TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Stacey Shrader Joslin on Jan 23, 2025

An executive order issued by President Donald Trump on Monday to limit who benefits from the U.S. Constitution’s “birthright citizenship” provision was blocked today by a federal judge, Reuters reports. The order made it official government policy that children born to mothers not legally in the country or here temporarily, and whose fathers are not citizens or lawful permanent residents at the time of the birth, would not automatically become citizens of the country. The order quickly was challenged by state attorneys general from Washington, Arizona, Illinois and Oregon. U.S. District Judge John Coughenour in Seattle called the effort "blatantly unconstitutional" and issued a temporary restraining order preventing enforcement. Other challenges also are pending. Suits from the Boston-based Lawyers for Civil Rights and a coalition of 18 attorneys general are pending in Massachusetts, while the ACLU has filed a challenge in New Hampshire. Bloomberg Law reports on those.