A federal judge in New Hampshire on Thursday once again barred the Trump administration from enforcing its executive order aimed at restricting birthright citizenship across the US.
The ruling stems from a class-action lawsuit filed last month, which sought to represent all potentially affected children. The class-action designation was key: The US Supreme Court recently limited the power of judges to impose such nationwide injunctions, except in cases seeking to block the president’s policies through class action lawsuits.
The judge presiding over the case said the risk of children losing their US citizenship if Trump’s order took effect constituted “irreparable harm” and described citizenship as “the greatest privilege that exists in the world.”
The ruling will be paused for seven days to give the administration time to appeal.