The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments Thursday on former President Donald Trump’s executive order seeking to end birthright citizenship. The order, which would deny citizenship to children born after Feb. 19 if their parents are in the country illegally, is currently on hold as lawsuits in three states—including Washington—move through the courts. Former Washington Attorney General Rob McKenna said the justices are not expected to rule definitively on birthright citizenship at this stage. Instead, he said Thursday’s hearing will likely focus on one key question. “Are they going to keep Trump’s order on hold nationwide, or will they limit the effect of the injunction to just the parties to these lawsuits?” former Washington state Attorney General Rob McKenna said on Seattle’s Morning News . McKenna noted that at least four conservative justices have questioned the legality of universal injunctions, but he emphasized that the states opposing the Trump order argue there is no irreparable harm in maintaining birthright citizenship. “The plaintiff states are arguing, ‘There’s no irreparable harm here,’” McKenna said. “‘Let’s let this underlying constitutional question be litigated all the way through the courts and then actually up to the Supreme Court.’” The Justice Department argues that individual judges lack the power to give nationwide effect to their rulings.
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