SCOTUS hears birthright citizenship case that could influence Trump’s policy agenda

The US Supreme Court heard oral arguments Thursday about the enforcement of US President Donald Trump’s executive order to end birthright citizenship, in a case that could limit the power of federal judges to slow his policy moves.

The question at the heart of the case is whether lower-court judges can issue nationwide injunctions to temporarily block executive orders  from being enforced.

Many of the Supreme Court justices appeared open to the government’s argument that lower-court judges may have overstepped their authority, but seemed torn over the implications of the executive order: In the birthright order case, an injunction could prevent a situation where a person is regarded as a citizen in some states and not in others.