Judge blocks Trump's latest effort to narrow birthright citizenship

A federal judge temporarily blocked President Trump's latest executive order aimed at restricting birthright citizenship. Since his return to office, Trump has attempted to either eliminate or narrow the birthright citizenship provision. After the Supreme Court struck down his initial attempt in June, he signed a narrower order in July that denied citizenship to children of alien enemies, foreign government employees, and individuals involved in birth tourism.

U.S. District Judge Deborah Boardman halted the administration's enforcement of the new order, finding that the plaintiffs are likely to succeed in demonstrating that the order violates the 14th Amendment to the Constitution. The judge emphasized that the Supreme Court's earlier ruling is "the law of the land." The 2026 Executive Order, which seeks to limit the right to citizenship for specific individuals, is likely unconstitutional based on the Supreme Court's decision in the previous case.

The plaintiffs argue that the order attempts to expand historically accepted exceptions to birthright citizenship, which are narrow in scope. They also raise concerns about the potential for false allegations against parents to result in the denial of citizenship for their children.