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Hours after he swore an oath to “preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States," President Donald J. Trump on Monday brazenly violated it.

In an executive order, Mr. Trump effectively drew a line through an entire section of the 14th Amendment as it’s been understood for more than a century. In particular, Mr. Trump declared the end of what’s called “birthright citizenship” – the right of citizenship for people born on American soil – if those people are the children of undocumented immigrants.

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Fortunately, at least one court quickly blocked the order. In Seattle, U.S. District Judge John Coughenour issued a 14-day restraining order and called the executive order “blatantly unconstitutional.” That case, bought by Arizona, Illinois, Oregon and Washington, is one of five lawsuits brought by 22 states, including New York,........

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