A U.S. appeals court upheld a lower-court ruling to block U.S. President Donald Trump’s executive order to limit automatic birthright citizenship as part of his immigration crackdown.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the Trump administration’s request to pause the lower court’s ruling. This marks the first time an appellate court has reviewed Trump’s executive order, which sought to prevent children born in the U.S. to non-citizen or non-permanent resident parents from obtaining U.S. citizenship.
Critics argue the order violates the 14th Amendment’s citizenship clause, citing an 1898 Supreme Court ruling that affirmed birthright citizenship. Multiple judges, including U.S. District Judge John Coughenour, have blocked the order, calling it unconstitutional. The case may ultimately be decided by the U.S. Supreme Court.
