Trump's birthright citizenship order is unconstitutional, appeals court rules
In their sprawling 78-page ruling, the panel of judges on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit wrote they 'fully agree' with the decision of a lower-court, which blocked the order nationwide.
'We conclude that the Executive Order is invalid because it contradicts the plain language of the Fourteenth Amendment's grant of citizenship to 'all persons born in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof,'' the ruling stated.
The 9th Circuit ruling blocks the Trump administration from enforcing the order that would deny citizenship to children born to people who are in the U.S. illegally or temporarily.
The judges wrote: 'The district court correctly concluded that the Executive Order's proposed interpretation, denying citizenship to many persons born in the United States, is unconstitutional. We fully agree.'
The Independent has reached out to the White House for comment on Wednesday's ruling.
It comes after the push was also blocked by a federal judge in New Hampshire, and puts the issue – in which Trump seeks to unilaterally redefine who gets to be a citizen – one step closer to quickly coming back before the Supreme Court.
New Hampshire District Judge Joseph Laplante agreed to grant class-action status to all babies who stood to lose automatic U.S. citizenship when Trump's order took effect, saying that his decision was 'not a close call.'
LaPlante noted that thousands of children would be deprived of their citizenship should Trump's order go into effect. 'That's irreparable harm, citizenship alone,' he said. 'It is the greatest privilege that exists in the world.'
Several other courts have already struck down the president's attempt to block citizenship from newborn Americans who are born to certain immigrant parents.
But last month the Supreme Court determined those judges went too far by issuing nationwide injunctions instead of applying the rulings to only the states and plaintiffs who sued the administration.
Additional reporting from Alex Woodward.
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Knox said its targeting of two Chinese banks and the Nayara Energy oil refinery in India, partly owned by Russia's Rosneft, showed how Brussels is willing to target China and India to curtail Moscow's access to these markets. The EU and the U.S. can also use sanctions to drive the cost of sales up for Russia and, with reduced revenues, the Kremlin will have to make increasingly difficult choices with regards to state funding, Knox added. What People Are Saying European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said: "We will replace Russian gas and oil by significant purchases of US LNG, oil and nuclear want to absolutely get rid of Russian fossil fuels." Septimus Knox, from the cyber and security consultancy S-RM, told Newsweek: "As long as a market exists for cheap Russian oil, it will be very difficult for Ukraine-aligned countries to pressure Russia financially. Knox added: "Ultimately, Russia will always be able to derive significant revenues from its energy production." Svitlana Romanko, founder and executive director of Razom We Stand: "This deal should be treated as a short-term bridge while Europe doubles down on clean energy solutions that permanently end the Kremlin's leverage over our energy systems." What Happens Next More details will be negotiated in the coming weeks in the framework deal. The European Commission can negotiate trade deals for the entire bloc but it still needs the backing of the 27 EU member states, whose ambassadors will meet next week.
