Today’s Supreme Court decision to uphold birthright citizenship is a victory but should have been a unanimous opinion. This never should have been a question before the court in the first place. The Constitution is so plain and clear on this concept.

I was in the courtroom gallery the day this clearly unconstitutional argument was being brought by the Department of Justice last year. Hearing the clear unconstitutionality of what the United States argued prompted me to leave the Department.

Here in Seattle, we fight back with urgency and courage, and I was proud to sign onto an amicus brief in this case for our city. We stand with Attorney General Nick Brown and are grateful for his leadership on this case.

But while the outcome is a vindication of America’s foundational principles of law, the fact it took a narrow 5-4 split to uphold the 14th Amendment is shameful. Our system of justice is under attack by those at the very top of it.

Our welcoming city will continue to fight back against those who are determined to undermine basic constitutional rights and our values. While we are grateful for the outcome in this case today, I am reminded that many other values of fairness and integrity remain under siege.