The Pillar obtained a copy of a memo from the general counsel of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) to the nation’s bishops on the USCCB’s Supreme Court brief on birthright citizenship (CWN article).
The brief did not assert that “that every democratic polity must adopt” a birthright citizenship policy, nor did it “urge the Court to decide the case on the basis of Catholic doctrine,” wrote Quinn, according to The Pillar. The brief, he added, intended to “show the harmony between our constitutional tradition and a moral vision of civic belonging.”
In a departure from custom, the USCCB’s general counsel did not sign the brief in the case; instead, the brief was prepared by three attorneys from the multinational law firm WilmerHale.