Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson recently delivered a monumental concurring opinion in the Trump v. Barbara case, which ruled that the 14th Amendment guarantees automatic citizenship to virtually everyone born on U.S. soil. Jackson’s opinion went beyond the majority opinion, offering a new understanding of the origins of the 14th Amendment’s guarantee of birthright citizenship and its promise of equal treatment.
Emphasizing Black Americans’ Contributions
Jackson’s opinion emphasizes the singular contributions of Black Americans to the endeavor of shaping the 14th Amendment. She criticizes Justice Clarence Thomas for distorting the historical record and argues that Black Americans helped galvanize the push for full equality. Jackson notes that the citizenship clause vindicated the universalist vision of the delegates at the colored conventions and their allies in Congress.
Jackson’s opinion builds on the approach to history taken by the 1619 Project, which aims to reframe the country’s history by placing the consequences of slavery and the contributions of Black Americans at the center of the national narrative. Jackson fully embraces this story, extending it to include what happened in 1866 when the U.S. restated and renewed its founding commitment to equality.
Original reporting: KTBS 3 (Shreveport) — read the source article.
