On January 23, Judge John Coughenour blocked Trump from curtailing birthright citizenship. Coughenour stated that the courts have never recognized an exception to birthright citizenship and began the process by issuing a temporary restraining order at the urging of four democratic-led states: Washington, Arizona, Illinois, and Oregon. This order blocking Trump’s agenda was allowed to stand by a US appeals court Wednesday morning.
This latest decision comes with arguments from US Circuit Judge Danielle Forrest, who said a rapid ruling would erode public confidence in judges.
Trump’s order, which applied to children born in the US and parents born outside the country, was only to take effect after Wednesday, January 20. Coughenour said the policy was blatantly unconstitutional, noting that in his over 40 years as a judge, a case with a more straightforward question had not been presented.
Those opposed to Trump’s order, including democratic state attorneys generals, have filed lawsuits alleging Trump’s executive order violates the citizenship clause of the US Constitution’s 14th Amendment.
According to The Daily Mail, the majority of public opinion seems to favor Trump. However, the public agrees less with Trump’s ideals. This suggests that the way the question is worded plays a bigger role in who agrees with him than the issue itself. We’ve seen this before with public opinion on raising tariffs, highlighting the drastic effect a lack of understanding has on public opinion.
