New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin
Appearances
The Briefing with Jen Psaki
Trump's power grab scheme exposed; Supreme Court birthright citizenship case focuses on court powers
It means, as happened in New Jersey, when we have a domestic violence victim, the victim, someone who was stabbed in the neck, a horrific crime, when we're trying to prosecute the attempted murderer, the person who actually tried to kill her, and they pick up the victim and bring her into ICE custody, as happened in my state, we have nobody to call. And so we can't resolve that.
The Briefing with Jen Psaki
Trump's power grab scheme exposed; Supreme Court birthright citizenship case focuses on court powers
And how is that making New Jerseyans safer? The answer is it's not. And so the lack of coordination, something that after 9-11 we have worked really hard because we saw what happens in 9-11 when law enforcement agencies aren't communicating.
The Briefing with Jen Psaki
Trump's power grab scheme exposed; Supreme Court birthright citizenship case focuses on court powers
They have put a complete chill, and I say this as the chief law enforcement officer of my state who cares principally about one thing, keeping the residents of my state safe. Their actions, which are clearly political, announcing investigations and prosecutions on cable news networks, something I would never even dream of doing. is making New Jerseyans and frankly all Americans less safe.
The Briefing with Jen Psaki
Trump's power grab scheme exposed; Supreme Court birthright citizenship case focuses on court powers
Thanks for having me.
The Briefing with Jen Psaki
Trump's power grab scheme exposed; Supreme Court birthright citizenship case focuses on court powers
It was astonishing to hear the United States government tell the nine justices of the Supreme Court that they weren't sure whether they would follow a binding court precedent. They weren't sure if they could concede that, that basic fact that is the underpinning of the rule of law in this nation.
The Briefing with Jen Psaki
Trump's power grab scheme exposed; Supreme Court birthright citizenship case focuses on court powers
This case is about birthright citizenship, but it's about whether the rule of law and the constraints on the executive, and as Justice Jackson said, whether the president can act like a king.
The Briefing with Jen Psaki
Trump's power grab scheme exposed; Supreme Court birthright citizenship case focuses on court powers
Yeah, I think the interaction you just played really jumped right out to me. As I said in the quote that you aired, it sucked the air right out of the room, frankly, to hear the United States government not be able to concede to the United States Supreme Court that it would follow what the court says. I think this is building on a really troubling trajectory that this administration has put us on.
The Briefing with Jen Psaki
Trump's power grab scheme exposed; Supreme Court birthright citizenship case focuses on court powers
And I said there, and I believe this, this case was about birthright citizenship, which is incredibly important, whether the president can rewrite the Constitution. But it's about whether the president is going to adhere to the constitutional norms that this country has abided by for two and a half centuries.
The Briefing with Jen Psaki
Trump's power grab scheme exposed; Supreme Court birthright citizenship case focuses on court powers
Well, I would just note that as state attorney general, I've been consistent on this issue across administrations. I wouldn't necessarily say the people arguing in court today on the other side have been so consistent, as you noted. But look, nationwide injunctions should be limited. They're an extreme remedy, but there are extreme cases. And this is clearly one.
The Briefing with Jen Psaki
Trump's power grab scheme exposed; Supreme Court birthright citizenship case focuses on court powers
When the president is going to disregard a 157-year-old provision that we put in the Constitution after the bloody Civil War because we wanted to say, never again are we going to debate whether children born on U.S. soil are, in fact, citizens. 127 years of Supreme Court precedent, over 100 years of executive office practice. This is not a close call.
The Briefing with Jen Psaki
Trump's power grab scheme exposed; Supreme Court birthright citizenship case focuses on court powers
And so, as Justice Jackson said, as Justice Sotomayor said, as many of, frankly, the conservative justices asked, What else are we expecting people to do? They have to find a lawyer? Every single child born here? And I want you to just think about the absurdity if their position prevails. I'm the Attorney General for New Jersey. Nine and a half million people. We border Pennsylvania.
The Briefing with Jen Psaki
Trump's power grab scheme exposed; Supreme Court birthright citizenship case focuses on court powers
Many mothers in South Jersey give birth at Philadelphia hospitals. Are we really going to say, because Pennsylvania is not in the suit, that those children are not citizens simply because their mother went to a hospital across the river? But that's what the United States government is arguing in court.
The Briefing with Jen Psaki
Trump's power grab scheme exposed; Supreme Court birthright citizenship case focuses on court powers
Yeah, if they thought they were right on the merits, they'd be asking the court to tell us that they're right on the merits. I think it's very notable that they're asking just for the court to say, only
The Briefing with Jen Psaki
Trump's power grab scheme exposed; Supreme Court birthright citizenship case focuses on court powers
treat this injunction as binding on states that are in this suit because as justice jackson pointed out she called it this is would create a sort of catch me if you can situation for the federal government because basically for several years the government wants to continue to deny people the rights that are in the constitution that they are entitled to the rights and privileges and it's not just citizenship it's health care it's education and
The Briefing with Jen Psaki
Trump's power grab scheme exposed; Supreme Court birthright citizenship case focuses on court powers
They want to say, okay, in states like New Jersey, we'll concede. We're not going to say you're not a citizen if you're born here. But for every other state, the 27 or so other states that didn't join the suit, all with Republican attorneys general, I would note, those people in those states, those children in those states are out of luck.
The Briefing with Jen Psaki
Trump's power grab scheme exposed; Supreme Court birthright citizenship case focuses on court powers
And what happens when those kids and those families move into states like New Jersey? We're supposed to sit there and parse whether you were a citizen based on the hospital or the state you're born in? I mean, that's crazy. But that is exactly, again, what the United States government was arguing to the nine justices of the Supreme Court today.
The Briefing with Jen Psaki
Trump's power grab scheme exposed; Supreme Court birthright citizenship case focuses on court powers
Yeah. I mean, sadly, it predates what happened with Mayor Baraka. This is the first administration in decades, in decades in New Jersey. I'm the chief law enforcement officer. We have one U.S. attorney that our offices have not worked together. And that's not my choice. I have tried hard to maintain that relationship, but they've had no interest. And what does that mean?