Washington Among States Protecting Birthright Citizenship

Birthright citizenship rights are protected according to a federal judge ruling Monday.

This ruling out of a New Hampshire court is the third of its kind.

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Thursday, Washington Attorney General Nick Brown presented his case to protect the citizenship status of people born in the U.S - regardless of their parents' citizenship status. Oregon, Arizona, and Illinois were all part of that lawsuit.

The judge ruled in favor of the suing party, which protects birthright citizenship - for now.

"Our argument is simple... birthright citizenship is enshrined in the U.S. Constitution," Brown said after the judge granted the emergency injunction. "You are an American if you are born on U.S. soil."

This case is a consolidated version of a similar suit the Northwest Immigrants Rights Project brought before the federal court on behalf of two expecting mothers.

On his first day in office, President Trump issued an executive order with a goal to end birthright citizenship for children of undocumented immigrants and for people with temporary status in the U.S.

A flurry of lawsuits have come down the wire, and the first three rulings in federal courts are not likely to be the last in a battle that is beginning to set itself up for a Supreme Court case.

The U.S. is among at least 33 countries, including Canada and Mexico, who guarantee birthright citizenship.

The Trump Administration asserts United States citizenship is a privilage, and cites a misinterpretation of the Supreme Court's 1857 decision in Dred Scott v Sandford.

The administration is appealing the Seattle-based court's Thursday decision.