24 States Sue Trump Over Controversial Move to End Birthright Citizenship

In a major legal challenge, 24 Democratic-led states and cities have filed lawsuits against President Donald Trump’s executive order aimed at ending birthright citizenship in the United States.

The lawsuits, filed on January 20, 2025, argue that the order violates the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which guarantees citizenship to all children born on American soil.

The lawsuits, co-led by 18 states, Washington D.C., and San Francisco, claim that while the President has broad powers over immigration policy, his “Citizenship Stripping Order” exceeds the legal scope of his authority.

The lawsuit asserts that birthright citizenship has been a foundational principle in U.S. law since the passage of the 14th Amendment in 1868.

“The Citizenship Stripping Order falls far outside the legal bounds of the President’s authority,” the lawsuit states, highlighting the long-standing constitutional protections for birthright citizenship.

This legal battle is expected to be pivotal, possibly reaching the U.S. Supreme Court and testing Trump’s second-term agenda.

The case was filed in a Massachusetts federal court with any appeal set to be heard by the First U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which consists mostly of judges appointed by Democratic presidents.

The move marks the latest in a long-standing debate over birthright citizenship, a policy that the U.S. Supreme Court has upheld in the past.

A federal law passed before the 14th Amendment’s ratification also guarantees citizenship to children born on U.S. soil.

Matthew Platkin, the Attorney General of New Jersey, is leading the lawsuit and emphasized the historical significance of birthright citizenship. “

This has been part of the fabric of this nation for centuries… the President cannot, with a stroke of a pen, rewrite the Constitution,” he said.

In addition to the state-led lawsuits, several immigration rights organizations, including the American Civil Liberties Union, have filed their own legal challenges to block the executive order before it can take effect.