Trump administration pursues a second round in the courts on birthright citizenship

WASHINGTON — A federal judge in the District of Columbia on Thursday seemed weary of the Trump administration’s arguments that it should be allowed to proceed with its second attempt to redefine the constitutional right to birthright citizenship. During the hearing, Judge Christopher Reid Cooper pressed Department of Justice attorneys to clarify when the second executive order went into effect, because no date was included when President Donald Trump signed his executive order in August. Cooper also questioned the advocacy groups that brought the suit, led by the American Civil Liberties Union, if he should make a decision on whether to grant a preliminary injunction or wait, as he was concerned about issuing a ruling that would be redundant because there is a similar case out of Maryland. He noted that the judge who handled the first challenge to the president’s executive order in 2025 was also presiding over the second attempt and had more knowledge about the issue.

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