Ava DuVernay announced on Thursday that she has made a documentary for Netflix titled 14th, focusing on the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The amendment, which granted citizenship and equal protection to formerly enslaved people after the Civil War, has been a legal target of former President Donald Trump. Netflix confirmed that the documentary will be released later this year.
Return to Nonfiction for DuVernay
The film marks DuVernay's return to nonfiction filmmaking, following her acclaimed 2016 documentary 13th, which examined the legacy of the 13th Amendment abolishing slavery. DuVernay is also known for directing Selma and Origin. 14th will feature interviews with politicians, historians, and cultural voices, exploring how the amendment has become what DuVernay calls 'a permanent argument'.
Trump's Executive Order and Supreme Court Ruling
The 14th Amendment has been a prominent target of Trump's. On the first day of his second term, he signed an executive order that would have heavily restricted birthright citizenship as protected by the amendment. In June, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Trump's order by a 6-3 vote. Chief Justice John Roberts, writing for the majority, upheld the amendment's protections, stating: 'Citizenship, then and now, was the right to have rights – to freely participate in our political community. The Framers of the Fourteenth Amendment extended that promise to every free-born person in this land. We keep that promise today.'
What the 14th Amendment Says
Ratified in 1868 during Reconstruction, the 14th Amendment states: 'All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.' This clause nullified the 1857 Supreme Court decision in Dred Scott v. Sandford, which had held that descendants of enslaved people could not be U.S. citizens.
DuVernay's Statement on the Film
In a statement, DuVernay explained the film's purpose: 'If 13th asked who gets caged, then 14th asks who gets counted. This is not a film about the past tense of freedom. I'm not interested in asking you to look back. The film asks what kind of country is being written beneath our feet now … while we're busy believing the stories we've all been told.'
Trump's Response to the Ruling
Trump has vowed to continue contesting the Supreme Court's ruling. Following the decision, he wrote on Truth Social: 'This miscarriage of justice will destroy America if they don't change their absolutely insane decision.' The documentary 14th will delve into the ongoing debate over birthright citizenship and the amendment's enduring significance.
