The administration of US President Donald Trump is asking the US Supreme Court to allow restrictions on citizenship by birthright to partially take effect while legal disputes continue, Acting Solicitor General Sarah Harris argues that Trump's decree is in accordance with the country's Constitution, AP reports, UNN writes.
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In emergency documents filed with the Supreme Court on Thursday, the administration asked the judges to narrow court orders issued by district judges in Maryland, Massachusetts and Washington that blocked a decree signed by US President Donald Trump shortly after the start of his second term.
The decree has now been blocked nationwide. Three federal appeals courts have rejected the administration's request, including one in Massachusetts on Tuesday.
The decree deprives citizenship to those born after February 19 whose parents are in the country illegally. It also prohibits US agencies from issuing any documents or accepting any government documents recognizing the citizenship of such children.
About two dozen states, as well as several individuals and groups, have sued over the executive order, which they believe violates the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, which provides for citizenship to everyone born in the United States.
The US Department of Justice argues that individual judges lack the authority to have their decisions enforced nationwide.
Instead, the administration wants judges to allow Trump's plan to take effect for everyone except the few people and groups that have sued, arguing that the states have no legal right or standing to challenge the executive order.
As a fallback, the administration has asked to be allowed "at a minimum" to make public announcements about how they plan to implement the policy if it eventually takes effect.
Acting Solicitor General Sarah Harris argues in her statement that Trump's decree is constitutional because the citizenship provision of the 14th Amendment, if read correctly, "does not extend citizenship universally to everyone born in the United States".
