At the 2026 hearing on birthright citizenship at the U.S. Supreme Court, Judge Amy Coney Barrett posed significant questions against the government's efforts to limit this right. Barrett recalled the 14th Amendment's purpose of securing citizenship for slaves and their children, raising the logical inconsistencies of restrictions based on "residence" or "allegiance" criteria for immigrants. Barrett asked Solicitor General John Sauer, defending the government, how the citizenship rights of children would be evaluated in cases where slaves were forcibly brought and could feel allegiance to their country. This question weakened Sauer's argument that the 14th Amendment's purpose was only to secure citizenship for slaves. Barrett also expressed doubts about the feasibility of the proposed "residence" and "allegiance" criteria to limit immigrants' citizenship rights. These developments indicate that President Trump's attempts to restrict birthright citizenship have a low chance of success in court. During the debates, Barrett also asked ACLU representative Cecillia Wang whether Congress could introduce new exceptions to birthright citizenship; Wang stated that current exceptions are closed but old exceptions could be removed.