A federal judge said Thursday that President Donald Trump's executive order to end the right to citizenship by birth was "blatantly unconstitutional" and that he was issuing a temporary injunction to block it.
Judge John Coughenour, a Ronald Reagan appointee who serves in Seattle, granted the request by Washington State Attorney General Nick Brown and three other Democratic-led states for an emergency injunction that halts the policy for the next 14 days while legal arguments continue.
“I’ve been on the court for over four decades. I can’t remember another case where the question presented was so clear,” Coughenour said. “Where were the lawyers” when the decision to sign the executive order was made, the judge asked. He said it “baffled” him that a member of the bar could claim the order was constitutional.
Democratic-led states are seeking a temporary restraining order, arguing that Trump's executive order is a clear violation of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, which guarantees citizenship to all children born on American soil and subject to its jurisdiction.
A Washington state attorney, Lane Polozola, told the judge that "births cannot be stopped" as the court considers the case.