The bottom line. A federal judge in Maryland declined to immediately block President Trump's newest executive order limiting birthright citizenship, but allowed immigrant advocates to amend their lawsuit and challenge the order on a swift schedule.
Immigrant rights groups scored a procedural opening on Friday, even as U.S. District Judge Deborah Boardman in Maryland refused to halt enforcement of President Donald Trump's latest directive narrowing birthright citizenship. The judge, while voicing serious doubts about the order's legality in light of the Supreme Court's rejection of an earlier version, said the plaintiffs could revise their complaint and press the matter on an accelerated timeline, per Reuters.
The advocates had previously won a ruling from Boardman blocking the administration's initial 2025 executive order on the same issue. But because their existing case never referenced the newly issued 2026 order, the judge concluded she could not grant a temporary restraining order at this stage. Instead, she permitted the groups to update their filing and established a fast-track briefing schedule for renewed arguments against the measure.
Procedural Status
Friday's decision sidesteps the constitutionality of the new order entirely, centering instead on a technical mismatch: the lawsuit on file targets the 2025 order and contains no mention of its 2026 successor. Boardman's ruling bridges that gap by allowing an amended complaint and compressing the timeline for additional submissions.
Context of the Challenge
The latest order lands after the Supreme Court refused to let the administration enforce a comparable birthright citizenship restriction. The earlier litigation had already produced a block on the 2025 directive, and the current effort aims to extend that protection to the new measure, which the plaintiffs contend is essentially the same policy in different packaging.
What This Means Right Now
Advocates can now amend their existing lawsuit to target the new executive order, with the court imposing a rapid briefing schedule.
The new order remains operative for the moment, though a future ruling against it could halt enforcement once the amended challenge is heard.
Those affected by the order should anticipate further court activity in the near term as the judge reviews the updated complaint.