A federal court in New Hampshire has temporarily blocked  President Donald Trump’s executive order restricting birthright citizenship and certified a nationwide class protecting the rights of all children born on U.S. soil.

 

Judge Joseph LaPlante issued the ruling from the bench on Thursday, July 10, following a hearing, and announced that a written order would follow. The court also granted a seven-day stay to allow the federal government time to appeal the decision to the First Circuit Court of Appeals.

 

The decision stems from a nationwide class-action lawsuit filed on June 27, following a Supreme Court ruling in Trump v. CASA that opened the door for partial enforcement of the executive order. The lawsuit was brought by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), alongside several legal advocacy groups including ACLU chapters in New Hampshire, Maine, and Massachusetts, the Legal Defense Fund, the Asian Law Caucus, and the Democracy Defenders Fund.

 

The court’s ruling, which includes both a preliminary injunction and nationwide class certification, prevents the executive order from taking effect before July 27—when partial implementation might have otherwise begun.

 

“This ruling is a huge victory and will help protect the citizenship of all children born in the United States, as the Constitution intended,” said Cody Wofsy, deputy director of the ACLU’s Immigrants’ Rights Project.

 

 

 

Devon Chaffee, executive director of the ACLU of New Hampshire, said the executive order represents a “blatant violation” of the U.S. Constitution.

 

“Our Constitution ensures that no politician can decide who among those born in this country is worthy of citizenship,” she said. “This court’s ruling reaffirms that truth.”

 

 

 

Morenike Fajana, senior counsel with the Legal Defense Fund, hailed the decision as a powerful affirmation of the 14th Amendment:

 

“Today’s ruling sends a clear message: all children born on U.S. soil are entitled to full citizenship rights. This is a critical victory for families nationwide.”

 

 

 

Aarti Kohli, executive director of the Asian Law Caucus, noted the anxiety many immigrant families have felt since the Supreme Court’s ruling.

 

“Parents have lived in fear, wondering whether their newborns might be denied citizenship or even deported. This injunction brings much-needed relief and certainty.”

 

 

 

Other civil rights leaders also welcomed the decision:

 

“The fight to uphold the guarantee of birthright citizenship is far from over,” said Tianna Mays, legal director of the Democracy Defenders Fund. “But today’s decision is a victory for clarity and stability for millions of families.”

 

 

 

“We are thrilled to move forward with this case at a time when immigrant families are under increasing threat,” added Molly Curren Rowles, executive director of the ACLU of Maine.

 

 

 

With the court affirming once again that citizenship is a constitutional right granted by birth—not political discretion—the decision marks a significant moment in the ongoing legal battle over birthright citizenship in the United States.