When I began writing this weekly column for the Carrier 22+ years ago, one of my goals was to tackle Constitutional issues to better inform our readers. It was an acknowledgment that Madison was named for James Madison, the “Father of the Constitution.” In keeping with that goal, I’ll address the issue of “birthright citizenship” covered in the first clause of the 14th Amendment. President Trump has signed an executive order to end birthright citizenship. Subsequently, a low-level federal judge issued an injunction blocking the executive order, not only for his district, but nation-wide.
Trump’s Executive Order (EO) is titled “Protecting the Value and Meaning of Citizenship.” Some 22 states have sued the administration to block this EO. Then a Seattle-based district judge blocked his order. Congress is trying to reinforce Trump’s EO with legislation that directly address Section five of the 14th Amendment: “The Congress shall have the power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article.”