This marks the first major legal challenge to Trump’s revived efforts to reshape American citizenship laws.
US Federal Judge Halts Donald Trump’s Executive Order on Birthright Citizenship Latest News: A federal judge has temporarily blocked former President Donald Trump’s controversial executive order seeking to end birthright citizenship in the United States. U.S. District Judge John Coughenour issued a temporary restraining order on Thursday, preventing enforcement of the policy for 14 days as the court reviews its constitutionality.
The order, signed by Trump on his first day back in office, aimed to deny U.S. citizenship to children born on American soil if neither parent is a citizen or permanent legal resident. This marks the first major legal challenge to Trump’s revived efforts to reshape American citizenship laws.
Judge Calls Policy ‘Blatantly Unconstitutional’
Judge Coughenour, a Reagan appointee, criticized the order as “blatantly unconstitutional,” citing its conflict with the 14th Amendment’s citizenship clause. During the hearing, he expressed disbelief at the Justice Department’s defense of the policy.
“I cannot fathom how any legal professional could argue that this order is constitutional,” said Coughenour.
The lawsuit, brought by Washington, Arizona, Illinois, and Oregon, argues that the policy violates the 14th Amendment, which guarantees citizenship to anyone born on U.S. soil, regardless of their parents’ immigration status.
The Legal Debate Over the 14th Amendment
The case hinges on the 14th Amendment, ratified in 1868 to address the citizenship rights of formerly enslaved people. The amendment has long been interpreted to grant citizenship to all individuals born in the U.S., a precedent solidified in the landmark 1898 Supreme Court case United States v. Wong Kim Ark.
Trump’s executive order challenges this interpretation, a move legal scholars say will face steep judicial scrutiny.
Washington Assistant Attorney General Lane Polozola highlighted the potential consequences of the order, warning that it would strip citizenship from an estimated 150,000 newborns annually. “Babies born today would lack Social Security numbers, legal employment rights, and access to government benefits,” Polozola argued.
Trump’s Renewed Push Against Birthright Citizenship
Ending birthright citizenship has been a central theme of Trump’s immigration agenda since 2016. While his first administration floated similar proposals, none reached the stage of formal implementation. The new executive order represents Trump’s most aggressive attempt yet to redefine the parameters of American citizenship.
The Trump administration claims the policy is necessary to deter illegal immigration and alleviate strain on public resources. Brett Shumate, the Justice Department attorney, called the judge’s ruling “wildly inappropriate” and argued that the order was a critical step in reforming the nation’s immigration system.
Legal experts predict the case will likely ascend to the Supreme Court, where it could set a historic precedent on citizenship rights in the U.S.
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