Trump v. Barbara · ¶486

I do not suggest that we should base our decision in this case on statements made during the legislative debates on the Fourteenth Amendment and the Civil Rights Act. Reliance on any form of legislative history is always problematic for reasons that are familiar. See A. Scalia, A Matter of Interpretation 29–37 (1997). “[F]loor statements by individual legislators rank among the least illuminating forms of legislative history.” SW General, 580 U. S., at 307. Here, the only form of legislative history we have consists of floor statements.

slip opinion, revised 7/01/26
Source edition
Passage preview. Read in context for the complete text, notes and references.