Federal Judge John C. Coughenour in Seattle temporarily blocked U.S. President Donald Trump’s executive order that ends the Constitution’s guarantee of birthright citizenship, calling it “manifestly unconstitutional” during the first hearing in a multi-state effort to challenge the order.
Coughenour repeatedly interrupted Justice Department lawyer Brett Shumate to ask how he could think the order was constitutional, the AP reported, Tanjug reported.
The temporary injunction, sought by Arizona, Illinois, Oregon and Washington, applies nationwide.
It is one of five lawsuits filed by 22 states and numerous immigrant rights groups across the country.
Trump’s executive order, which he signed on inauguration day, is set to take effect on Feb. 19.
It could affect hundreds of thousands of people born in the United States, one of the lawsuits says.
During 2022, about 255,000 children were born to mothers living in the country illegally and about 153,000 children to both parents living illegally, according to the four-state lawsuit filed in Seattle.
The Trump administration has argued in filings that the states have no basis to sue the order and that no harm has yet been done, so no interim relief is sought.
Administration lawyers also clarified that the executive order applies only to people born after February 19, when the order takes effect.
The US is among thirty countries that apply citizenship by birth, according to AP, reports Al Jazeera.
