The US Supreme Court appeared divided on Thursday on whether federal judges have the right to issue nationwide blocks to presidential decrees, as they heard arguments about President Donald Trump's bid to scrap birthright citizenship.

The case before the court involved Trump's executive order ending automatic citizenship for children born on American soil, but the question at hand was whether a single district court can freeze an executive branch move with a universal injunction.

Other Trump initiatives have also been blocked by judges -- both Democratic and Republican appointees -- leading the president to make an emergency appeal to the Supreme Court, where conservatives make up a 6-3 majority.

A ruling by the court in favor of the administration could have far-reaching ramifications for the ability of the judiciary to rein in Trump or future American presidents.

Both conservative and liberal justices expressed concerns during oral arguments about the increasing use of nationwide injunctions by district courts in recent years, but appeared divided and uncertain about how to tackle the issue.

Arguments had been........

© International Business Times