9th Circuit Court Denies Trump’s Emergency Request to Block Birthright Citizenship Ruling
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has denied an emergency request from former President Donald Trump to lift a ruling that temporarily blocked his controversial executive order aimed at ending birthright citizenship for children of undocumented immigrants or those in the U.S. on temporary visas.
Trump’s administration had issued a series of executive orders on his first day in office, including one targeting birthright citizenship, which is guaranteed by the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The amendment states that anyone born on U.S. soil is automatically granted citizenship, a provision Trump sought to change through his order.
On January 23, U.S. District Judge John Coughenour temporarily blocked Trump’s executive order, with another federal judge, Deborah Boardman, solidifying that decision on February 5. The Trump administration quickly took the matter to the appeal court.
In its February 20 ruling, the 9th Circuit rejected the request, stating that birthright citizenship is a fundamental right enshrined by the Constitution and that it is beyond the president’s authority to alter or deny it. The court emphasized that the administration had not shown any substantial legal grounds to justify the emergency request, with Trump-appointed judge Danielle Forrest stating, “We should not undertake this task unless the circumstances dictate that we must. They do not here.”
The lawsuit challenging the president’s executive order was filed by the Democratic attorneys general of four states, led by Washington.
Following this decision, the Trump administration now has the option to take the case to the U.S. Supreme Court for further review.
