The coalition released a joint statement on April 1, 2026, ahead of oral arguments scheduled for May 15 in the case challenging the executive order issued on Trump's first day in office in January 2025. The order seeks to redefine citizenship rights guaranteed under the Fourteenth Amendment since 1868, according to the attorneys general.
"The President's executive order redefining birthright citizenship violates our Constitution, federal statutes, and the rule that has governed our Nation for more than 150 years," the attorneys general stated. The coalition argues the order violates both the Fourteenth Amendment and Section 1401 of the Immigration and Nationality Act.
Multiple state coalitions, including Connecticut, filed federal lawsuits challenging the executive order after its issuance, according to the press release. Courts in the Western District of Washington and the District of Massachusetts granted nationwide preliminary injunctions blocking the order from taking effect, according to the coalition.
Barbara v. Trump was brought by a class of children who would lose citizenship under the order, according to the coalition. The 24 attorneys general filed their amicus brief in support of those children.
Tong, who was born in Hartford in 1973 and became the first U.S. citizen in his immediate family by right of birth on American soil, said the case carries personal significance, according to the release.
If the executive order is allowed to stand, thousands of babies born each year who would otherwise be citizens will no longer have the privileges and benefits of citizenship, the attorneys general said — a change they described as unprecedented since the Fourteenth Amendment's adoption in 1868.