A federal judge has halted President Donald Trump’s attempt to end birthright citizenship across the United States.
Just over two weeks after returning to the Oval Office, Trump has wasted no time in pushing forward with his policies and signing them into action.
As the 47th President of the United States, he has already approved several executive orders, including reversing the TikTok ban, modifying immigration laws, and affirming that there are “only two genders.”
In recent days, tensions have also risen with the looming threat of a trade war and the establishment of the first-ever U.S. wealth fund.
Among Trump’s executive actions was an order to terminate birthright citizenship, but a federal judge in Maryland has now issued a nationwide preliminary injunction blocking it.
On Wednesday, February 5, District Judge Deborah Boardman listened to arguments from five women seeking to block Trump’s executive order—and ultimately ruled in their favor.
“The denial of the precious right to citizenship will cause irreparable harm,” Judge Boardman stated as she issued her order.
“It has been said the right to U.S. citizenship is a right no less precious than life or liberty. If the court does not enjoin enforcement of the executive order, children subject to the order will be denied the rights and benefits of U.S. citizenship, and their parents will face instability.”
Emphasizing the significance of the case, the judge added: “A nationwide injunction is appropriate and necessary because it concerns citizenship.”
In her ruling, delivered on Wednesday, February 5, Judge Boardman determined that Trump’s executive order “conflicts with the plain language of the 14th Amendment.”
“The U.S. Supreme Court has resoundingly rejected the president’s interpretation of the citizenship clause,” she stated.
“In fact, no court has endorsed the president’s interpretation, and this court will not be the first.”
Meanwhile, the plaintiffs’ attorney Joseph Mead remarked: “The executive order’s departure from settled law is so abrupt … it is such a departure from what we’ve been doing for over a century. Being a citizen is the foundation for so many rights.”
At the same time, the Department of Justice defended the executive order, arguing that it should proceed into law.
“Text, history, and precedent support what common sense compels: the Constitution does not harbor a windfall clause granting American citizenship to, inter alia: the children of those who have circumvented (or outright defied) federal immigration laws,” they stated, according to ABC News.
Prior to today’s ruling, Trump’s executive order had already been temporarily blocked by US District Judge John Coughenour in Seattle.
