Bid to block Trump’s cancellation of birthright citizenship in court

US President Donald Trump signs an executive order on birthright citizenship in the Oval Office of the White House, on Monday (Evan Vucci/AP)

A federal judge in Seattle is set to hear the first arguments on Thursday in a multi-state lawsuit seeking to block US President Donald Trump’s executive order ending the constitutional guarantee of birthright citizenship regardless of the parents’ immigration status.

US District Judge John Coughenour, a Ronald Reagan appointee, scheduled the session to consider the request from Arizona, Illinois, Oregon and Washington.