exclude children of illegal aliens.

Wang's remarks reflected the ACLU's strategy of mobilizing amicus briefs, direct representation in federal courts, and public education campaigns. The organization views the term's outcomes as a call to expand litigation beyond traditional civil rights arguments toward due process and equal protection frameworks that might gain traction with the current bench.