Judge Blocks Trump's Birthright Citizenship Order, Calls It 'Blatantly Unconstitutional'

Jan 24, 2025, 10:02 AM

Less than three days after it was signed, President Donald Trump's executive order seeking to end birthright citizenship has run into its first legal roadblock. Twenty-two Democratic-led states and civil rights groups have filed lawsuits to block the executive order, which aims to deny U.S. citizenship to children born in the country to parents without legal immigration status. On Thursday, U.S. District Judge John Coughenour, a Reagan appointee, temporarily blocked the executive order for 14 days, calling it "blatantly unconstitutional." The legal challenge took place in a Seattle federal courtroom. President Trump responded to the ruling by saying, "Obviously we'll appeal it."