Judge Leo T. Sorokin of the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts has issued a preliminary injunction blocking the enforcement of an executive order by the Trump administration that sought to limit birthright citizenship. The ruling comes in response to a lawsuit filed by Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, 17 other states, Washington D.C., and the City of San Francisco, according to the Michigan Department of Attorney General.

A multi-state lawsuit was filed on January 21, challenging an executive order issued by the President, which plaintiffs argued was unconstitutional and could impact hundreds of thousands of American children. A preliminary injunction has been granted, temporarily blocking the enforcement of the order. This legal development represents a key moment in the ongoing case concerning birthright citizenship, as reported by the Michigan Department of Attorney General.

Attorney General Nessel welcomed the court’s decision blocking enforcement of an executive order affecting birthright citizenship. She stated, “I’m grateful to secure this essential relief from enforcement of the plainly unconstitutional executive order that aims to trample the promise of citizenship to children born in our country. This injunction will protect the constitutional rights of thousands of babies born in Michigan and across the nation while we work with our coalition to demonstrate in federal court how this executive order violates the law as plainly as it violates our American values.” She noted that prior injunctions since January 23 have also blocked the order’s implementation, as stated by the Michigan Department of Attorney General.