US judge blocks latest birthright-citizenship restriction while class action proceeds
A United States federal judge has issued a preliminary injunction blocking the administration’s latest attempt to restrict birthright citizenship while a class-action lawsuit proceeds.
US District Judge Deborah L. Boardman in Maryland acted on September 2 in a case challenging measures aimed at children born in the United States to some non-citizen parents, including a policy framed by the administration around “birth tourism.”
What the order means
A preliminary injunction preserves the existing position during litigation; it is not the final judgment on every constitutional question. The administration can appeal, and the scope may change through higher-court review.
The Fourteenth Amendment, ratified in 1868, provides citizenship to people born or naturalised in the United States and subject to its jurisdiction. Courts have long treated that language as covering most children born on US soil, with narrow exceptions such as children of accredited foreign diplomats.
The wider legal context
The Associated Press reports that the Supreme Court rejected an earlier broad restriction in June 2026 by a 6-3 vote. In the Maryland case, the administration argued that the new challenge was premature because implementation guidance had not been issued.
Citizenship rules affect passports, Social Security numbers, access to public services and the risk of statelessness. Reporting should distinguish an injunction from a permanent nationwide resolution and should avoid implying that children’s current documents have automatically changed.
Sources: Associated Press report on the September injunction; Associated Press background on the Supreme Court ruling.
Illustrative citizenship documents. Photo: Associated Press.
