A federal judge has slammed the brakes on President Trump’s order to limit birthright citizenship, saying the move could rip away U.S. citizenship from babies born on American soil.
Judge Joseph Laplante, appointed by President George W. Bush, ruled Thursday that Trump’s executive order can’t move forward—for now. In his words, blocking it was “not a close call.” He said the potential harm—denying children their citizenship—was too serious to ignore.
The decision came just weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court restricted the power of judges to issue nationwide injunctions. But Laplante used a different path: he approved a class action lawsuit that protects not just the named plaintiffs, but all affected children across the country.
This effectively blocks Trump’s order nationwide, even if the court technically didn’t call it that. Laplante said the order can’t take effect for at least seven more days, giving the administration a chance to appeal.
The lawsuit was filed immediately after the Supreme Court’s recent 6-3 ruling against nationwide injunctions. Legal challengers—led by the ACLU—rushed back to court to fight back through other means.
The executive order, signed the day Trump returned to the White House, targets children born in the U.S. to parents who are not permanent legal residents. It challenges the long-standing interpretation of the 14th Amendment, which guarantees citizenship to anyone born in the country.
The Justice Department argues the rule is necessary to stop what it calls abuses of the system. But critics say it’s an unconstitutional attack on immigrant families.
“This ruling is a huge victory and will help protect the citizenship of all children born in the United States, as the Constitution intended,” said Cody Wofsy of the ACLU, who argued the case.
“We are fighting to ensure President Trump doesn’t trample on the citizenship rights of one single child,” he added.
Unless overturned on appeal, Laplante’s ruling ensures babies born anywhere in the U.S. keep their citizenship.
