The Supreme Court is set to hear oral arguments on May 15 in Trump v. Barbara, a case brought by a class of children who would lose citizenship under the executive order, according to the Connecticut Attorney General's office. The order, issued on Trump's first day in office in 2025, has been blocked by federal courts and never took effect.
The coalition argued in a joint statement released April 1 that the executive order "violates our Constitution, federal statutes, and the rule that has governed our Nation for more than 150 years." The attorneys general contend the order violates the Fourteenth Amendment and Section 1401 of the Immigration and Nationality Act.
The Trump administration is expected to defend the order before the Court. The U.S. Solicitor General's position has not yet been made public.
Groups of states, including Connecticut, filed lawsuits challenging the order in federal courts in Washington and Massachusetts, obtaining nationwide preliminary injunctions that prevented implementation, the AG's office said. The coalition said it was confident the Supreme Court would agree with every lower court that has considered the order on the merits.
Attorney General Tong has a personal connection to the case. He became the first U.S. citizen in his immediate family through birthright citizenship when he was born in Hartford in 1973, according to his office. He later became the first Asian American elected to state office in Connecticut and the first Chinese American elected attorney general nationally.
The coalition includes attorneys general from Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia.