Appeals Courts Block Trump Birthright Citizenship Order

President Trump's executive order, issued on his first day back in office, sought to end birthright citizenship for children born in the U.S. to undocumented or temporary immigrant parents. The Ninth Circuit Court has ruled the order unconstitutional, and the First Circuit Court of Appeals has expressed strong skepticism, both citing the Fourteenth Amendment and the Supreme Court's 1898 Wong Kim Ark decision. Judges emphasized their duty to follow Supreme Court precedent and have reaffirmed lower court injunctions blocking the order, even after a recent Supreme Court decision limited nationwide injunctions. The Trump administration contends the Fourteenth Amendment was intended only for the children of formerly enslaved people, a position courts have rejected. The issue is likely to be ultimately decided by the Supreme Court. These rulings represent a significant judicial check on attempts to reinterpret birthright citizenship.