Another federal judge has blocked President Trump's attempt to end birthright citizenship. Trump's executive order conflicts with "the plain language" of the Constitution, a federal judge in Maryland said Wednesday. US District Judge Deborah L. Boardman issued a preliminary injunction blocking Trump's order nationwide indefinitely, meaning it is unlikely to take effect as planned on Feb. 19, the Washington Post reports. Three days after Trump took office last month, a federal judge in Seattle issued a temporary restraining order in response to a lawsuit from four of the 22 states that challenged the order. That restraining order was due to expire on Thursday.
Boardman, a Biden appointee, issued the ruling in response to a lawsuit from immigration advocacy groups on behalf of five pregnant women who are not US citizens, the Baltimore Sun reports. She rejected the Trump administration's argument that people on temporary visas and people in the country illegally are not covered by the 14th Amendment because they are "not subject to the jurisdiction" of the US. "No court in the country has ever endorsed the president's interpretation," she said. "This court will not be the first."
"Citizenship is a most precious right, expressly granted by the 14th Amendment to the Constitution," Boardman said, per the AP. Citizenship, she said, is a "national concern that demands a uniform policy" and "only a nationwide injunction will provide complete relief to the plaintiffs." Unless the Trump administration wins an appeal, the president's order is now on hold until the merits of the case are resolved. Boardman said the plaintiffs would "very likely" succeed. Hearings in similar cases against the order are expected later this week. (More birthright citizenship stories.)
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