Court Ruling Halts Trump’s Executive Order on Birthright Citizenship &

Court Ruling Halts Trump’s Executive Order on Birthright Citizenship

Charlie Immigration updates 23 January 2025 | Updated On January 28, 2025 | 0

On January 23, 2025, US District Judge John C. Coughenour issued a temporary restraining order blocking President Trump‘s executive order aimed at ending birthright citizenship for children born to migrants in the US. without legal status or staying temporarily.

The ruling followed a hearing in a Seattle courtroom packed with observers.

The temporary restraining order came in response to a lawsuit filed by Oregon, Arizona, Illinois, and Washington State, one of several legal challenges opposing the administration’s attempt to limit citizenship rights for individuals born on US soil. Judge Coughenour described the order as a clear violation of the Constitution.

“I’ve been on the bench for four decades, and I can’t remember another case where the question presented is as clear as this one,” Coughenour said, characterizing the executive order as “blatantly unconstitutional.” He underscored the broader historical significance of judicial intervention, adding, “There are other times in world history where we look back and people of goodwill can say, ‘Where were the judges? Where were the lawyers?’”

The 14th Amendment of the US Constitution has traditionally been interpreted to guarantee automatic citizenship to anyone born on American soil, with the exception of children born to foreign diplomats. This amendment, created in response to the US Supreme Court’s 1857 Dred Scott decision which ruled that individuals of slave descent were not citizens—opens with the declaration:

“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.”

Coughenour’s order immediately halts the federal government’s implementation of Trump’s directive, which had been signed just days earlier. While the case is under review, federal agencies are barred from enforcing the policy.

President Trump responded to the ruling during a White House appearance, stating, “Obviously, we’ll appeal it.” Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Department of Justice expressed the administration’s commitment to defending the order, stating, “We look forward to presenting a full merits argument to the Court and to the American people, who are desperate to see our Nation’s laws enforced.”

Washington State Attorney General Nick Brown, one of the key challengers to the executive order, praised the judge’s strong stance. “This is step one,” Brown said. “But to hear the judge from the bench say that in his 40 years as a judge, he has never seen something so blatantly unconstitutional sets the tone for the seriousness of this effort.”

The court’s decision underscores a critical judicial check on executive action, setting the stage for a high-profile legal battle over the interpretation of birthright citizenship guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment.

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