An appeals court upheld a ruling blocking President Donald Trump’s executive order to curtail automatic birthright citizenship nationwide. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the Trump administration’s request to put the injunction on hold. This was the first appellate court decision on this issue, which may eventually reach the U.S. Supreme Court. The order, signed by Trump in January, directed agencies to not recognize children born to non-citizen parents as U.S. citizens. The ruling in Seattle declared this policy unconstitutional, prompting the administration to appeal. The judges on the panel did not grant the stay and set arguments for June. Critics argue that the order violates the 14th Amendment’s citizenship clause and cite a Supreme Court ruling from 1898. The initial ruling blocking the order was in response to lawsuits filed by several Democratic-led states and pregnant women. The judge in the case called Trump’s order “blatantly unconstitutional.” If implemented, it would affect over 150,000 children born in the U.S. annually. The Trump administration’s attempt to deny birthright citizenship was seen as an overreach and a threat to fundamental rights by the judiciary.
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