SEATTLE (Diya TV) — A Seattle federal judge has issued an indefinite injunction against President Donald Trump’s executive order to end birthright citizenship, the second such ruling in two days. U.S. District Judge John Coughenour converted a temporary restraining order into a nationwide injunction, terming the executive action “blatantly unconstitutional.”
The executive order, signed by Trump on January 20, 2025, would have denied U.S. citizenship to children born in the country after February 19 if neither parent is a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident. The move was one of a series of tough immigration policies unveiled at the beginning of his administration.
The challenge to the order was filed by the Democratic-led states of Washington, Arizona, Illinois, and Oregon, along with several pregnant women. They argued that the order violates the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which guarantees the citizenship of anyone born on U.S. soil.
In his decision, Judge Coughenour rebuked the administration for trying to evade constitutional protections through executive action. “There are moments in the world’s history where people look back and ask, ‘Where were the lawyers, where were the judges?'” Coughenour said. “In these moments, the rule of law becomes especially vulnerable. I refuse to let that beacon go dark today.”
The Department of Justice had contended that the plaintiffs misread the 14th Amendment and relevant Supreme Court precedents. But Coughenour stuck with the plaintiffs’ reading, contending that “no amount of policy debate can change that.”
This ruling is a follow-up to an identical injunction also made by a Maryland federal judge on February 5. Additional hearings are to be held in Boston and New Hampshire to address connected challenges.
A federal judge in Seattle on Feb.6 accused Donald Trump of ignoring the rule of law for political and personal gain as he declared an executive order that the Republican president signed seeking to curtail birthright citizenship to be unconstitutional.
The Trump administration has filed a notice of appeal of Coughenour’s decision. The White House has issued no additional comments on the issue.
