Trump made Supreme Court move his seat to right in front of the judges during birthright hearing, ACLU head says

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: The Independent

Friday 03 April 2026 17:51 EDT


President Donald Trump reportedly demanded that his seat be moved at the Supreme Court so he could sit directly in front of the court's justices during his unprecedented visit to the court to witness the oral arguments in his birthright citizenship case this week.

Trump became the first president to attend a Supreme Court oral argument, a move that many critics took to be a naked attempt to intimidate the court into ruling in his favor. Early in his second term, Trump issued an executive order challenging the 14th Amendment, which establishes that anyone born on U.S. soil is a U.S. citizen.

ACLU Executive Director Anthony Romero told MSNOW that Trump was initially seated at the end of the first row of seats, but Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told the court's security that the president wanted to be moved to the center, where he would face the justices.

“Then it was clear that he was endeavoring to put his thumb on the scale,” Romero said. "“He was endeavoring to glower at the justices to kind of intimidate them, almost defy them to rule against him.”

Read more: https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-supreme-court-seat-birthright-citizenship-b2951631.html

[jls4561]

1. So Nutlick had to move and sit in the poopy seat? Probably thought it was an honor.

[tanyev]

2. So predictable.

[The Wizard]

3. I recall in the 2016

campaign Trump said he knew more about the law than the Supreme Court. Maybe like normal Americans, the Court has heard enough of his shit.

[Deuxcents]

4. I read on DU yesterday that Alito is not doing well, health wise. Could be another Justice pick for TSF?

[FakeNoose]

6. No it wasn't much of anything - he's fine

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1014&pid=3643555

A small bout of dehydration, and he probably didn't have to go to the hospital. But they took him anyway...

[Deuxcents]

11. Thanks for the update

[LetMyPeopleVote]

5. 'Fidgeting' Trump had to be moved during Supreme Court hearing: ACLU attorney

trump is too stupid to understand the concepts being discussed. trump could understand that his attorney was NOT doing a good job and that the Justices were not buying what his attorney was trying to sell

Donald Trump's unprecedented appearance at the Supreme Court encompassed both a request that his seat be moved and the reported inability of the president to hold still while lawyers made their case before the nation's highest court.

— Raw Story (@rawstory.com) 2026-04-02T20:55:24Z

https://www.rawstory.com/trump-fidget-supreme-court/

Appearing on MS NOW with host Jonathan Lemire, ACLU Executive Director Anthony Romero stated the president sat right in front of him, so he had a ringside seat to watch the president react to arguments over his attempt to override the 14th Amendment on birthright citizenship.....

“Could you see him from your vantage point? If so, what was he like?” MS NOW’s Lemire asked.

“He was six feet in front of me... he was literally right in front of me,” he recalled. “I was one row behind him, the Secret Service and then the president, so I could watch him entirely throughout the argument. Some of the press reports also got it wrong. Some of the press reports said that he left after the government had its case; the president sat through at least 10 to 15 minutes of our argument.”

“I could see him fidgeting in the chair. I literally could see him, he was literally in my line of vision,” he added. “And when our legal director, Cecillia Wang, made her opening statements, and then when she began to answer questions from the justices, you could see he started getting restless. His shoulders slumped a little bit.”

“I think he was there, clearly to intimidate the justices,” he added. “When they first had him, they sat him on the very end of the front row. And then the Commerce Secretary, Mr. [Howard] Lutnick got up and told the security guards that Mr. Trump would like to be seated more centrally in the courtroom. So they moved him literally right in front of us.”

“And then it was clear that he was endeavoring to put his thumb on the scale. He was endeavoring to glower at the justices to kind of intimidate them, almost defy them to rule against him,” he continued. “And what was remarkable, and this really is a testament that our system of checks and balances is working, that it's a coequal branch of government. Donald Trump is a guest in the Supreme Court. This is Chief Justice Roberts’ house. And there was not a mention, they did not miss a beat when he walked in, the courtroom got quiet. When he walked out, no one missed a beat.”

[BumRushDaShow]

9. "this really is a testament that our system of checks and balances is working"

I would actually disagree with that statement.

The fact that they were sitting in that courtroom was because the system WASN'T working. Roberts himself declared that 45 had "qualified immunity", and 45 interpreted that as "absolute immunity" with the power to do anything he wanted without consequence, because he could declare whatever he was doing as "an official duty".

And worse, Roberts continued to coddle him for a year, allowing most of the most draconian and egregious dictates to continue until the lower courts got around to them, causing massive damage in what many consider a "shock doctrine", instead of halting them so the courts could sort them out.

The SCOTUS "Shadow Docket" broke the system.

[FakeNoose]

7. Chump gets there an hour late, then he takes somebody else's seat right in front...

... then he realizes he can't open his mouth, then he gets tired of listening to the lawyer after 5 minutes, then he gets up and leaves.

Have I got that right? This is how he earns his salary every day?

[Bayard]

13. I hadn't heard he was late

That's a power move right there. Did they hold up the proceding for him?

[LetMyPeopleVote]

8. Here are some sketches of trump sitting in the front row

Link to tweet

[forgotmylogin]

12. Props to this artist (n/t)

[WestMichRad]

10. They didn't have to grant his request to move.

Could’ve told him to sit down and shut up. He has no authority in their house.

[Jack Valentino]

14. He's losing his hearing as well as his mind