Supporters and students gathered outside the Supreme Court as a high-profile citizenship dispute drew national attention, with some referring to it under the term supreme court birthright citizenship, and many hoping to witness arguments in person.
Rose Griffis said she had been waiting outside the Supreme Court since about 1:30 a.m. to "witness history in the making," and described precedence already set in other courts.
Griffis told reporters she had been awake since 9 a.m. the previous day except for a roughly 45-minute nap on the sidewalk, saying the cold was bearable because "great people are all around us" and she felt "straight adrenaline."
She also commented that it was unusual to see "the president of the United States shows up to give his two cents," reflecting the heightened attention the hearing has drawn.
Attendance And Reactions
A high school student, Jiashuo Wang, flew from the Bay Area during his spring break to try to attend the arguments with a friend, and the two slept on the ground outside the court the night before.
Wang said he managed only an hour of sleep, but called the effort worthwhile, stating "I really like constitutional laws" and describing the proceeding as "really a landmark case for the whole United States in the past hundred years."
Observers outside the court emphasized the mix of fatigue and excitement among the crowd, with attendees trading short rests for chances to hear arguments and to be present for what they saw as an important legal moment.
The scene, captured by photographer Megan Lebowitz for NBC News, showed people prepared to wait for extended hours to gain entry and watch the proceedings unfold.
