US District Judge John Coughenour has dismissed President Trump’s order to end birthright citizenship, calling it “blatantly unconstitutional.”
The judge issued a restraining order to prevent it from taking effect following a 25-minute hearing.
The order, aimed at stopping citizenship for children born to undocumented or temporarily present parents, would have applied to births after February 19.
The four states; Washington, Arizona, Illinois, and Oregon, argued that the 14th Amendment guarantees citizenship for those born in the US and that the President cannot change this.
The judge temporarily halted enforcement of the order for 14 days, pending further legal proceedings.
Trump’s administration argued the order was necessary to address immigration issues, but the judge criticized its constitutionality.
The states claim the order would harm residents by stripping citizenship and making them vulnerable to detention or deportation.
Lawyers for the federal government plan to appeal, with the case expected to reach the US Supreme Court.
The 14th Amendment, passed in 1868, grants citizenship to anyone born in the US, with few exceptions.
Legal challenges to the order are ongoing, including from the ACLU and a group of Democratic-led states.
