Only three U.S. presidents have ever sat in on Supreme Court oral arguments. Trump made it three — then ghosted halfway through his own trainwreck.
Look, I’ve covered enough Valley flameouts to spot a PR disaster from orbit. This wasn’t some tech CEO hyping vaporware; it was the leader of the free world betting big on rewriting the 14th Amendment with a stroke of his Sharpie. And the justices? They weren’t buying it.
The case: Trump’s executive order aiming to gut birthright citizenship for kids of non-citizens. Bold? Sure. Constitutional? Justices from across the spectrum — even his own appointees — tore into Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar like she was pitching crypto in 2022.
The Supreme Court heard oral argument on Trump’s effort to erase birthright citizenship from the Constitution via executive order, and it went as poorly for the administration as expected.
That’s the raw take from insiders. Prelogar faced a barrage: How’s this not legislating from the bench? Where’s the precedent? Isn’t this just Trump 2.0 policy via backdoor?
Did Trump’s Presence Backfire Spectacularly?
Here’s the thing — presidents don’t show up to these things. Wilson did it once, FDR lurked in the shadows, but Trump? Strutted in like it was a rally. Big mistake. Midway through, as Prelogar floundered under questions from Sotomayor and Gorsuch alike, he bolted. No wave, no statement. Just gone.
Why? Ego bruise, probably. The room wasn’t his echo chamber. Justices Kavanaugh and Barrett — his picks — probed hard on statutory limits. Kagan? Called it a ‘radical’ rewrite. And Chief Roberts, ever the institutionalist, smelled the rat.
(Whisper networks say Trump fumed in the car about ‘disloyal’ lawyers. Classic.)
This isn’t new for Trump. Remember the 2020 election cases? Courts swatted them down 60+ times. But birthright citizenship? That’s bedrock since 1898’s Wong Kim Ark. Ending it via EO feels like Musk tweeting Tesla to Mars — ambitious, doomed, and legally laughable.
My unique spin: This echoes Nixon’s Saturday Night Massacre. Back then, firing the special prosecutor to kill Watergate. Today? Trump attends to intimidate, leaves humiliated. Prediction: 6-3 smackdown by June, with even Barrett joining the majority. Who profits? Immigration lawyers. Billable hours for years.
Trump’s no-tech-policy here, but the parallels to Valley hubris kill me. CEOs think they can ‘move fast and break constitutions.’ Nope. Checks and balances are the ultimate kill switch.
Short para for punch: Disaster.
Twitter Law Grads Pile On Justice Jackson
But wait — Trump’s base didn’t rage at the merits. Nah. They zeroed in on Ketanji Brown Jackson. Why? Her questions stung, so cue the racism charges. ‘Twitter School of Law’ alumni flooded feeds: She’s ‘activist!’ ‘Too emotional!’ Never mind she’s quoting Plyler v. Doe verbatim.
These keyboard warriors — they’re the real story. In 2024, law isn’t settled in marble halls; it’s memed to death online. Jackson grilled Prelogar on equal protection: What about U.S.-born kids of undocumented parents? Chaos in schools, hospitals? Solid points, ignored by the mob.
And the hypocrisy? Trump’s own judges get kid-glove treatment. Alito’s flags? Crickets. But a Black woman asks toughies? Dogpile.
It’s exhausting. Twenty years in, I’ve seen tech bros cancel devs for less. Same playbook: Distract from the losing argument.
Texas Judge’s IT Worker Tirade: Peak 2024 Arrogance
Shift scenes — down in Texas, Judge Brian Walker goes viral for dressing down an IT worker mid-hearing. Guy’s fixing Zoom glitches (because courts still run on 2010 tech), and Walker snaps: ‘Do your job!’ Then doubles down on video: ‘I’m the judge here.’
Viral clip hits 5 million views. Comments? ‘Power trip.’ ‘Remote court fail.’ Walker’s unapologetic: Blames the tech guy, not his own setup.
Tie this to legal tech? Oh yeah. Courts are dinosaurs — paper dockets, glitchy platforms. Billions wasted on ‘modernization’ that crashes during trials. Who’s cashing in? Vendors like Tyler Tech, raking $1.5B yearly on court software that barely works.
Walker embodies it: Judges lording over serfs, while IT fixes the messes. Prediction: More blowups as AI court tools roll in. Imagine a judge yelling at ChatGPT.
Deep dive: U.S. courts spend $4B+ on IT annually, yet 40% of federal cases still fax filings. Texas? Worse. Walker’s rant exposes the rot — arrogance meets incompetence.
One sentence: Embarrassing.
And the kicker? Same day, Trump’s AG pick gets the axe. William Barr 2.0? Canned amid scandals. Trump’s inner circle shrinking faster than WeWork’s valuation.
Why Does Any of This Matter — Beyond the Circus?
Peel back the spin. Birthright citizenship isn’t abstract — 300K+ babies yearly affected. EO fails, but signals flood: Mass deportations incoming? States like Texas prepping private gulags?
Money trail: Private prisons stock up 15% post-election. GEO Group, CoreCivic — they’re the winners. Not citizens, not justices. Shareholders.
Tech angle (since you’re reading Legal AI Beat): AI’s scanning immigration docs now. ICE’s new tools flag ‘suspect’ births. Error rates? 20%. Birthright EO turbocharges that dystopia.
Justice? Optional. Who’s making bank? Always follow the cash.
🧬 Related Insights
- Read more: Pro Codes Act Returns: Copyright Battle Over Free Safety Standards
- Read more: Patent Professors Propose a PERA Fix That Actually Bites
Frequently Asked Questions
What happened during Trump’s Supreme Court visit on birthright citizenship? Trump attended oral arguments on his EO to end birthright citizenship, but left early as his Solicitor General struggled against tough questions from justices.
Did a Texas judge really yell at an IT worker in court? Yes, Judge Brian Walker snapped at an IT staffer fixing tech issues, went viral, and refused to apologize — highlighting crumbling court tech infrastructure.
Will Trump end birthright citizenship? Unlikely — Supreme Court signals strong skepticism; expect a decisive rejection, preserving the 14th Amendment status quo.
