Trump birthright citizenship order temporarily blocked by US judge

A federal judge has temporarily blocked President Donald Trump from restricting who is eligible for automatic US citizenship at birth, in an early legal setback for the new administration’s hard-line immigration agenda.

US District Judge John Coughenour in Seattle called Trump’s executive order “blatantly unconstitutional” and questioned the quality of lawyering within the administration.

The order, which Trump signed on his first day in office, denies automatic citizenship to US-born children of immigrants who entered the country illegally or have a temporary legal status.

Temporary injunction

Coughenour’s order will stop the administration from taking any steps to carry out the order for 14 days and will apply nationwide.

The judge, who was appointed under former President Ronald Reagan more than 40 years ago, will next consider whether to sign a longer-term injunction.

The judge announced his decision from the bench on Thursday immediately after hearing arguments.

Lawsuits

The administration is facing at least six lawsuits over the order. Federal judges in Maryland and New Hampshire have hearings scheduled in the coming weeks to consider whether to also block the order from taking effect.

A White House spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.