Israel or Jerusalem? Supreme Court decides passport case

(The Christian Science Monitor) Congress usurped the exclusive authority of the president when it passed a law requiring U.S. officials to record Israel as the place of birth of Americans born in Jerusalem, the United States Supreme Court ruled on Monday.

In a 6-to-3 decision, the high court struck down as unconstitutional a law that sought to undercut a long-standing U.S. policy of neutrality over the disputed sovereignty of Jerusalem.

The decision marks a defeat for an American couple who have fought for 12 years to have “Israel” listed as the place of birth on their son’s U.S. passport rather than simply “Jerusalem.”