NC’s Jeff Jackson, 17 other attorneys general challenge Trump’s citizenship order in federal court

A coalition of 18 Democratic attorney generals, including North Carolina’s Jeff Jackson, filed a lawsuit on Tuesday seeking to block President Donald Trump’s bid to end birth right citizenship.
The lawsuit, joined by the District of Columbia along and the City of San Francisco, was filed a day after Trump signed an executive order aimed at limiting birthright citizenship to children born in the U.S. to at least one parent who is a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.

“This executive order is a straightforward violation of the Fourteenth Amendment, which guarantees citizenship to all people born on U.S. soil. For over a century, this principle has been upheld by the Supreme Court and remains a bedrock of our constitutional framework,” said Jackson in a statement.
“The Constitution leaves no room for executive reinterpretation on this matter—it is clear, settled, and binding. This order seeks to undermine that clarity, creating legal uncertainty and denying fundamental rights to children born in this country. “
The lawsuit target Trump’s executive order, which directs federal agencies to deny U.S. citizenship to children born in the U.S. to non-citizen parents who are present illegally or temporarily, such as visa holders.
According to the lawsuit, Trump’s plan violates the well-established constitutional principle of birthright citizenship under the 14th Amendment, which states “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States.”
If implemented the order would “abrogate this longstanding constitutional principle by executive fiat” and cause “immediate and irreparable harm” to thousands of families, according to the lawsuit.
“As Attorney General, my role is straightforward as well: to defend the Constitution. That’s why I’ve joined this lawsuit, to uphold the rule of law and preserve the rights that have defined our nation for generations,” said Jackson in a statement.
Nationwide, around 12,000 babies born each month would no longer be considered U.S. citizens, according to the lawsuit.
Trump’s executive order is set to take effect in a month, allowing courts time to review and potentially block the policy before implementation.
It is the second challenge since Trump signed the controversial order. The ACLU and immigration rights organizations brought a similar challenge on Monday in New Hampshire federal court hours after Trump signed the order.
