An appeals court on Wednesday upheld an order blocking former President Donald Trump’s attempt to end birthright citizenship for children born in the U.S. to undocumented parents.
The Justice Department had filed an emergency request to lift the block on Trump’s executive order, which has been stalled in lower district courts since its issuance in January. The order sought to reinterpret the 14th Amendment, limiting automatic citizenship to only children of U.S. citizens and permanent residents.
A three-judge panel from the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals—including appointees from Trump, Jimmy Carter, and George W. Bush—rejected the request. Judge Danielle Forrest, a Trump appointee, stated the government failed to prove the need for immediate relief, criticizing the rushed timeline for deciding such significant constitutional matters.
“Deciding important substantive issues on one week’s notice turns our usual decision-making process on its head,” Forrest wrote.
Originally set to take effect on February 19, the executive order was first halted by a federal judge in January. This ruling adds to the growing list of legal setbacks for Trump’s policies, with over a dozen injunctions issued from roughly 40 lawsuits.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration has appealed to the Supreme Court in a separate case, seeking approval to dismiss the head of a whistleblower protection agency, signaling ongoing legal battles that could test the limits of presidential powers.
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