A federal judge on Thursday temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s executive order ending birthright citizenship for children of illegal immigrants, calling it "blatantly unconstitutional."
Judge John Coughenour issued a temporary restraining order in response to a request from Washington attorney general Nick Brown and three other Democratic-led states, pausing the policy’s implementation for the next 14 days. "I have been on the bench for over four decades," the Seattle judge said. "I can’t remember another case where the question presented was as clear."
Trump signed the executive order on Inauguration Day following record-high illegal border crossings under the Biden administration. The order, titled "Protecting the Meaning and Value of American Citizenship," seeks to clarify the 14th Amendment, which states that "all persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside."
"I have difficulty understanding how a member of the bar can state unequivocally that this is an unconstitutional order," Coughenour said. "It boggles my mind. Where were the lawyers when this decision was being made?"
Democratic attorneys general from 22 states and 2 cities have filed lawsuits against Trump’s executive order, ABC News reported.
Harrison Fields, White House principal deputy press secretary, pushed back against the Democratic outcry, arguing that "radical Leftists can either choose to swim against the tide and reject the overwhelming will of the people, or they can get on board and work with President Trump to advance his wildly popular agenda."
"These lawsuits are nothing more than an extension of the Left’s resistance—and the Trump administration is ready to face them in court," Fields said.