A federal judge has blocked President Trump's latest attempt to restrict birthright citizenship through an executive order issued on August 6. US District Judge Deborah Boardman in Maryland cited Supreme Court precedent in her 35-page ruling, stating that children born on US soil are "citizens at birth" and that the president's order is "almost certainly unconstitutional." This marks the second time Trump's plans to abolish a constitutional right have been blocked by federal courts. The judge rejected arguments from administration attorneys that the block was premature, saying the executive order would deny citizenship documents to certain categories of children regardless of guidance from federal agencies.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-03,
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Story summary
US District Judge Deborah Boardman, of Maryland, has blocked President Donald Trump's new executive order aimed at limiting birthright citizenship, citing Supreme Court precedent. This is the second time a federal court has rejected Trump's efforts to restrict this constitutional right, with the US Supreme Court previously blocking a similar attempt in 2023. The ruling was issued on Wednesday and comes after an appeal by rights groups who challenged Trump's executive order from August 6, which targeted "birth tourism". The judge wrote that the order is "almost certainly unconstitutional", echoing the Supreme Court's earlier decision. This decision has been met with cheers from immigrant rights groups, including We Are CASA, who have been challenging Trump's efforts to limit immigration and birthright citizenship.
Written for “Trump Birthright Citizenship Block” on 2026-09-03,
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Leaning score -0.70 for article 3633 (high confidence, 1 verified quote) · logged 2026-09-03
The ruling is the second time Trump’s ambitious plans of abolishing a constitutional right were shot down by federal courts.
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plans → abolish → courts
The US Supreme Court earlier blocked an executive attempt at abolishing the right to children born to parents who do not hold legal residence status.
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who → block → status
A US federal judge blocked the Trump administration on Wednesday from enforcing a new executive order limiting who qualifies for birthright citizenship.
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who → block → citizenship
The move thwarts President Donald Trump's latest attempt to restrict the constitutional right, which comes after the US Supreme Court rejected his previous effort.
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Court → thwart → effort
US District Judge Deborah Boardman of Maryland issued a preliminary injunction following an appeal by rights groups who challenged Trump's executive order from 6 August targeting what he termed "birth tourism."
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he → issue → what
"The Supreme Court has spoken: Children in the certified class are 'citizens at birth'," Boardman wrote in her 35-page ruling, adding the president's August order "is almost certainly unconstitutional."
Immigrant rights groups cheered the decision.
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groups → speak → decision
"When it comes to attacking birthright citizenship, the Trump administration has lost before this court, lost before the Supreme Court, and lost again today," said Shana Khader, Legal Director at We Are CASA, a Maryland-based group.
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We → come → Are
Trump's latest executive order was aimed at those who he alleges enter the country under the guise of tourism while actually intending to give birth.
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he → aim → birth
In his first executive order on the issue, Trump said that children born to parents in the United States illegally or on temporary visas would not automatically become US citizens.
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children → say → visas
Lower courts blocked that move, ruling that under the Citizenship Clause of the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution, nearly everyone born on US soil is an American citizen.
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everyone → block → soil
The Supreme Court agreed.
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Court → agree → ?
The administration's attorneys argued that the request to block the order was premature and said the federal agencies tasked with enforcing it would use “appropriate measures” to do so, relying on official guidance that hasn't been issued yet.
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that → argue → guidance
The judge rejected that argument.
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judge → reject → argument
“No matter what the guidance says, the 2026 Executive Order commands agencies to deny citizenship documents to several broad categories of children,” Boardman wrote.
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Boardman → say → children
“The White House must recognise it will not succeed in stripping children of their right to citizenship, evading binding court decisions or placing the president’s anti-immigrant agenda above the Constitution,” said Khader in a prepared statement.
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Khader → recognise → statement
The president's efforts to curb birthright citizenship are part of his wider campaign to limit immigration, which includes expelling millions of undocumented migrants and removing deportation protections from nationals of more than a dozen countries.
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which → curb → countries
