Local experts and politicians weigh-in on the Supreme Court's birthright citizenship ruling

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- The Supreme Court on Wednesday ended their session with a flurry of rulings, among them - birthright citizenship. The President had previously issued an Executive Order to end birthright citizenship, the constitutionally protected right to citizenship granted to anyone born in the United States.

The ruling handed down on the case today, in a 6-3 vote, struck down the Executive Order, reaffirming birthright citizenship in the United States to anyone born here, including immigrants or visitors.

Only five of the six Supreme Court Justices that upheld the right cited the 14th Amendment to the Constitution as the definitive law on the topic.

Haley Proctor, an Associate Professor of Law at the University of Notre Dame, clarified why that could mean that the decision may not be final:

"Five of the Justices say that the 14th Amendment establishes this principal of birthright citizenship. Justice Kavanaugh writes a separate concurrence that says Congress could enact a law that goes along the lines of what President Trump's Executive order said."

Indiana Attorney General, Republican Todd Rokita disagreed with the high court's decision and spoke out about it while visiting a construction site in Mishawaka:

"I think this is a uh, a bad decision; it's going to have long-term consequences. Um, I think they went way too far. They coulda, they coulda at least left the question open, and said, 'you know what, there's a federal statute that says birthright citizenship, Congress should change that statute' and they could've left it there… instead, instead they went and opined that the Constitution specifically mandates birthright citizenship, and it doesn't, that's the problem…"

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel had a very different opinion on the ruling:

"Birthright citizenship is at the heart of our American story, ensuring that every person born on U.S. soil is entitled to equal protection under the law. By joining with every court to have ever considered this policy, the Supreme Court has cemented a historic reality: birthright citizenship is a basic right, and no president is above the law."