A federal judge has issued a temporary injunction against President Donald Trump’s attempt to limit birthright citizenship in the United States.
The decision, handed down on Thursday, halts the enforcement of one of Trump’s most contentious executive orders, signed shortly after his second-term inauguration.
The ruling pauses the order for 14 days following lawsuits filed by 22 states, two cities, and multiple civil rights organizations.
Senior U.S. District Judge John Coughenour, presiding in Washington state, described the order as “blatantly unconstitutional.”
Appointed by Republican President Ronald Reagan, Coughenour stated, “In my over 40 years on the bench, I cannot recall a case where the legal question is as straightforward as this.”
Birthright citizenship is a principle enshrined in the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which declares that anyone born on American soil is automatically a citizen. The amendment reads in part, “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.”
Trump’s executive order argued that individuals in the U.S. illegally or on temporary visas are not “subject to the jurisdiction” of the country and, therefore, do not qualify for citizenship under the amendment.
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