The Leadership Conference Responds to the Supreme Court’s Decisions in Trump v. Barbara, West Virginia v. BPJ, Little v. Hecox, and end of 2026 Term
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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While the Court upheld birthright citizenship, it decided trans women and girls, refugees fleeing violence, and Back and brown voters don’t count
WASHINGTON — Maya Wiley, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, issued the following statement:
“President Trump has actively attacked our fundamental rights and protections since his first day in office. Yet, today the Supreme Court, in Trump v. Barbara, struck down the president’s racist and xenophobic executive order banning birthright citizenship. The majority upheld one of the most important constitutional protections we fought a civil war to win – the right to be a citizen when born on these shores, even if neither parent has legal status in the United States. A blow to birthright citizenship would have threatened the rights of every child born in this country. The fact that this Court’s majority even took up the case, and the decision was as close as it was, is concerning. But the Constitution is clear and the Court’s own case law over the last century has consistently upheld this right. That Trump tried to single-handedly rewrite the Constitution in order to change who really counts in this country was a brazen act of animosity against our ability to protect all citizens from abuse of power. No president should be able to pick and choose which children born here are recognized as citizens and which children are to be treated as second-class. The Supreme Court was correct to reject this attack, and its ruling protects everyone born in this country.”
“But minutes beforehand, the Supreme Court, in consolidated cases West Virginia v. BPJ and Little v. Hecox, held that discrimination on the basis of sex is legal against trans athletes, upholding state bans on their participation. The Court rejected claims that such exclusions violate their equal protection rights under the Constitution and under Title IX’s statutory protections. While the decision does not address the lawfulness of inclusive state laws, the Roberts’ Court, instead of honoring our country’s long history of expanding rights, continues its march to retrench and deny rights to those only wishing to participate in our civic life. Make no mistake — these bans, and the hate that fuels them, are not meant to protect cis women and girls. Equality of transgender women and girls in fact promotes the equality of all women and girls, especially Black youth and kids who do not conform to cultural stereotypes. We should tear down barriers for women and girls, not build new ones. The Roberts Court should be ashamed of paving the way for increased gender inequality and the persecution and hatred of transgender people. But the Court cannot erase their existence. The majority of us know that our strength is our diversity. We will continue to build our shared prosperity by protecting all of our right to belong. This decision won’t change that.”
“These attacks are intended to divide and scare us. Attacking trans athletes. Silencing Black voters. Changing who is given necessary protections when they enter this country from dangerous situations. Attempting to deny children born here their citizenship. These are moves meant to divide us. To make us panic and protect only ‘our own.’ But we know that our rights are interconnected. Freedom for one is freedom for all.”
The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights is a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 240 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States. The Leadership Conference works toward an America as good as its ideals. For more information on The Leadership Conference and its member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org.
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