Court Upholds Block on Trump’s Birthright Citizenship Order

A U.S. appeals court sustained a block on President Trump's order to limit birthright citizenship, as part of his immigration crackdown. The San Francisco 9th Circuit Court rejected the administration's emergency stay request. The case may proceed to the U.S. Supreme Court for a final decision.

A U.S. appeals court has upheld an order preventing the Trump administration's effort to limit automatic birthright citizenship as part of a crackdown on immigration and border security. The San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals denied a request from the Trump administration to pause a lower court's ruling.

The appellate court's decision marks the first time it has intervened regarding President Trump's executive order on birthright citizenship. The Trump administration's Justice Department sought an emergency stay, claiming that Judge John Coughenour of the Seattle U.S. District had overreached with a nationwide injunction at the request of four Democratic-led states.

The order remains blocked by courts in Maryland, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire, with ongoing appeals from the Justice Department. Legal challenges argue the order violates the 14th Amendment's citizenship clause, affirmed by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1898, granting citizenship to those born in the U.S. irrespective of their parents' status.