Question Brief – 4/30/25

DX – Eric Qian

Will the Supreme Court vote to uphold Donald Trump’s executive order on birthright citizenship? 

This question is from this year’s Harvard tournament. It’s tricky for many reasons; first, predicting Supreme Court decisions is just naturally hard, and second, there’s both a legal and a political approach to the question. I don’t think it’s realistic to assume that the court is only going to act based on legal principles, but I also don’t think the court is solely political. Instead, political motives play a role in legal reasoning—that connection played a key role in me crafting my points.

1. some legal principle or factor within the court
2. how this impacts birthright citizenship

The answer is no—the court won’t favor such an extreme order.

1. made moderate rulings
   1. so far, the Supreme Court has stood up to Trump on immigration policy – not only did they unanimously call for Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s return, but they’ve been reluctant to give him full victories (eg. restricting the usage of the 1789 Alien Enemies Act that Trump is using to deport people – must allow these people due process)
   2. Trump’s birthright citizenship order is right in line with these immigration issues – Trump doesn’t want undocumented immigrants’ families to have birthright citizenship
2. will follow stare decisis
   1. stare decisis is a legal principle meaning that courts will follow precedent – it’s especially relevant here because the Supreme Court has already ruled on birthright citizenship
   2. they did so all the way back in 1898 with the case US vs. Wong Kim Ark → considering that this court hasn’t exactly been supportive of Trump’s extreme immigration policy, they don’t have a reason to overturn precedent
3. opposed to an overreach of executive power
   1. the Constitution can only be amended in certain ways – for example, ⅔ of Congress or a national convention must propose an amendment, and ¾ of state legislatures or conventions must ratify it
   2. Trump’s executive order effectively allows him to modify the Constitution without Congressional backing; that’s a clear overreach of executive power

IX – Kavin Selva

Is the era of French influence in West Africa over?

First thoughts: This question was from this year’s Harvard tournament. I already have some ideas about what I can talk about in my speech. The key idea here is to convey that French influence hasn’t completely ended, but it is rapidly declining. This primarily comes from rising anti-French sentiments across West Africa. Therefore, my three points will focus on looking at ways in which this anti-French sentiment has manifested itself into real effects.

Answer: The era of French influence in West Africa is rapidly approaching an end due to rising anti-French sentiment.

1. Military Withdrawals
   1. In recent times, France has been pulling its troops out of many West African nations, including but not limited to Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and Senegal.
   2. This withdrawal comes as many West African countries turn towards a more militaristic rule and power model. According to the conversation, military coups have become more commonplace, leading to a new geopolitical climate that pushes away France and the U.S.
2. Currency reform
   1. An article from Reuters highlights that concerns over sovereignty play a role in a desire to move away from the French CFA as a currency, in addition to sanctions concerns.
   2. Since people are having a new desire to cement their sovereignty further, it’s likely a new national currency will be created. This currency comes in the form of the ECOWAS, which will further limit French economic control over the West African states.
3. Pan-Africanism
   1. Pan-Africanism emerged in the twentieth century as a response to colonial efforts by European powers. Today, a majority of West Africans believe that European colonization was responsible for the foundational issues Africa faces.
   2. Senegal is one prime example of the Pan-African movement created by anti-French sentiment. An article by Al Jazeera reports that many public squares and streets are being renamed to erase the legacy of French colonialism. The broader cultural shift brought on by anti-French sentiment is likely to limit French influence in the future.