President Trump signed executive actions and orders in the Oval Office of the White House on Monday, hours after taking office for his second term as the 47th president of the United States. Anna Money Tree/Getty Images hide title
U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour ruled Thursday to temporarily block President Trump's executive order that would temporarily end the immigration system for children of immigrants in the U.S. or those who do not have legal status. Birthright citizenship. Caughnour issued the temporary restraining order after a hearing in Seattle.
The judge signed the temporary restraining order in response to a lawsuit filed by Oregon, Arizona, Illinois and Washington state, one of several opposing the government's restrictions on citizenship rights for anyone born on U.S. soil. In a standing-room-only courtroom in downtown Seattle, Caughnour interrupted Justice Department attorney Brett Schumate to tell him how unconstitutional he believed the administration's order was.
The judge's order prevents federal agencies from enforcing an executive order signed by Trump on Monday while the case is under review.
Outside court, Washington State Attorney General Nick Brown applauded the judge's skepticism. "This is the first step," Brown said. "But hearing the judge say that in his 40 years on the bench he had never seen anything so blatantly unconstitutional set the tone for the seriousness of this effort."
Brown is one of 22 Democratic state governors who have filed suit to block the executive order. "The unconstitutional and un-American executive order will hopefully never go into effect," Brown said in a statement after the ruling.
No. 14th The amendment to the U.S. Constitution grants full citizenship to all persons "born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof." For decades, this provision has been interpreted to grant U.S. citizenship to anyone born in the United States. Some conservatives believe babies born to immigrant families without legal status in the United States should be excluded.
"The privilege of American citizenship is a priceless and profound gift," Trump said in the executive order. The case is expected to be decided by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Law enforcement reporter Martin Castor contributed to this report.