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A federal judge, John Coughenour, temporarily blocked Trump's executive order denying citizenship to children of undocumented parents, calling it "blatantly unconstitutional."
Judge John Coughenour: Veteran jurist defending constitutional principles with tenacity. (Photo source: X@DisavowTrump20)
UPDATED: Jan 24, 2025 17:43 IST
A federal judge on Thursday temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s executive order denying U.S. citizenship to the children of parents living in the country illegally, calling it “blatantly unconstitutional” during the first hearing in a multi-state effort challenging the order.
“I’ve been on the bench for over four decades. I can’t remember another case where the question presented was as clear as this one is,” U.S. District Judge John Coughenour told a Justice Department attorney. “This is a blatantly unconstitutional order.”
Thursday’s decision prevents the Trump administration from taking steps to implement the executive order for 14 days. However, Coughenour scheduled a hearing on February 6 to decide whether to block it long-term as the case proceeds.
Here is everything you need to know about Judge John Coughenour, who blocked the executive order.
Coughenour, 84, got his law degree from the University of Iowa in 1966. He was appointed to the bench by President Ronald Reagan in 1981. He’s been a federal judge for more than four decades and has taken semi-retired “senior status” but continues hearing cases. He has a reputation as a tough, independent and sometimes cantankerous jurist. Newly elected Washington Attorney General Nick Brown — a former Seattle US attorney — said after Thursday’s hearing that he wasn’t surprised by Coughenour’s reaction to the “absurdity” of the executive order.“I’ve been in front of Judge Coughenour before to see his frustration personally,” Brown said. “But I think the words that he expressed, and the seriousness that he expressed, really just drove home what we have been saying. ... This is fairly obvious.”
Among the thousands of cases Coughenour has handled, covering everything from criminal to environmental law, probably the most famous was that of “millennium bomber” Ahmed Ressam. Ressam was arrested entering the US in December 1999 with a trunk full of explosives and plans to bomb Los Angeles Airport on New Year’s Eve.
Coughenour repeatedly butted heads with federal prosecutors during Ressam’s sentencing, disagreeing about how much credit Ressam should receive for cooperating with them after his conviction. Twice Coughenour sentenced Ressam to 22 years — far less than prosecutors were seeking — and twice the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals overturned him.
(With input from AP)
Published By:
indiatodayglobal
Published On:
Jan 24, 2025
