President Trump remains barred from ending birthright citizenship in the U.S. following a federal appeals court decision on Wednesday (20) night.
The executive order from Trump to end birthright citizenship is facing multiple lawsuits, including from Democratic attorneys general and civil rights groups who argue that it violates the Constitution. The case is likely to end up in the U.S. Supreme Court.
The decision by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to deny an emergency request from the Department of Justice to block a lower court judge’s order from Seattle from taking effect marks the first time an appeals court has ruled on the matter.
Lower courts in Maryland, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire have also issued decisions blocking the order.
Trump’s goal is to deny citizenship to future children born in the United States if their mothers are illegally present in the country and their parents are not citizens or permanent residents.
But legal experts say Trump’s order conflicts with the Fourteenth Amendment, which extends American citizenship to anyone born on U.S. soil.
The Department of Justice asked the 9th Circuit to grant an emergency stay of a lower court decision blocking Trump’s order from taking effect.
In denying the request, the panel concluded that the Department of Justice did not present strong arguments that it is likely to succeed on the merits of the appeal.
The case will be heard again in June. The Trump administration has not yet commented on the appeals court’s decision.
Sources: Axios and NBC News