Federal Judge Blocks Trump’s Attempt to End Birthright Citizenship

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In a significant legal setback for the US President Donald Trump, a federal judge has blocked his attempt to restrict birthright citizenship in the United States. The ruling indefinitely halts one of Trump’s most controversial executive orders, which was set to take effect nationwide on February 19.

During a court hearing in Maryland, District Judge Deborah Boardman firmly rejected Trump’s executive order, emphasizing that denying citizenship to those born on U.S. soil would cause “irreparable harm.”

She cited longstanding Supreme Court precedent that upholds birthright citizenship and ruled that the order “conflicts with the plain language of the 14th Amendment.”

“No court in the country has ever endorsed the president’s interpretation,” Judge Boardman stated, as reported by The Washington Post. “This court will not be the first.”

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Her decision follows a similar ruling from U.S. District Judge John Coughenour in Washington state, who issued a 14-day stay on the order’s enforcement last month. He condemned the directive as “blatantly unconstitutional.” Despite these rulings, Trump has vowed to appeal.

Birthright citizenship has been a fundamental part of U.S. law for over a century. Enshrined in the 14th Amendment, it guarantees that anyone born on American soil is automatically granted citizenship.

Trump’s executive order attempted to reinterpret the amendment, arguing that individuals in the U.S. illegally or on temporary visas were not “subject to the jurisdiction” of the country and, therefore, not eligible for citizenship.

Opponents of Trump’s order have pointed to United States v. Wong Kim Ark, an 1898 Supreme Court case that affirmed the constitutional right to birthright citizenship.

The case involved a Chinese-American man who was denied reentry to the U.S. despite being born in the country. The court ruled in his favor, cementing the principle that children born in the U.S.—regardless of their parents’ immigration status—are citizens.


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