Thu Jan 23 18:52:27 UTC 2025: ## Federal Judge Blocks Trump’s Executive Order on Birthright Citizenship
**Seattle, WA** – A federal judge in Seattle has issued a temporary restraining order blocking President Trump’s executive order that would curtail birthright citizenship in the United States. U.S. District Judge John Coughenour deemed the order “blatantly unconstitutional” in a hearing on Thursday.
The order, signed on Monday, would deny citizenship to children born in the U.S. to parents who are not citizens or legal permanent residents. Four Democratic-led states – Washington, Arizona, Illinois, and Oregon – filed suit, arguing the order violates the 14th Amendment’s citizenship clause. This clause, ratified in 1868, grants citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the United States.
The states claim the order would affect over 150,000 newborns annually. They further argue that the Supreme Court’s interpretation of the 14th Amendment, solidified in 1898, clearly establishes birthright citizenship for children born in the U.S., regardless of their parents’ immigration status.
The Justice Department, defending the order, countered that the 14th Amendment has not been universally interpreted to grant citizenship to all those born in the country and argued that the states lacked standing to sue. They also asserted the order is crucial to addressing the nation’s immigration challenges.
The temporary restraining order prevents the administration from enforcing the key element of the order until further legal proceedings. This case is moving faster than four other lawsuits filed against the executive order by civil rights groups and other state attorneys general. The judge may issue a final ruling soon or could postpone a decision until after the order’s intended implementation date. Separately, 36 Republican representatives have introduced legislation to restrict automatic birthright citizenship.
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