Almost immediately after Trump signed an executive order affirming that the 14th Amendment does not guarantee birthright citizenship, legal challenges began, and by Thursday morning, a federal district court judge in Seattle wasted no time in weighing in, hearing arguments on the measure and swiftly issuing a ruling to temporarily block its enforcement.
The decision sets the stage for a contentious legal battle over the scope and interpretation of the Constitution’s citizenship clause, which will ultimately go before the Supreme Court to settle.
Senior U.S. District Judge John Coughenour on Thursday was blistering in his criticism of Trump’s action as he granted a temporary restraining order that blocks Trump’s executive order from taking effect nationwide.
“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 is. This is a blatantly unconstitutional order,” Coughenour, an appointee of Ronald Reagan, said from the bench. “There are other times in world history where we look back and people of goodwill can say where were the judges, where were the lawyers?”
Coughenour interrupted before Brett Shumate, a Justice Department attorney could even complete his first sentence.
“In your opinion Is this executive order constitutional?” he asked.
Shumate said “it absolutely is.”
“Frankly I have difficulty understanding how a member of the Bar could state unequivocally that this is a constitutional order,” Coughenour said. “It just boggles my mind.” […]
— Read More: pjmedia.com
