Meet Judge Joseph Laplante: The Man Who Defied Trump on Birthright Citizenship

Joseph Laplante, a federal judge in New Hampshire, issued on Thursday the ruling preventing President Donald Trump’s executive order to cease birthright citizenship. The preliminary injunction granted by the judge certified a class action case representing all children that would be impacted by the president’s order.

Ruling Follows Supreme Court Limit on Nationwide Injunctions

This occurs just days after the Supreme Court limited the jurisdiction of district court judges to enter nationwide injunctions unless plaintiffs in a case are certified as a nationwide class. Judge Laplante determined that the class in his recent ruling was up to the standard.

It is likely that birthright citizenship will return to the Supreme Court. “This is going to protect every single child around the country from this lawless, unconstitutional and cruel executive order,” said Cody Wofsy, an attorney for the plaintiffs.

Lawsuit Filed on Behalf of Families and Infants

The lawsuit was filed on behalf of a pregnant woman, two parents and their infants. Laplante said he does not consider the government’s arguments frivolous, but found them unpersuasive.

He said his decision to issue an injunction was “not a close call” and that deprivation of US citizenship clearly amounted to irreparable harm.

“That’s irreparable harm, citizenship alone,” he said. “It is the greatest privilege that exists in the world.”

Who is Judge Joseph Laplante?

Joseph Normand Laplante, born in 1965 in Nashua, New Hampshire, is an experienced federal judge who was assigned to the US District Court for the District of New Hampshire in 2007 by President George W Bush. Laplante is a Georgetown University (BA, 1987) and Georgetown Law (JD, 1990) alumnus, having worked as a law clerk, prosecutor for the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office (1993–1998), and Assistant U.S. Attorney (1998–2007)..