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Painted portrait of Wong Kim Ark in the Asian American Community Heroes Mural, located in San Francisco's Chinatown.

Painted portrait of Wong Kim Ark in the Asian American Community Heroes Mural, located in San Francisco's Chinatown. Julie Caine/Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco hide caption

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Julie Caine/Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco

Time Machine: The Throughline History Quiz

Who gets to be an American? Find out in Throughline’s history quiz.

If you’re a U.S. citizen, there’s a name you ought to know: Wong Kim Ark. Find out why in Throughline’s history quiz.

Supreme Court justices appear skeptical of effort to remove Trump from a state ballot

A banner is displayed in front of the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday as justices prepared to hear arguments in a case about whether former President Donald Trump can be disqualified from state ballots. The case has profound implications for the 2024 presidential election. Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP hide caption

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Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP

Politics

Supreme Court justices appear skeptical of effort to remove Trump from a state ballot

The dispute comes from Colorado — but it could have national implications for Donald Trump and his political fate.

Listen to special coverage of the arguments

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I went hunting for the 14th Amendment, the document that could bar Trump from ballots

The original documents are sensitive to both light and humidity. Christina Shaman/NPR hide caption

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Christina Shaman/NPR

Politics

I went hunting for the 14th Amendment, the document that could bar Trump from ballots

Come on an adventure inside the research facility holding the Civil War-era document that could bar former President Donald Trump from the White House.

I went hunting for the 14th Amendment, the document that could bar Trump from ballots

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Bringing birther back, Donald Trump questions Nikki Haley's right to be president

Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley participates in fourth Republican Presidential Primary Debate on on December 6, 2023 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images hide caption

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Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Elections

Bringing birther back, Donald Trump questions Nikki Haley's right to be president

The former governor of South Carolina, Haley was born in the southern state. But as she surges in Republican polls, Trump is elevating false conspiracy theories about her citizenship on social media.

Trump cries 'election interference' after Maine ruling will keep him off the ballot

Former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally on Dec. 16 in Durham, N.H. Reba Saldanha/AP hide caption

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Reba Saldanha/AP

Elections

Trump cries 'election interference' after Maine ruling will keep him off the ballot

Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows said former President Donald Trump is not qualified to appear on the state's primary ballot. The Trump campaign pledged to fight the decision in state court.

Trump cries 'election interference' after Maine ruling will keep him off the ballot

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Colorado's Supreme Court disqualified Trump from the state ballot. What happens now?

The Colorado Supreme Court ruled that Donald Trump's actions on and around Jan. 6 disqualify him from the presidency and from appearing on the state's 2024 primary ballot. John Minchillo/AP hide caption

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John Minchillo/AP

Elections

Colorado's Supreme Court disqualified Trump from the state ballot. What happens now?

Trump's team vowed to appeal the decision. If it's in front of the U.S. Supreme Court by Jan. 5, Trump's name will stay on the ballot. Legal experts say the question is likely to keep coming up.

5 things to know about the 14th Amendment effort to block Trump from the presidency

Former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Rapid City, S.D., on Sept. 8. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

Elections

5 things to know about the 14th Amendment effort to block Trump from the presidency

Some legal scholars and activists say an obscure provision of the Constitution, dating back to just after the Civil War, should disqualify Donald Trump from a second White House term.

By Accident of Birth (2022)

Painted portrait of Wong Kim Ark in the Asian American Community Heroes Mural, located in San Francisco's Chinatown. Julie Caine/Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco hide caption

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Julie Caine/Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco

Throughline

By Accident of Birth (2022)

In August of 1895, a ship called the SS Coptic approached the coast of Northern California. On that boat was a passenger from San Francisco, a young man named Wong Kim Ark. He was returning home after visiting his wife and child in China, and he'd taken similar trips before. But when the ship docked, officials told him he couldn't get off. The customs agent barred him according to the Chinese Exclusion Act, which denied citizenship to Chinese immigrants.

By Accident of Birth (2022)

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Supreme Court guts affirmative action, effectively ending race-conscious admissions

A view of the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., on June 5. Alex Wong/Getty Images hide caption

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Alex Wong/Getty Images

Law

Supreme Court guts affirmative action, effectively ending race-conscious admissions

The decision reverses decades of precedent upheld over the years by narrow court majorities that included Republican-appointed justices.

Supreme Court guts affirmative action, effectively ending race-conscious admissions

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By Accident of Birth

Painted portrait of Wong Kim Ark in the Asian American Community Heroes Mural, located in San Francisco's Chinatown. Julie Caine/Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco hide caption

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Julie Caine/Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco

Throughline

By Accident of Birth

In August of 1895, a ship called the SS Coptic approached the coast of Northern California. On that boat was a passenger from San Francisco, a young man named Wong Kim Ark who was returning home after visiting his wife and child in China. He'd taken trips like this before, and expected to come back to the city he was born in, to his life and friends. But when the ship docked, officials told him he couldn't get off. The customs agent barred him according to the Chinese Exclusion Act, which denied citizenship to Chinese immigrants. Though Wong Kim Ark had been born in the U.S. and lived his whole life there, the agent said he was not a citizen.

By Accident of Birth

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FACT CHECK: 14th Amendment On Citizenship Cannot Be Overridden By Executive Order

President Trump prepares to depart for Pittsburgh, where 11 people were killed Saturday in a mass shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue. In an interview with Axios, the president says he intends to sign an executive order ending birthright citizenship. Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images

National

FACT CHECK: 14th Amendment On Citizenship Cannot Be Overridden By Executive Order

President Trump is floating a new tactic in his immigration crackdown — he wants to end the right to citizenship for babies born in the U.S. to noncitizens. Few legal experts believe it can be done.

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