In a court hearing, Judge John Coughenour issued a ruling that the proposal cannot currently be implemented. The hearing lasted just under half an hour.
I have led court hearings for over four decades. I cannot recall any other case where the question that arises is as clear-cut as in this one. This is an obviously unconstitutional decision, said the judge about Trump's decree.
The Trump administration had previously announced that the proposal would be implemented on February 19.
The atmosphere in the courtroom was tense when the Justice Department's lawyer Brett Shumate presented the arguments for the citizenship decision. Judge Coughenour interrupted the lawyer with the direct question of whether he saw the decree as correct according to the Constitution.
Trump later announced on Thursday evening that the court ruling in Seattle would be appealed.
The states of Arizona, Illinois, Oregon, and Washington, all governed by Democrats, are behind the demand to stop Trump's decision. In total, around 20 states and several organizations have questioned Trump's decision.
A person born in the USA becomes an American citizen, even if their parents do not have American citizenship. The right is not written into the US Constitution, but is established in the 14th amendment to the Constitution from 1868, after the American Civil War.
The constitutional paragraph was last questioned in 1898, but its validity was then confirmed by the Supreme Court.
