Seattle District Judge John Coughenour said that the presidential decree was”blatantly unconstitutional”
A federal judge in Seattle has issued a two-week suspension of President Donald Trump’s executive order to restrict birthright citizenship. The move was “blatantly unconstitutional,” Judge John Coughenour said.
The order, signed by Trump immediately after taking office on January 20, sought to deny citizenship to children born in the United States if neither parent is an American citizen or lawful permanent resident.
The decree was met with widespread backlash from Democrats and human rights campaigners. More than 20 Democratic-led states along with the District of Columbia and the city of San Francisco filed lawsuits in Boston and Seattle, arguing that Trump had violated the US Constitution. Immigrant and civil rights groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), have filed a lawsuit in New Hampshire.
The restraining order sought by Arizona, Illinois, Oregon and Washington was the first such lawsuit to get a hearing before a judge. The ruling applies nationwide, however.
According to AP, the judge had repeatedly interrupted Justice Department attorney Brett Shumate during the hearing and questioned the legality of Trump’s order.
“This is a blatantly unconstitutional order,” Coughenour said, adding that he could not remember another case in his decades-long career where the constitution was so blatantly violated.
The Justice Department said in a statement that it would “vigorously defend” Trump’s order, which it insisted “correctly” interprets the constitution.
“We look forward to presenting a full merits argument to the court and to the American people, who are desperate to see our nation’s laws enforced,” the statement said.
The order is part of a broader set of ‘America First’ policies introduced by Trump after his inauguration. The president instructed government agencies to crack down on illegal immigration and organized crimes, vowing to protect Americans from an “invasion” across the border with Mexico. Trump designated drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations and deployed additional troops to help border agents manage the influx of migrants.
During his first interview after taking office, Trump claimed that “thousands” of terrorists have snuck into the country and accused Venezuela of “moving” criminal gangs to the US.
