A federal judge again barred President Donald Trump‘s administration from enforcing his executive order limiting birthright citizenship nationwide after the Supreme Court restricted the ability of judges to block his policies using nationwide injunctions.

U.S. District Judge Joseph Laplante in Concord, New Hampshire, made the ruling July 10 after immigrant rights advocates implored him to grant class action status to a lawsuit they filed seeking to represent any babies whose citizenship status would be threatened by the implementation of Trump’s directive.

Laplante agreed the plaintiffs could proceed as a class, allowing him to issue a fresh judicial order blocking implementation of the Republican president’s policy nationally.

The question of whether to issue an injunction was “not a close call,” he said, noting children could be deprived of U.S. citizenship if Trump’s order took effect.

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

The judge said he would stay his ruling for a few days to allow the Trump administration to appeal and would issue a written decision by the end of the day.

The American Civil Liberties Union and others filed the suit just hours after the Supreme Court on June 27 issued a 6-3 ruling, powered by its conservative majority, that narrowed three nationwide injunctions issued by judges in separate challenges to Trump’s directive.

The suit was filed on behalf of non-U.S. citizens living in the United States whose babies might be affected.

Under the Supreme Court’s decision, Trump’s executive order would take effect on July 27.

Looking to seize upon an exception in the Supreme Court’s ruling, the lawyers for the plaintiffs argued that the decision allows judges to continue to block Trump policies on a nationwide basis in class action lawsuits.

The three judges who issued nationwide injunctions found that Trump’s directive likely violates citizenship language in the U.S. Constitution’s 14th Amendment. The amendment states that all “persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside.”

The Justice Department has argued that Trump’s order conforms with the Constitution and has asked Laplante to find that the plaintiffs cannot sue as a class.

The Supreme Court’s ruling did not address the legal merits of Trump’s order, which the Republican president issued as part of his hardline immigration agenda on his first day back in office in January.

Trump’s order directs federal agencies to refuse to recognize the citizenship of U.S.-born children who do not have at least one parent who is an American citizen or lawful permanent resident, also known as a “green card” holder.

More than 150,000 newborns would be denied citizenship annually if it takes effect nationally, according to Democratic-led states and immigrant rights advocates who have challenged it.

USAToday

Law teacher, rights lawyer and one-time Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Prof. Chidi Odinkalu, has called for a radical change in Nigeria’s electoral jurisprudence, insisting on the inclusion of voters who are the real stakeholders in post-election legal proceedings.

Odinkalu spoke at the private book reading of his new book — The Selectorate, When Judges Topple The People —in Abuja at the weekend.

Condemning the current legal framework, which limits the right to challenge election outcomes solely to political parties and candidates, he argued that this disenfranchises the very people whose votes are at stake.

“Our votes are not negotiable. If it’s about our votes, then the people, ordinary citizens, should have a legal right to participate in the election petition process. You cannot exclude the electorate and say it’s only the candidates and parties that matter in court. We are the ones who queued to vote.”

The book, an incisive critique of judicial interference in democratic processes, accuses the judiciary of complicity in subverting the will of the people through questionable election rulings.

Odinkalu maintains that a small circle of judges cannot be allowed to determine electoral outcomes without accountability to the citizens affected by their decisions.

“I feel violated as a citizen when judges determine my vote, and I’m told to just accept it. Lawyers like myself will tell you the Supreme Court has spoken, but the Supreme Court doesn’t vote. The people do. Supreme Court judges don’t vote, so defend your votes”, he said.

He further likened the exclusion of citizens in election petition cases to the fate of local governments in constitutional disputes. “In cases of local government autonomy, the Federal and State governments argue, but local governments the real victims are not even invited. The same thing happens with voters during election disputes.”

The law teacher then called for a national re-evaluation of the limits of citizen participation in Nigeria’s democratic process. “We don’t have to win the case. But if the people show up at the courts en masse, even without being parties to the case, it sends a powerful political signal. We must organize, protest, and insist on our right to defend our votes.”

He urged Nigerians to build a political movement that places citizens at the centre of electoral justice. “Victory doesn’t have to be judicial; sometimes, it must be political. We need to put ourselves in the conversation not just as voters on election day, but as defenders of democracy every day after.”

According to Chidi Odinkalu, if democracy is to mean anything, it must be rooted in the will of the people, not the pronouncements of an elite judiciary.

Through compelling storytelling and rigorous analysis in this new book, he makes the case for reclaiming electoral legitimacy from the hands of unelected power brokers.

The Selectorate is a rallying cry for all who believe that democracy is worth defending and that it must be defended not just from politicians but from judges who wield unchecked power.

The Benue State Emergency Management Agency, BSEMA, revealed that about 380 pregnant women displaced from Yelewata community in Guma Local Government Area of the state are currently taking refuge at the Makurdi Ultra Modern International Market temporary Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, camp.

The manager of the camp, Robert Nyom, who made this known in Makurdi, also disclosed that the facility is home to about 2,536 children.

According to him, “We have more than registered 2,336 households in the camp comprising 5,294 individuals. The figure is made up of 2,536 children, 389 pregnant women, 233 aged women and 181 aged men.”

He denied allegations that children from the camp were being given out for care, emphasising that there was a procedure to be followed for that purpose and BSEMA had not received any request from anybody for that purpose.

On plans by BSEMA to return the IDPs to their ancestral homes, he said the government would make adequate arrangements for their safety, security and well-being before returning them to Yelewata.

He explained that BSEMA had not closed the camp and had not made moves to evacuate the displaced persons back to their community, advising those eager to return home to be patient and to allow the government to put everything in place before their return.

He noted the important roles the government, as well as public-spirited individuals and organisations, have been playing in providing food and non-food items for the upkeep of the IDPs, pointing out that despite the interventions, more was required to meet the needs of the IDPs.

Vanguard

• Nigerian non-immigrant visas to the US reduced to three months, single entry

The United States Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will no longer require travellers to remove their shoes during security checks at U.S. airports, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced on Tuesday, ending an unpopular policy.

This is even as the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the United States have introduced new visa restrictions policies for Nigerian passport holders, further restricting travel opportunities for citizens of the West African nation.

TSA had been requiring most U.S. air travellers to remove their shoes during screening for nearly two decades.

The new policy began nationwide implementation on Tuesday.

“We expect this change will drastically decrease passenger wait times at our TSA checkpoints, leading to a more pleasant and efficient passenger experience,” Noem said in a statement.

The TSA began requiring passengers to remove their shoes for screening in August 2006. The policy was implemented nearly five years after the 9/11 attacks, and when Richard Reid, who is known as the “shoe bomber,” used matches in an attempt to ignite explosive devices hidden in his shoes on a flight from Paris to Miami.

More than 1 billion passengers flew through U.S. airports in fiscal 2023 on over 10 million flights, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.

“We are very confident that we can continue to provide hospitality to folks and for American travelers and for those visiting our country, while maintaining the same standard of security for passengers and for our homeland,” Noem said at a news conference at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia.

Noem highlighted advancements in security technology and processes as reasons for the removal of the policy but noted that some individuals may be asked to remove their shoes “if we think there’s additional layers of screening that is necessary.”

In 2013, TSA launched the PreCheck Trusted Traveller programme, whose members are not required to remove their shoes. Children under 12 and adults 75 years or older are exempt from removing their shoes.

Noem did not think the new policy would degrade the PreCheck program.

“I believe PreCheck will still be something that many travelers will want to utilize, because when they have TSA PreCheck, they won’t have to take off their belt or their coat or remove things out of their bag such as laptops or compliant liquids,” he said.

In a statement, the Department of Homeland Security said other aspects of TSA’s security process would remain unchanged for most other travellers.

“For example, passengers (must) still clear identity verification, Secure Flight vetting, and other processes,” the department said.

In the meantime, a press release issued by the US Embassy in Abuja on Tuesday announced that: “most non-immigrant and non-diplomatic visas issued to citizens of Nigeria will be single-entry visas with a three-month validity period.”

The new visa restrictions take immediate effect.

While the US has halted the issuance of multiple-entry visas to certain categories of Nigerian travellers, citing “reciprocity” as the reason for the policy change, the UAE government has banned transit visas for Nigerians.

According to reports, the UAE’s new directive—communicated to travel agencies on Tuesday—restricts Nigerian applicants aged 18 to 46 who are travelling alone from obtaining tourist visas.

Applicants aged 45 and above, under the new rules, must submit a personal Nigerian bank statement for the past six months, with a minimum ending balance of $10,000 or its naira equivalent.

The US policy change, effective July 8, 2025, limits most non-immigrant and non-diplomatic visas issued to Nigerian citizens to single-entry with a three-month validity.

However, existing US non-immigrant visas issued before July 8, 2025, will remain valid under their original terms.

Travel expert Ikechi Uko believes the US visa policy change could prompt the Nigerian government to modernise its outdated visa system. “Our visa policy is not modern,” Uko said. “Multiple-entry visas, long-term visas, and airport visa-on-arrival for countries that offer Nigeria the same would be beneficial.”

He noted that countries like Ghana, Morocco, Kenya, and Qatar have adopted more relaxed visa policies to attract visitors.

The new visa restrictions have raised concerns about their potential impact on travel, business, and diplomatic relations between Nigeria and the two countries.

The US Embassy in Nigeria emphasized that visa reciprocity is an ongoing process subject to review and change, with the aim of ensuring secure travel documentation, managing visa overstays, and enhancing security cooperation.

As the Nigerian government navigates these developments, stakeholders are calling for reforms to make the country’s visa policy more attractive and competitive.

With the UAE and US tightening their visa policies, frequent flyer Bode Oluwafemi believes Nigeria must find a balance between addressing security concerns and facilitating travel and commerce.

Reuters/Tribune

By Olivia Allhusen

Hundreds of kindergarten pupils have been poisoned after cooks used paint to decorate their meals.

More than 200 children in northwestern China fell ill with potential lead poisoning from date cakes and corn rolls, state media said on Tuesday.

Investigators found ‘abnormal’ levels of lead in the blood of 233 children at Peixin Kindergarten in Tianshui city, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

Of those, 201 of the children are being treated in the hospital.

Food safety scandals were once common in China, where tainted milk formula made hundreds of thousands of babies ill in 2008 and was linked to six deaths.

City authorities investigated the head of the kindergarten last week after receiving reports that children were falling ill.

A parent told the state-run Jimu News tabloid last week that children had been experiencing stomach pain and nausea, and that some of their teeth turned black.

Testing revealed that samples of three-colour steamed date cakes and corn rolls contained more than 2,000 times the national safety standard for food contaminants.

The cake, served at breakfast, returned a reading of 1,052 milligrams per kilogram and the roll, served at another meal, was found with 1,340 milligrams per kilogram.

The nationwide limit for lead in wheat and starch is 0.5 milligrams per kilogram, according to Chinese government records.

CCTV said security footage shows kitchen staff adding packaged yellow colouring to a flour mix used in both contaminated dishes.

The kindergarten’s principal, surnamed Zhu, and an investor surnamed Li have been detained along with six other people, CCTV said. Two others are on ‘bail pending trial’.

Investigators found that Zhu and Li allowed kitchen staff to produce food using paint pigments purchased online that were later found to contain lead and were marked inedible.

Testing among children attending other kindergartens linked with Peixin returned normal results.

Food safety standards have generally improved across China but revelations last year that cooking oil had been transported in containers also used to carry fuel sparked outrage across Chinese social media.

© Daily Mail