A man whose family history helped define who is an American is now watching the Supreme Court to see if that legacy holds. Norman Wong, 76, spoke outside the court Wednesday as justices heard arguments over President Trump's order to curb birthright citizenship—128 years after Wong's great-grandfather, Wong Kim Ark, won the landmark case that affirmed being born on US soil makes you a citizen. "They will be shamed for history if they get this wrong," Wong told the New York Times.
The retired carpenter, who lives in the San Francisco area, learned of his ancestor's role only later in life. "Wong Kim Ark knew he was an American. And he demanded that his citizenship be recognized. He was willing to stand up," Wong told Reuters days before the court heard the case. "Wong Kim Ark didn't make the rule. He affirmed the rule." He called the administration's legal case "fake arguments and fake reasons" aimed at undermining what he described as the American dream.
Wong Kim Ark's case ended up before the Supreme Court in 1898, three years after he was barred from returning to the US after a visit to his ancestral village in China, the Washington Post reports. The court ruled in his favor, saying the 14th Amendment grants citizenship by birth in the US, even to the children of foreign nationals. On Wednesday, justices appeared skeptical of the administration's arguments against automatic birthright citizenship.
- Other speakers outside the court included Jose Andres, the Times reports. "Today is not about defending a constitutional right," the celebrity chef and activist said. "Today is about so much more: today is about defending the pure idea of what America is and will be."
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