US judge questions but won't yet block Trump's new birthright citizenship order

A federal judge on Friday declined to immediately block former US President Donald Trump's new executive order limiting birthright citizenship, despite questioning its legality. US District Judge Deborah Boardman in Maryland rejected a request for a temporary restraining order because the plaintiffs' existing lawsuit did not address Trump's August 6, 2026, order. This new order targets "birth tourism" and would deny citizenship to children of parents working for foreign governments, engaging in fraud, or classified as "alien enemies." Judge Boardman stated she would allow the immigrant rights advocates to amend their complaint to challenge the order, which she noted "tries to strike out exceptions to birthright citizenship with the stroke of a pen." The Supreme Court had previously rejected Trump's initial 2025 effort to end birthright citizenship, finding it violated the 14th Amendment.