A federal judge in Seattle temporarily blocks Trump’s executive order to end birthright citizenship to children of undocumented immigrants born in the US.
U.S. District Judge John Coughenour repeatedly interrupted a Justice Department lawyer during arguments to ask how he could consider the order constitutional. When the attorney, Brett Shumate, said he’d like a chance to explain it in a full briefing, Coughenour told him the hearing was his chance.
The temporary restraining order sought by Arizona, Illinois, Oregon and Washington was the first to get a hearing before a judge and applies nationally.
The case is one of five lawsuits being brought by 22 states and a number of immigrants rights groups across the country. The suits include personal testimonies from attorneys general who are U.S. citizens by birthright, and names pregnant women who are afraid their children won’t become U.S. citizens.
The judge presiding over the case, criticized Trump’s order as being blatantly unconstitutional and issued a two-week restraining order on the executive order to prevent it from going into effect next month.