On April 1, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments on the Trump administration’s reinterpretation of birthright citizenship, and it became clear that the justices, per usual, would not be swayed by outside pressures.

Every justice on the court expressed some level of skepticism about the administration’s position. 

In this case, some of the outside pressures came from inside the courthouse, in the form of President Donald Trump actually attending the oral arguments, becoming the first sitting president to attend an argument session at the nation's highest court. Trump has been a vocal critic of many of the justices throughout his second term, particularly Justices Amy Coney Barrett and Neil Gorsuch, two of his own appointees who ruled against him in the tariff case in February.

The president's attendance strikes me as another attempt to drive pressure on the justices. 

Supreme Court skeptical of Trump's birthright citizenship argument

Trump’s frustrations with the Supreme Court come because they are not a branch he can pressure through his traditional avenues. They do not respond to his insults, threats or other forms of pressure, certainly not in the same way elected representatives do. 

At the outset of his second term, Trump attempted to........

© USA TODAY