Ava DuVernay’s New Documentary on the 14th Amendment for Netflix

Ava DuVernay has created a documentary for Netflix focusing on the 14th Amendment. This amendment granted freedom and rights to formerly enslaved individuals following the Civil War. The film, titled “14th,” will be released by Netflix later this year.

DuVernay, known for films like “Selma” and “13th,” returns to nonfiction with this new project. Her previous work, “13th,” explored the impact of the 13th Amendment and the abolition of slavery. This new film will examine the 14th Amendment, a topic recently challenged by former President Donald Trump.

“If ’13th’ asked who gets caged, then ’14th’ asks who gets counted,” said DuVernay.

The 14th Amendment, ratified in 1868, 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.” It overturned the Dred Scott v. Sandford decision, ensuring those descended from slaves could be citizens.

Trump had attempted to limit birthright citizenship, protected by the amendment, through an executive order on the first day of his second term. However, in June, the Supreme Court invalidated his order with a 6-3 vote.

Chief Justice John Roberts, in writing for the court, emphasized the importance of the amendment: Citizenship, then and now, was the right to have rights—to freely participate in our political community. He highlighted that the framers of the amendment extended its promise to all free-born individuals in the nation.

DuVernay’s film will involve politicians, historians, and cultural voices to explore the ongoing relevance and challenges to the 14th Amendment. Meanwhile, Trump has expressed his intention to fight the Supreme Court’s decision. He warned that such decisions threaten the country’s future, calling them a miscarriage of justice on Truth Social.