President Donald Trump faced a significant legal setback just days into his presidency as a federal judge in Seattle temporarily blocked his executive order revoking birthright citizenship, a right guaranteed under the Fourteenth Amendment to all children born in the United States, regardless of their parent’s immigration status.
The executive order sought to deny federal documents, such as passports, to children without at least one citizen or lawful permanent resident parent. However, Senior District Judge John Coughenour, a Ronald Reagan appointee, issued a nationwide temporary restraining order, calling the directive “blatantly unconstitutional” and accusing Trump’s legal team of acting in bad faith.
Social media erupted with reactions to the decision, with many celebrating the ruling as a victory for constitutional protections. “Another loss for those who don’t understand the Constitution!” tweeted podcaster Brian Krassenstein. “The first blow against the unconstitutional birthright citizenship order!” added immigration rights attorney Aaron Reichlin-Melnick.
Washington State Attorney General Nick Brown, who led the charge against the order, also shared his thoughts. “Today a judge granted our temporary restraining order nationwide, saying he had not seen an order this blatantly unconstitutional in 40 years on the bench. We’ll continue fighting for Washingtonians’ freedoms,” Brown wrote.
Legal experts weighed in as well, emphasizing the solid constitutional basis for birthright citizenship. Maryville College historian Aaron Astor stated, “No surprise. And no, Appeals Courts and SCOTUS aren’t going to overrule. You may not like birthright citizenship for children of illegal aliens. But there is no originalist case for saying that illegals are not subject to U.S. jurisdiction.”
Andrew Prokop of Vox humorously summarized the ruling, comparing it to a pop culture reference: “Reagan judge who put on a hold on Trump’s birthright citizenship order basically did ‘I award you no points, may God have mercy on your soul.’”
Matt Stoller of the American Economic Liberties Project echoed the sentiment. “Yeah, this is right. The birthright citizenship EO is obviously unconstitutional, and the judge is right to question the good faith of the lawyers making the case.”
This ruling marks the first major legal obstacle for Trump’s administration, signaling ongoing challenges as he attempts to push controversial policies that test the boundaries of constitutional law.