WASHINGTON (OSV News) — Another federal court blocked President Donald Trump’s executive order seeking to restrict birthright citizenship — the fourth such ruling since the U.S. Supreme Court issued a related ruling in June.
The same week, pressure mounted in Texas Republicans’ attempt to redraw their congressional map, Trump’s new tariffs went into effect, and he authorized the creation of plans for military force against some Latin American drug cartels.
Another court blocks Trump’s birthright citizenship order
A federal judge in Maryland ruled Aug. 7 the Trump administration cannot withhold citizenship from children born in the U.S. to parents without legal status or temporary visa holders.
U.S. District Judge Deborah Boardman in Greenbelt said her ruling “comports with old and recent Supreme Court precedent.”
Back in June, the high court issued a ruling, related to Trump’s executive order on birthright citizenship, that limited the ability of federal judges to issue nationwide injunctions, but indicated such challenges could proceed as class-action suits.
“Here, the Court finds that the only way to afford complete relief to the certified class is to enjoin enforcement of the Executive Order as to each member of the class,” Boardman wrote. “That relief must include every child in the United States who is subject to the Executive Order. After all, the Executive Order does not target only children born in Maryland; it seeks to deny citizenship to ‘persons born in the United States.’ Anything less than classwide relief would not provide complete relief to the class.”
Plaintiffs and class counsel in CASA v. Trump celebrated the ruling.
“I am proud to be a class representative in this lawsuit, and I will continue to proudly represent other families like mine who are fighting for their children’s constitutional rights,” Liza, a plaintiff in the lawsuit and member of the Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project identified by her first name, said in a statement. “Today’s decision affirms that U.S.-born children have a constitutional right to U.S. citizenship, regardless of their parents’ immigration status.”
“Judge Boardman’s rulings make clear that, after the Supreme Court’s decision limiting universal injunctions, a preliminary injunction protecting all members of the plaintiff class — all babies born or who will be born in the U.S. and to whom the Executive Order would otherwise apply — is necessary to ensure that no one loses their constitutionally guaranteed citizenship under this blatantly unlawful Executive Order,” William Powell, senior counsel at the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection at Georgetown University, added. “We look forward to continuing to protect the right to birthright citizenship that the Constitution provides.”
If Trump’s order, which is part of his administration’s broader effort to implement his hardline immigration policies, were enforced, it would end birthright citizenship for children born in the U.S. to parents without legal status or to temporary visa holders.
The order is among the Trump administration’s immigration actions that have been met with criticism from the U.S. bishops.
Others have criticized the order as well, calling it a violation of the Constitution’s 14th Amendment, which states, “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.”
Texas redistricting battle crosses state lines
A political battle over congressional lines before the 2026 midterms that originated in Texas has spread to state capitols across the country as Trump pushes the GOP to create maps more favorable to preserve their congressional majorities for the latter half of his second term.
Redistricting, or the process of allocating congressional representation, relies on data from the census for distributing House representation and drawing lines on congressional districts.
Gerrymandering is a term used to describe when these district lines are drawn in such a way as to benefit one party or sometimes a particular individual who holds it.
However, redistricting sometimes occurs later than in the wake of a census, which occurs once a decade. Sometimes states have to redraw their maps when courts say they have been unfairly gerrymandered. Sometimes courts have directed states to correct maps that disadvantaged some racial groups, for example.
Trump has argued Republicans are “entitled to five more seats” in the Lone Star State. As Texas Republicans pushed to redraw their map accordingly, Texas Democratic lawmakers left the state to deny them the legislative quorum they would need to approve the new map. Texas Republican officials, including Gov. Greg Abbott, U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, have attempted to have courts remove the House Democratic leader from his seat, and sought for the FBI to arrest them for leaving, despite arguments they lack the authority to carry out such enforcement.
The redistricting push in Texas has sparked similar fights nationwide, notably in California as well, where Gov. Gavin Newsom, widely seen as a potential contender for the Democratic Party’s nomination in 2028, is attempting to circumvent Republicans’ efforts.
“The idea that the president of the United States says he’s entitled to five seats should sicken everybody,” Newsom said at a press conference Aug. 7. “There’s nothing normal about that and anyone who says it’s not surprising is normalizing it. That’s shocking.”
Trump’s new tariffs take effect
On Aug. 8, a new wave of tariffs on goods from dozens of countries including the European Union became subject to tariffs of 10% or more.
Separately, Trump added 25% tariffs on imports from India because it has purchased Russian oil amid that country’s invasion of Ukraine, bringing India’s total rate to 50%.
Trump argued the tariffs, or a tax imposed by a government on imported goods, would protect American manufacturing, but some economists have cautioned they will raise consumer prices on many consumer goods, with some economists also predicting they could lead to a recession.
Religious goods industry professionals previously told OSV News the tariffs created uncertainty for their businesses.
Trump authorizes military plans against Latin American cartels
Trump has authorized the Pentagon to make plans for military action against some Latin American drug cartels, according to multiple reports.
The New York Times reported Trump signed a directive for the creation of plans for the use of military force against some cartels the administration considers terrorist organizations in a purported attempt to curb the flow of fentanyl and other drugs into the U.S.
The order could result in direct military operations on foreign soil against cartels.
“President Trump’s top priority is protecting the homeland, which is why he took the bold step to designate several cartels and gangs as foreign terrorist organizations,” White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly told the Journal.
The Journal reported the Trump administration previously designated eight cartels as terrorist groups, with six being in Mexico. The other two are in Venezuela and El Salvador.
Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum told reporters at an Aug. 8 press conference there would be “no invasion of Mexico.”
As explained in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, legitimate defense by military force is morally permitted under strict conditions all present at one and the same time: the “lasting, grave and certain” damage from the aggressor, the exhaustion of all other efforts to end such damage, “serious prospects of success,” and the use of arms such that graver evils and disorders are not produced.
Trump to replace IRS head Billy Long
Trump will remove Billy Long as commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service less than two months after his Senate confirmation, according to multiple reports.
Long, a former Republican congressman, is expected to be nominated to an ambassadorship, The New York Times reported. It is unclear who will be nominated instead to lead the tax agency, although Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is expected to be acting commissioner until Long’s permanent replacement is made.
During his short tenure, Long indicated the IRS under the Trump administration would not enforce a longstanding policy against houses of worship endorsing candidates for political office at risk of their tax-exempt status.
Kate Scanlon is a national reporter for OSV News covering Washington. Follow her on X @kgscanlon.
