NATIONAL NEWS – Federal Judge blocks Trump order ending birthright citizenship, calls it “Almost Certainly Unconstitutional”

Ananya Roy, News Writer

A federal judge in Maryland has issued a nationwide halt to President Donald Trump’s executive order that would have ended birthright citizenship for children born in the U.S. to undocumented parents. U.S. District Judge Deborah Boardman ruled late Thursday that the order, which sought to deny citizenship to babies born after February unless one parent was a citizen or legal resident, violates the plain language of the 14th Amendment.

Boardman certified a nationwide class of affected children, but not parents, in a class-action suit brought by eight undocumented mothers and the immigrant advocacy group CASA. She emphasized that “all persons” born on U.S. soil are citizens under the Constitution and said there was little harm to the government in temporarily preserving a century-old practice.

The Maryland case is one of several challenges filed after Trump issued the “Protecting the Meaning and Value of American Citizenship” order on Jan. 20, his first day back in office. The policy was quickly blocked by multiple judges, but the Supreme Court later limited nationwide injunctions to class-action cases with a legitimate national scope.

Boardman’s injunction comes just weeks after a New Hampshire judge issued a similar ruling. Immigrant advocates welcomed the decision, calling the order a political tactic designed to instill fear. CASA legal director Ama Frimpong said the 14th Amendment “is not up for debate” and predicted the administration would appeal.

If upheld, the ruling could effectively settle one of the most contentious immigration battles in U.S. constitutional law.