A US appeals court on Wednesday confirmed that President Donald Trump’s executive order limiting birthright citizenship violates the Constitution and sustained a district court’s nationwide injunction blocking the order’s enforcement. The issue has been heavily litigated, with the latest ruling confirming the order unlawfully denies automatic citizenship to children born in the US to parents in the country illegally or on temporary visas.
According to Judge Ronald Gould, restricting the injunction to only certain states would render it ineffective due to the mobility of affected individuals across state lines. “We conclude that the district court did not abuse its discretion in issuing a universal injunction in order to give the States complete relief,” Gould wrote.
The court also affirmed that Trump’s reinterpretation conflicts directly with the 14th Amendment’s guarantee of citizenship by birth. “The district court correctly concluded that the Executive Order’s proposed interpretation, denying citizenship to many persons born in the United States, is unconstitutional. We fully agree,” the ruling states. This executive directive, a drastic departure from longstanding constitutional interpretation, remains halted amid ongoing legal challenges. The Supreme Court previously avoided deciding the core constitutional question but criticized lower courts’ use of nationwide injunctions in related cases, a nuance that Trump hailed as a “giant win.”
Earlier this month, a federal judge recognized potential class-action status for all children who might be denied citizenship under the order, issuing a preliminary injunction while litigation proceeds. The legal battle continues to unfold against the broader backdrop of US immigration policy disputes. Okay.ng reports that this case underscores the continuing tension between executive authority and constitutional protections involving citizenship rights.
