EO to clip birthright citizenship blocked, Trump may have to appeal to SC
"President Trump may believe that he is above the law, but today's preliminary injunction sends a clear message: He is not a king, and he cannot rewrite the Constitution with the stroke of a pen," said Matthew Platkin, attorney general of New Jersey.
WASHINGTON, Feb 24: The Department of Justice may have to approach the Supreme
Court in appeal against the rulings of the Federal judges blocking President
Donald Trump's executive order issued on the day he assumed office barring birthright
citizenship to children of illegal immigrants and temporary residents as the
judges have invoked a 1898 verdict of the top court in the United States v.
Wong Kim Ark case of a son of Chinese immigrants. There is no chance of an immediate
relief for Trump in the offing and the executive order will probably ramain
on paper.
Among several lawsuits filed across the country, four Federal district courts
have issued rulings so far and they all blocked the executive order. "The Constitution
confers birthright citizenship broadly, including to persons within the categories
described in the EO," one of the judges said. The Department of Justice appealed
against two of these four restraining verdicts at Federal appeals circuit courts
in San Francisco (California) and Richmond (Virginia).
The 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals (headquartered in San Francisco, California.)
in its ruling on Wednesday denied Government request for emergency relief in
birthright citizenship case. "The Government has not shown that (how) it is
entitled to immediate relief," the court stated on Wednesday.
The Government was denied relief in the Washington Sate v. Trump case. A nationwide
injunction was issued by a Federal judge in Seattle, District Judge John Coughenour
(appointee of Rep Prez Reagan), blocking the President's executive order, declaring
the policy unconstitutional, "blatantly unconstitutional." He said it is like
a constitutional amendment in an executive order. He was the first judge to
block the order, on January 23. The lawsuit was filed by the Democratic-led
States of Washington, Arizona, Illinois and Oregon and several pregnant women.
The State attorneys said 150,000 children born annually are being denied citizenship
right. The Department of Justice said he went too far to issue a nationwide
injunction.
The Trump administration had sought to pause a lower court ruling that blocked
the President's executive order seeking to terminate birthright citizenship.
US Circuit Judges William Canby (appointee of Dem Pez Carter), Milan Smith
(appointee of Rep Prez Bush) and Ms Danielle Forrest (appointed by Trump) denied
the motion, Judges M Smith and Canby wrote "the Government has not shown that
it is entitled to immediate relief."
The panel of three judges will continue to review the case, with full arguments
scheduled for June.
Orders passed in four lawsuits
Wednesday's order was in response to a lawsuit from multiple States filed in
Washington State. Trump's order has also been blocked by judges in Maryland,
New Hampshire and Massachusetts.
The 4th Federal judge blocked the executive order on February 13. (The ruling
from U.S. District Judge Leo Sorokin came three days after U.S. District Judge
Joseph Laplante in New Hampshire blocked the executive order and follows similar
rulings in Seattle and Maryland, reports AP.)
US District Judge Leo Sorokin, who sits on the Federal district court in Massachusetts,
said that a group of 19 States and the District of Columbia, as well as two
nonprofit organizations, are challenging the executive order issued on Trump's
first day in office. They point out that the order is violative of the Citizenship
Clause of the 14th Amendment.
Constitution confers birthright citizenship
"The Constitution confers birthright citizenship broadly, including to persons
within the categories described in the EO," Sorokin said. He is an appointee
of former President Barack Obama.
Other Federal judges in Maryland, Washington and New Hampshire have also issued
preliminary injunctions blocking enforcement of the executive order.
"President Trump may believe that he is above the law, but today's preliminary
injunction sends a clear message: He is not a king, and he cannot rewrite the
Constitution with the stroke of a pen," said Matthew Platkin, attorney general
of New Jersey. New Jersey. is leading the case.
The Justice Department has appealed against two of the four restraining verdicts
at Federal appeals courts in San Francisco and Richmond, Virginia.
The rulings of the Federal judges are based on a 1898 Supreme Court verdict
- United States v. Wong Kim Ark - in which the court held that a man born in
the US to Chinese immigrants was a citizen by virtue of the Constitution.
As the Supreme Court had given the verdict, now appeals will have to seek revirew
of that order in the top court itself, it is also pointed out.
Over eight lawsuits have been filed in various courts challenging Trump's executive
order that forms part of a promise to stop illegal immigration he had made during
the election campaign.
The January 20 executive order directs US agencies to refuse to recognize the
citizenship of children born in the US if neither their mother nor father was
a US citizen or lawful permanent resident.
The order was to apply to children born within the US starting 30 days after
January 20, 2025, when it was signed.
The incident has triggered a debate on social media whether the officer refused to take orders from a party leader or he was accused of any corruption, some netizens justifying the handling in either case, that Ratnakar was blocking public welfare work! It is true the Govt machinery has been the enemy Number One of the people of this country, existing for itself and for these politicians, for well over seven decades. India will never make an inch of progress - real progress, not make-believe-progress - unless and until this machinery is eliminated.
ANALYSIS: There have been cases of Britons going to Switzerland to get rid of a miserable life. Now once the House of Lords also passes the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, terminally ill Britons can call it quits with the help of a medical practitioner here itself. But the measure when comes into practice, will have very serious social consequences, it is feared. There won't be comparisons, even as tropes in Latin American folklores. The worst case scenario is of those who are not terminally ill also trying to misuse the provision to leave this world early when life with dignity is not available. But that is, in fact, a political question and not a moral imbroglio!
The CCTV footage and the video circulating on social media do not indicate any serious abnormalities in takeoff or descent, it has been confirmed. The disaster is becoming curiouser and curiouser. The flight path was not curvy. And the aircraft maintained a steady, gliding descent with its nose straight and the wings perfectly level. The pilot's distress call does not specify what prevented lift and climb-out. Here are some expert opinions. The sole purpose is to raise travellers' awareness about air travel.
Many of the victims were charred beyond recognition, making identification difficult. Three hundred nineteen body parts have been sent for DNA matching with relatives to determine the identities.
A comment on social media on Kanimozhi's answer on the question of national language read: "Daughter of Kalaignar M. Karunanidhi. Delivered the Birthday Present to her Father!!" (Karunanidhi was born on June 3, 1924)
(Today's headlines )
Trump said, "Elon is not really leaving" and will be "back and forth" to the White House because DOGE is his "baby." "I think he’s going to be doing a lot of things.”
Musk wrote: "My scheduled time as a Special Government Employee comes to an end... The @DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government." Now on it will be on auto-pilot.
PROGNOSIS: DOGE was prematurely born to protect the country by aborting an impending socio-economic disaster which very few people could see coming.
Although its immediate job was to save American taxpayers billions by slashing waste, eliminating fraud, cutting Government bloat and ensuring utmost efficiency in administration for the good of the people.
(Today's headlines )
"Coming from a system like in England, empowering," she says she never had an idea of this sort of experience... being asked to “socialise with middle-aged men” who financed the event...humiliating...
Originally from Junagadh, Gujarat, Pataudi was relocated to Etawah Lion Safari in September 2019 before being transferred to Gorakhpur Zoo in 2021. Recently it was receiving treatment for pancreatic and liver infections. After tigress Shakti died in the zoo on May 7 due to bird flu, Pataudi was shifted to Kanpur. Some birds are also reported to have died mysteriously around Gorakhpur. All zoos in UP are closed for fear of a bird flu outbreak.
Three other animals too had died - a tiger, a leopardess and a female wolf. Wolf Bhairavi died last Saturday, leopardess Mona died the Thursday before that and tiger Kesari died on March 30. Some of them had Shakti's symptoms but the cause of death has not been confirmed yet.
As tourist inflow is an indicator of normalcy returning to an erstwhile terrorist infested Valley, the Government has been trying hard to make everything travel-friendly, launching lot many projects and bringing Kashmir on the national rail map that physically completes the process of Kashmir's integration with the rest of India. And that defeats the designs of Pakistan eyeing Kashmir and simply explains a recrudescence of terrorism in J&K.
"It's a big victory not just for Tamil Nadu but for all Indian States. DMK will continue to struggle for and win State autonomy and Federal polity," Chief Minister MK Stalin said.
Of 2.08 km in length, it features 99 spans and a 72.5-metre vertical lift span that rises up to a height of 17 metres, facilitating smooth movement of ships while ensuring seamless train services to the holy town of Rameswaram on Pamban island.
ANALYSIS: There is a lot of hue and cry around the world over Trump's tariffs. But tariff, simply put, is a tax. But unlike tax, it affects the exporting country too. Domestic prices will go up for some time. Nothing more will happen, good or bad!
What motivated Trump's newfound policy, apart from being a stunt to justify his existence in the White House, is a false realisation that increased tariff will make foreign goods prohibitive, thereby boosting local production, and create more jobs, and more prosperity will ring in! If that is true, India would have been shining by now: Producing own Rolls-Royce La Rose Noire Droptail and Scotch Whiskies! And what about coconut and palm oil by America!
(Today's headlines )
PROGNOSIS: It looks a Real New Trump is emerging - courageous, balanced, powerful and disinterested. Determined to save his country from the cliff, he has done quite a few draconian things that will reduce the burden of debts of the Federal entity, like the golden handshake, stopping senseless funding, pulling out of a worthless WHO. Shutting the Education Department is another. On the other hand, running it is also not the Centre's job either (We will convincingly elaborate it in the next chapter).
In India the scene is just the opposite. Centralisation is the core agenda and identity of the ruling dispensation without which it has no existence, or in other words, it exists for that set of schemes only. A realisation of this never dawned upon any Opposition party in 2014 or any time thereafter, what to talk of being able to see it coming 70 years ago! The consequence of all this violation of basic natural law of the universe we cannot predict.
THE AMERICAN CONUNDRUM: Political venom has migrated to top echelons in the US. It was reported last year NASA has become politicised, vitiated. But NASA refuted the charge. How Boeing developed a glitch but its unmanned return was smooth. When Suni-Wilmore were stranded last June, why the return was set for February? Because that comes only after January 20! SpaceX called the shots, for itself and for Trump. Then the mission was manipulated for March for a better bargain! In between, what made Elon Musk 'predict' during campaign if Kamala Harris wins he would be in jail. In politics, it is said, "the only rule is there are no rules." Difficult times for Americans too.
The terminations are part of a large-scale exercise going on all across Fed departments and organisations to reduce wasteful Government expenditure as decided by a Trump in a mess gone berserk, and improve administrative efficiency following the whims of billionaire and his associate Elon MusK and his DOGE. It has not been shared how terminations are going to raise the efficiency bar! It looks like Trump has stolen some of the prescriptions meant for India. But the American problems are quite different.
Suddenly these colonial clerks feel this effortless, little rule will tremendously enhance security and convenience for the railway passengers manifold. More stations will be covered in the next 77 years! (Also See:
New Delhi station stampede... What went wrong?)
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