U.S. judge temporarily blocks Trump’s birthright citizenship order

U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour issued a ruling on Thursday temporarily blocking President Trump’s executive order that aimed to end birthright citizenship for children born to migrants in the U.S. temporarily or without legal status. Coughenour issued the temporary restraining order after a hearing in Seattle.

The judge signed the temporary restraining order in response to a lawsuit brought by Oregon, Arizona, Illinois and Washington state, one of several suits opposing the administration’s effort to curb the right of citizenship for anyone born on U.S. soil. In a standing-room-only courtroom in downtown Seattle, Coughenour interrupted the attorney for the Justice Department, Brett Schumate, to tell him how unconstitutional he thinks the administration’s order is.

The judge’s order blocks federal agencies from implementing the executive order, signed by Trump on Monday, while the case is under review.

Outside the court, Washington state attorney general Nick Brown applauded the judge’s skepticism. “This is step one,” Brown said. “But to hear the judge from the bench say that in his 40 years as a judge, he has never seen something so blatantly unconstitutional sets the tone for the seriousness of this effort.”

Brown is among 22 Democratic state AGs who sued to block the executive order. In a statement after the ruling, Brown said the “unconstitutional and un-American executive order will hopefully never take effect.”

The 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution grants full citizenship to all persons “born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof.” That provision has been interpreted for decades to grant American citizenship to everyone born in the U.S. Some conservatives believe babies born to migrant families without legal status in the U.S. should be excluded.

In his executive order, Trump said the “privilege of United States citizenship is a priceless and profound gift.” This case is expected to be decided by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Law enforcement correspondent Martin Kaste contributed to this story.

 

A 2nd U.S. judge says Trump administration must pause its federal spending freeze

The decision came in response to a petition by attorneys general in 22 states and Washington, D.C., seeking to block the administration's efforts to freeze payments for grants and other programs.

Plane with 6 aboard crashes in Philadelphia, setting homes ablaze

A medical transport jet crashed in Philadelphia on Friday about 30 seconds after taking off, unleashing a fireball into the night sky and rattling residents after the second U.S. air disaster in as many days.

Map: A look at helicopter traffic patterns over D.C.

The airspace above Reagan National Airport, where a commercial plane collided with an Army helicopter this week, has become increasingly congested with air traffic, including helicopters.

Oscar-nominated actress Karla Sofía Gascón apologizes for old social media posts

The first openly trans actress to be nominated for an Oscar is facing backlash for old social media posts that denigrate certain marginalized groups. She apologized for the posts through a statement.

Federal websites down as agencies implement executive order ‘defending women’

After the president signed an executive order "defending women against gender ideology extremism," several federal government websites on gender and sexual health disappeared.

5 things to know about the fighting in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Rwandan-backed M23 rebels say they are now in control of the key eastern Congolese city of Goma. Their fighters continue to claim more territory in one of the world's most mineral-rich territories.

More Front Page Coverage