**A federal judge in Seattle temporarily halted President Donald Trump’s executive order restricting birthright citizenship, calling it unconstitutional. The order sought to deny citizenship to children born in the U.S. to non-citizen parents.**
A U.S. District Court judge in Seattle issued a temporary restraining order Thursday, blocking the enforcement of President Donald Trump’s executive order aimed at limiting automatic birthright citizenship in the United States. Judge John Coughenour described the order as “blatantly unconstitutional” during the court proceedings.
The executive order, signed by Trump on his first day in office, directed federal agencies to deny citizenship to children born in the U.S. if neither parent is a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident. The ruling came in response to a legal challenge by four Democratic-led states: Washington, Arizona, Illinois, and Oregon.
Judge Coughenour, appointed by former President Ronald Reagan, expressed disbelief at the government’s argument in defense of the order. “I am having trouble understanding how this order could be deemed constitutional,” he told Justice Department attorney Brett Shumate during the hearing.
The states argued that the executive order violated the Citizenship Clause of the 14th Amendment, which guarantees citizenship to anyone born in the U.S. “This is a blatantly unconstitutional order,” Coughenour said before granting the restraining order.
Under Trump’s directive, children born in the U.S. after February 19 whose parents are neither citizens nor lawful permanent residents would be denied citizenship. They would also be ineligible for Social Security numbers, government benefits, and lawful employment as they grew older. The Democratic-led states estimated that the order would deny citizenship to over 150,000 newborns annually if implemented.
“This order effectively denies babies born today the right to U.S. citizenship,” argued Washington Assistant Attorney General Lane Polozola during the proceedings.
The judge’s ruling temporarily blocks enforcement nationwide for 14 days while the court considers a preliminary injunction. Meanwhile, additional lawsuits challenging the order have been filed by civil rights groups and attorneys general from 22 states, describing the directive as a direct violation of the U.S. Constitution.
The 14th Amendment, adopted in 1868, guarantees citizenship to all individuals born on U.S. soil. It was enacted to overturn the 1857 Dred Scott decision, which denied constitutional protections to enslaved individuals. The Supreme Court cemented the interpretation of the Citizenship Clause 127 years ago, ruling that children born in the U.S. to non-citizen parents are entitled to citizenship.
The Trump administration defended the order as an “integral part” of addressing immigration issues and the ongoing border crisis. Justice Department attorney Shumate argued the measure was constitutional and said blocking it would be “wildly inappropriate.”
Separately, 36 Republican lawmakers in the U.S. House introduced legislation supporting restrictions on automatic citizenship to children born only to U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents.
