Judge Blocks Trump’s Order Ending U.S. Birthright Citizenship

A federal judge has indefinitely blocked former President Donald Trump’s executive order that sought to end birthright citizenship for children born to undocumented and temporary immigrants in the United States.

Judge Deborah Boardman of the Federal District Court in Maryland issued a nationwide injunction, preventing the government from enforcing the order. The ruling came after five pregnant women without lawful immigration status and two immigrant advocacy nonprofits sued the administration shortly after Trump signed the order upon his return to the White House.

In her decision, Judge Boardman stated that the executive order violated the clear language of the 14th Amendment, which guarantees automatic citizenship to anyone born on U.S. soil, regardless of their parents’ immigration status. She emphasized that the order contradicted 125 years of Supreme Court precedent and the country’s long-standing history of citizenship by birth.

“The United States Supreme Court has resoundingly rejected the president’s interpretation of the citizenship clause of the 14th Amendment. In fact, no court in the country has ever endorsed the president’s interpretation. This court will not be the first,” Boardman ruled.

The judge also justified the injunction by noting that one of the plaintiffs, represented by the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection at Georgetown University Law Center, has members in every state, including hundreds of pregnant women who could give birth in the coming weeks.

The decision marks another setback for Trump’s immigration policies. A federal judge in Seattle had previously granted a temporary 14-day restraining order on the executive order after four states—Washington, Arizona, Illinois, and Oregon—challenged its constitutionality. The latest ruling now ensures a permanent block on the policy, reinforcing legal protections for birthright citizenship in the U.S.