A federal judge on Thursday has again barred President Donald Trump’s administration from enforcing his executive order limiting birthright citizenship nationwide after the U.S. Supreme Court restricted the ability of judges to block his policies using nationwide injunctions.
U.S. District Judge Joseph Laplante in Concord, New Hampshire, made the ruling after immigrant rights advocates implored him to grant class action status to a lawsuit, they filed seeking to represent any babies whose citizenship status would be threatened by implementation of Trump’s directive.
Laplante agreed the plaintiffs could proceed as a class, allowing him to issue a fresh judicial order blocking implementation of the Republican president’s policy nationally.
The question of whether to issue an injunction was “not a close call,” he said, noting children could be deprived of U.S. citizenship if Trump’s order took effect.
“That’s irreparable harm, citizenship alone,” he said. “It is the greatest privilege that exists in the world.”
The judge said he would stay his ruling for a few days to allow the Trump administration to appeal and would issue a written decision by the end of the day.
