House Speaker Mike Johnson displayed a visibly pained reaction upon learning of the Supreme Court's ruling that affirmed birthright citizenship.
Cameras captured the moment Tuesday when a reporter informed Johnson of the high court's decision as he was explaining his opposition to the longstanding interpretation of the 14th Amendment.
"Oh dear, what’d they rule?" Johnson asked, followed by a groan and an eye-roll. He then stated, "Well, uh, I need to read the opinion, OK? But uh, obviously that’s, I mean, you could say that’s a textualist and originalist view."
Johnson had previously predicted that the court, characterized by its conservative majority, would apply originalist and textualist judicial philosophies to the arguments. These philosophies interpret the Constitution based on the original intent of its framers.
Despite previous Supreme Court rulings affirming that individuals born in the U.S. are constitutionally guaranteed citizenship, Johnson asserted that birthright citizenship has been "grossly abused in recent years" and represents "a serious problem."
Johnson suggested that amending the Constitution to prohibit birthright citizenship would be a logical response to the ruling. However, he acknowledged the significant difficulty of such an endeavor, which would require a two-thirds majority in both the House and the Senate, followed by ratification by 75% of the states.
"I will say, I’m very disappointed in that outcome," Johnson concluded.