On Thursday a federal judge in Seattle temporarily blocked President Trump's executive order to end birthright citizenship, calling it "blatantly unconstitutional."
Senior U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour, who was appointed by President Ronald Reagan in 1981, issued an order blocking the policy for 14 days. The policy was supposed to take effect on February 19.
Washington, Arizona, Illinois and Oregon were the four states requesting an emergency order to halt Trump's executive order.
"I've been on the bench for over four decades. I can't remember another case where the question presented is as clear as this one. This is a blatantly unconstitutional order," Coughenour said.
"Where were the lawyers when this decision was being made?" he added.
The executive order challenges the 14th amendment, which was ratified more than a 150 years ago in 1868 following the Civil War. The amendment guarantees citizenship for people "born or naturalized" in the United States.
Trump's order challenges the amendment and argues all children of two noncitizen parents, regardless of whether or not they are born in the US, should not be guaranteed US citizenship.
The lawsuit against Trump's order is one of five brought by democratic attorney generals and immigrants' rights organizations. The lawsuits allege that the order could affect hundreds of thousands of people who attained citizenship through the policy.
Trump signed the executive order on his inauguration day. It is one of many aimed at curtailing immigration into the US.
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