President Donald Trump will sit in the courtroom while the Supreme Court hears oral arguments on birthright citizenship.
According to the National Park Service, the courtroom has a designated chair among the officers of the court in the event of a president or another dignitary visiting the court.
Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon shared the fun fact on X once the court commenced arguments Wednesday morning, but her post drew some backlash, with critics saying no such chair exists.
An X account for Northern Virginia Campaigns posted a photo showing the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places inventory form, which noted the existence of such a chair.
“Representatives of the press are seated in the red benches along the left side of the Courtroom. The red benches on the right are reserved for guests of the Justices,” the form reads. “The black chairs in front of those benches are for the officers of the Court, visiting dignitaries, and include a special chair for the President of the United States, although the President’s attendance is rare and limited to important ceremonial occasions.”
However, the Supreme Court’s website features similar text, but does not note the existence of a special chair for the president.
“Representatives of the press are seated in the red benches along the left side of the Courtroom,” the website reads. “The red benches on the right are reserved for guests of the Justices. The black chairs in front of those benches are for the officers of the Court and visiting dignitaries.”
Trump is the first sitting president to attend oral arguments at the Supreme Court, as it has historically been avoided to respect the separation of powers.
Trump said he planned to attend the arguments because he has “listened to this argument for so long.”
TRUMP SAYS HE’LL ATTEND SUPREME COURT HEARING ON BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP
The cases center on an executive order Trump issued on his first day back in the White House, stating that birthright citizenship under the 14th Amendment does not extend to children born in the United States to parents who are in the country illegally or temporarily, such as on a visa.
The order sparked lawsuits that have blocked the motion from taking effect and have now reached the highest court less than 15 months later.