On Wednesday, February 5, a federal judge blocked the enforcement of President Donald Trump’s executive order aimed at limiting birthright citizenship in the United States.
The ruling halts the order indefinitely, preventing it from taking effect nationwide on February 19 as initially planned.
In her decision, District Judge Deborah Boardman argued that denying birthright citizenship would result in irreparable harm and emphasized that Supreme Court precedent supports the right to citizenship for those born on U.S. soil. She pointed out that Trump’s order contradicted the clear language of the 14th Amendment, which guarantees citizenship to anyone born in the country.
“The denial of the precious right to citizenship will cause irreparable harm,” Boardman said. “No court in the country has ever endorsed the president’s interpretation. This court will not be the first.”
This ruling follows a similar decision by a federal judge in Washington state, who placed a 14-day hold on the order in January. Judge John Coughenour called the measure “blatantly unconstitutional,” prompting Trump to announce his intent to appeal.
The legal battle revolves around the 14th Amendment, ratified in 1868, which grants citizenship to anyone born in the United States. Trump’s executive order claimed that those in the country illegally or on temporary visas were not under U.S. jurisdiction and therefore not entitled to citizenship.
Opponents of the order have cited a 1898 Supreme Court ruling in the case of Wong Kim Ark, a Chinese-American man who was denied reentry to the U.S. on the grounds that he was not a citizen. The court ruled in his favor, affirming that birthright citizenship applies to children of immigrants.
