Judge Blocks Trump’s Birthright Citizenship Ban

A federal judge in New Hampshire placed a temporary nationwide block on President Donald Trump’s executive order ending birthright citizenship on Thursday, July 10. Knewz.com has learned that the judge ruled that the policy would inflict “irreparable harm” and certified a class-action lawsuit on behalf of all children who could be affected.

The Issue at Stake: Birthright Citizenship

Since the ratification of the 14th Amendment in 1868, the United States has recognized a simple truth: If a person is born on American soil, they are a citizen, irrespective of the legal status of their parents. The relevant clause in the U.S. Constitution reads, “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.” The principle has been upheld for more than a century and is a foundational part of American civil rights law. However, Trump’s executive order, signed in February 2025, sought to rewrite this standard. Under his policy, only children with at least one parent who is a U.S. citizen or a lawful permanent resident would be granted citizenship at birth. As a result, the new policy would exclude children of undocumented immigrants, children of tourists and children of parents with temporary visas. Critics have argued that the order would effectively render many U.S.-born children stateless, giving them no legal citizenship to any country.

The Federal Judge’s Ruling

Ruling from the bench on Thursday, July 10, U.S. District Judge Joseph Laplante issued a temporary, nationwide block against the president’s executive order and certified a class-action lawsuit covering every child born in the U.S. after February 20, 2025 — the day after Trump signed the order — who could be affected. “The preliminary injunction is just not a close call to the court. … The deprivation of U.S. citizenship and an abrupt change of policy that was longstanding … that’s irreparable harm,” Laplante, a George W. Bush appointee, stated during a hearing.

ACLU Seizes Opportunity for Class-Action Lawsuit

A recent Supreme Court decision limited the power of lower courts to issue broad injunctions. However, the decision left one door open: class-action lawsuits. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) seized that opportunity, filing this class-action case only hours after the Supreme Court ruling, tactically using the exception. “This is going to protect every single child around the country from this lawless, unconstitutional and cruel executive order,” said Cody Wofsy, the lead ACLU attorney on the case.

An Unprecedented Attempt to Rewrite Constitutional Guarantees

Legal scholars and civil rights advocates have criticized President Trump’s executive order abolishing birthright citizenship, calling it “an unprecedented attempt to rewrite constitutional guarantees.” The New Hampshire case is just one of several legal challenges to President Trump’s birthright citizenship order now advancing through the federal court system. Judges in Washington state and Maryland are currently weighing similar motions for nationwide injunctions. One prominent case, filed by CASA, a nonprofit immigrant advocacy group, is also seeking class-action certification on behalf of all families affected by the executive order. On the other hand, Attorney General Pam Bondi criticized “rogue district court judges” for “trying to undermine the Supreme Court’s authority.” She said, “Active liberal judges have used these injunctions to block virtually all of President Trump’s policies. … The judges have tried to seize the executive branch’s power and they cannot do that, no longer, no longer.”

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