Friends General Conference and Friends Committee on National Legislation are working with a team of skilled lawyers to defend birthright citizenship. Birthright citizenship affirms that every child born in the United States is automatically a U.S. Citizen under the Fourteenth Amendment. This constitutional rule is currently under attack by the Trump Administration.

The law firm Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP is representing Friends General Conference, Friends Committee on National Legislation, and 55 other faith-based groups in this case. Together, the faith-based groups affirm the importance of inclusion. Associations that signed the amicus brief groups that are Jewish, Muslim, Episcopal, Latino, Hindu, Baptist, Catholic, Quaker, Church of England, and Unitarian Universalist. They include more than a dozen groups of Catholic nuns, several multi-faith groups, and several interfaith groups.

How FGC Is Involved

FGC joined this brief because we believe Executive Order 14160 would harm families and put children at risk of being stateless. Quakers are called to welcome people who come to our communities as immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers. This Executive Order goes against the spiritual teachings of our faith community. 

We affirm that:

• Limiting citizenship would conflict with Quaker values of equality, justice, and inclusion
• Quakers have a long history of seeking and defending religious freedom.
• The Quaker faith teaches that all people have inherent worth.
• Birthright citizenship protects children and supports religious liberty for future generations.

About the Amicus Brief

On February 26, 2026, the legal team submitted an amicus brief, which is a preliminary court document. The amicus brief argues that birthright citizenship reflects a core religious value of inclusion, shared across many faiths. It explains that the United States has a long acted as a refuge for people fleeing religious persecution.

The brief opposes Executive Order 14160, which seeks to limit birthright citizenship for certain children born in the United States. You can read the formal amicus brief here.

Next Steps

When FGC has additional news about the 25-365 Amicus Brief, we will keep you updated through our weekly newsletter Vitality. You can subscribe to Vitality to receive these and other updates.

Court moves slowly, so this will likely take some time. Please hold the legal team, Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP, in your prayers as they defend the rights of children.