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The only thing surprising about a Reagan-appointed federal judge saying that he would block Trump’s executive order ending birthright citizenship is that it took a whole almost three days to happen.
Judge John Coughenour, a Ronald Reagan appointee who sits in Seattle, granted the request by Washington Attorney General Nick Brown and three other Democratic-led states for the emergency order halting implementation of the policy for the next 14 days while there are more briefings in the legal challenge.
“I have been on the bench for over four decades. I can’t remember another case whether the question presented was as clear,” Coughenour said.
“Where were the lawyers” when the decision to sign the executive order was made, the judge asked. He said to behat it “boggled” his mind that a member of the bar would claim the order was constitutional.
The judge appears to have assumed that any of the legal advisors around Trump would dare to tell him that his order was illegal and that even if they did, Trump would listen.
The birthright citizenship executive order won’t be taking effect.
It will work its way through the court system until finally, even this Supreme Court will reject the idea that any president has the power to edit the Constitution with an executive order.
The fact that the executive order was issued at all demonstrated that Trump has what he wanted. There are no guardrails in his second administration. There is no one who will tell him no, no matter how stupid, illegal, or unconstitutional his actions are.
That is a much bigger problem for the country than any executive order that anyone who knows the basics about our system of government understood would be shot down.
There seems to be no one in Trump’s orbit who is willing to put the country first.
What do you think about Trump’s birthright citizenship executive order being blocked? Share your thoughts in the comments below.