A federal trial judge in Massachusetts heard arguments Friday in a legal challenge to President Donald Trump’s executive order against birthright citizenship, with the U.S. Department of Justice’s attorney getting the brunt of the questioning.
U.S. District Judge Leo Sorokin of the District of Massachusetts pressed Eric Hamilton about long-standing U.S. Supreme Court precedent that the 14th Amendment ensures citizenship for anyone born in the United States. The judge noted that presidential administrations going back generations have recognized birthright citizenship as automatic.