Latest news with #DeborahL.Boardman
New York Times
15-05-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
The Birthright Citizenship Case Could Split the Country in Two
For generations, the birth certificate has been the cornerstone of how Americans verify their citizenship. But that standard may soon be upended. On Day 1 of his second term, President Trump signed an executive order attempting to rewrite the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and end birthright citizenship as we know it. The order said that children of immigrants would no longer receive U.S. citizenship unless one of their parents had already been naturalized or had a green card. This meant that the children of Dreamers and many other immigrants who have lived their whole lives in the United States would no longer be born citizens. Within 24 hours, multiple lawsuits were filed to challenge the order. On Feb. 5, Judge Deborah L. Boardman of the U.S. District Court in Maryland issued a nationwide injunction stopping the federal government from putting this unconstitutional policy into effect. Since then, every court to consider this issue has ruled that Mr. Trump's order should not go into effect. There have been several news stories about the birthright citizenship case, and the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the case on Thursday. The majority of these stories have focused on technical legal questions: whether and under what circumstances lower courts should be able to issue nationwide temporary injunctions and stop a federal policy from going into effect nationwide while the case winds its way through the courts. But the focus on this legal question has obscured what is really at stake: the definition of U.S. citizenship and what it means to be an American. If the Trump administration prevails in its crusade to overturn birthright citizenship, it will result in a population of newborns without legal status. Since Reconstruction, any child born in the United States has been able to access citizenship, regardless of their parents nationality or race. As more immigrants came to the United States, some argued that their children shouldn't qualify for citizenship. In 1898 the Supreme Court rejected that view, ruling that children born to immigrants are protected under the 14th Amendment. And the matter was considered settled until now. In this case, the government sidestepped the core issue of birthright citizenship, instead focusing its argument on the narrower question of whether judges should be able to issue nationwide injunctions. As a result, the case will not provide a final resolution on the main constitutional question. The issue of birthright citizenship could again make its way to the Court as early as next year, challenging the executive order on constitutional and statutory grounds. At that point, the court could declare the basis of it unconstitutional. Still, if the government prevails in this case, Mr. Trump's unilateral reinterpretation of the Constitution will, for now, be implemented in 28 states, and that suspension of birthright citizenship, even if it only lasts a few months, will have profound consequences. Although the plaintiffs in this case will remain protected by the injunction, all families will still be required to prove that their children have a legal right to live in the United States — a process that could prove both costly and stressful. Even U.S. citizens would have to provide identification to confirm their children's citizenship, or even prove their own legal status, as a birth certificate alone would no longer be sufficient. Babies denied U.S. citizenship could be denied other forms of identification, making it difficult or impossible to receive essential vaccines or obtain a social security number. Health insurers could refuse coverage for these stateless babies, meaning a premature infant in need of urgent care could be denied treatment. Hospitals could also be forced to assess the citizenship status of parents in delivery rooms, raising the risk of discrimination against those wrongly assumed to be immigrants. Children who have no legal status could be vulnerable to deportation. This is an alarming proposition given that this administration is paying El Salvador millions of dollars to imprison men indefinitely with no due process. It's worth noting that this order will affect all types of immigrants, even those the government has no legal authority to deport. That includes people who have been granted temporary status, Dreamers and others who have been approved for immigration benefits but are stuck in immigration processing limbo. Immigrant parents with legal status may face the threat that their children could be deported. It is not hard to imagine a scenario where this administration pays another country to take in the growing number of stateless children — with or without their parents. If the Supreme Court eventually hears a case on the merits of the executive order itself and finds it unconstitutional, then the federal government will have to create a process to ensure these potentially stateless children can access U.S. citizenship. If the Trump administration refuses, it could create an underclass of children who have limited rights. We don't yet know what that will mean in the long term. In the meantime, if the court allows this order to go into effect, even temporarily, the executive branch could be emboldened to go further in its attempts to undermine the constitutional rights that hold our imperfect democracy together.
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Yahoo
University of Maryland takes ‘reimagined approach' to Greek life following hazing investigation
The University of Maryland, College Park is taking a 'reimagined approach' to Greek life following hazing allegations that led to a pause in new member activity, an investigation, legal action and, now, a new initiative. Unveiled in a report last week, the plan aims to increase transparency and education of Greek life members through new orientations, revisions and updates to current university policy, and collaboration between each of the university's governing counsels and UMD officials. Students were accused of beating others with paddles, burning them with cigarettes and forcing some to eat live fish and drink urine, according to court documents. During the two-week pause, the university engaged an independent firm to interview 175 student Greek life members as part of an investigation. Based on credible evidence of hazing, the report said five fraternities — 24% of Interfraternity Council chapters at University of Maryland — faced student conduct charges. Two lawsuits were filed by Greek life members over the university's investigation and hold on new-member activities. Both lawsuits were thrown out in March by U.S. District Judge Deborah L. Boardman, who in her ruling said the issues raised by fraternities and sororities were moot because the university had lifted its cease-and-desist order suspending Greek life activities over a year ago. The new initiative is founded on the investigation's findings, as well as input from workgroups, the university's four Greek councils and student interviews. 'The working group reports call for a complete reimagination of fraternity and sorority life at the University of Maryland,' the report reads. 'Rather than simply proposing quick fixes, policy revisions, or education programs, these reports highlight several key issues that require intentional action from the university's professional staff, students and alums of each organization.' Nine calls to action are outlined, focusing mainly on communication, partnerships, student conduct and accountability. Recommendations center on student well-being, specifically the recruitment of new Greek members. The workgroups recommended analyzing current policy regarding new members and providing more educational content to students and families, such as by giving an orientation on code of conduct and expectations for members. The report also recommends a hazing-prevention education plan with consequences for noncompliance, as well as improved transparency for reporting organizational misconduct, a review and update of current university policy, and a university-wide, data-informed hazing prevention initiative. Next steps will include meetings with stakeholders to provide updates and seek perspective on implementation of the initiatives, the report says. ________
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Yahoo
Judge throws out University of Maryland Greek life lawsuits over hazing closure
A federal judge dismissed a pair of lawsuits against University of Maryland, College Park administrators accused of unconstitutionally suspending new member activities at campus Greek organizations last year over hazing allegations. In her Monday ruling, U.S. District Judge Deborah L. Boardman found that the issues raised by fraternities and sororities were moot: The university had lifted its cease-and-desist order suspending Greek life activities over a year ago. The pause in March 2024, when fraternities and sororities were ordered not to contact new members for about two weeks, came after allegations that hazing by fraternities threatened campus safety. Court filings said an investigation of at least eight fraternities found that members humiliated students through means like beating them with paddles or forcing potential recruits to eat live fish and drink urine. The probe led to the university suspending social activities hosted on or off campus by Greek organizations with alcohol present. Greek organizations filed a lawsuit seeking for a federal judge to lift the moratorium on social activities, though the university lifted the order days later. The organizations continued their lawsuit, and a group of sororities sued, alleging that the investigation violated their First Amendment rights by requiring students to submit to mandatory interrogations under the threat of discipline. The plaintiffs, which included the Alpha Psi Chapter of the Theta Chi Fraternity, alleged that the matter was not moot because the university had refused to disavow the order and could, in theory, bring it back. They noted that an administrator had 'indicated she believes that [the University] 'set a model for what [other] universities can and should do' in similar situations,' according to court filings. Boardman found that it was not likely the university would issue a similar order. 'The University issued the Order in response to an unprecedented confluence of events,' Boardman wrote in her order, finding that those circumstances occurring again to be 'extremely unlikely.' 'That crisis is over, and Greek life continues at the University,' she wrote. Have a news tip? Contact Dan Belson at dbelson@ 443-790-4827, on X as @DanBelson_ or on Signal as @danbels.62.
New York Times
05-02-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
Judge Blocks Trump's Birthright Citizenship Order Nationwide
A Federal District Court judge in Maryland issued a preliminary injunction on Wednesday blocking President Trump's attempt to unilaterally eliminate automatic U.S. citizenship for children born to undocumented or temporary immigrants on U.S. soil. The nationwide injunction, issued by Judge Deborah L. Boardman, who was nominated to the bench by President Biden, applies nationally and is more permanent than the 14-day temporary restraining order issued on Jan. 23 by a federal judge in Seattle. 'The executive order conflicts with the plain language of the 14th Amendment, contradicts 125-year-old binding Supreme Court precedent and runs counter to our nation's 250-year history of citizenship by birth,' Judge Boardman ruled. 'The United States Supreme Court has resoundingly rejected the president's interpretation of the citizenship clause of the 14th Amendment. In fact, no court in the country has ever endorsed the president's interpretation. This court will not be the first.' The plaintiffs are five pregnant women who do not have lawful immigration status, and two nonprofits that work with immigrants. The judge justified her national injunction because one of the plaintiffs has members in every state, including hundreds of pregnant women who could give birth in the coming weeks. The Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection at Georgetown University Law Center is representing the plaintiffs.
Washington Post
05-02-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Federal judge in Md. issues injunction on Trump's birthright citizenship order
A federal judge on Tuesday indefinitely blocked President Donald Trump's effort to curb birthright citizenship for undocumented immigrants and temporary foreign visitors, a decision that is likely to mean the executive order will not take effect as planned later this month. U.S. District Judge Deborah L. Boardman issued a preliminary injunction after a court hearing in Greenbelt, Maryland, in a lawsuit brought by civil rights groups aiming at stopping Trump's order on the grounds that it violates the citizenship clause of the 14th Amendment.
