A US District Court judge temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s executive order redefining birthright citizenship on Thursday, calling it “blatantly unconstitutional.”
Trump’s birthright citizenship executive order hangs in the balance
The order, which aimed to alter a century-old interpretation of the 14th Amendment, faced immediate legal challenges, including this lawsuit led by four states.
Judge John Coughenour, a Reagan appointee, issued the nationwide restraining order during the hearing in Seattle, Washington.
The states of Arizona, Illinois, Oregon, and Washington sought the temporary block, arguing that Trump’s order violates the 14th Amendment, which guarantees US citizenship to all individuals born on American soil, regardless of their parents’ immigration status.
The executive order, signed on Inauguration Day, was set to take effect on 19 February 2025, potentially affecting hundreds of thousands of US-born children.
In a fiery exchange, Judge Coughenour expressed scepticism toward the administration’s legal arguments.
“The order boggles the mind,” he remarked, repeatedly questioning how such an action could bypass constitutional protections.
The states’ lawsuit is part of a broader, multi-state challenge involving 22 states and immigrant rights groups.
These cases argue that the 14th Amendment’s language—ratified in 1868—has long been interpreted as guaranteeing birthright citizenship.
Plaintiffs include attorneys general who are themselves beneficiaries of birthright citizenship and mothers fearing their children’s citizenship might be jeopardized.
The Trump administration countered that the executive order applies only to children born after 19 February and argued that the states have not yet shown tangible harm warranting court intervention.
White House deputy press secretary Harrison Fields called the legal pushback “an extension of the Left’s resistance.”
If upheld, the order could alter the lives of more than 400,000 people annually, as data indicates thousands of births occur each year to parents who lack legal status.
The judge’s decision halts implementation of the order, but the legal battle is far from over.
Challenges in higher courts, including the US Supreme Court, are likely, leaving the status of Trump’s order uncertain.