A famously liberal circuit court ruled in President Trump’s favor, authorizing a component of his sweeping effort to assert more control over the federal bureaucracy.

Donato concluded Trump's order retaliated against unions deemed critical of the president and that had sued over his efforts to overhaul the government, including the mass firings of agency employees, violating their right to free speech under the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment.

A federal appeals court appeared ready on Friday to become the second such court in the country to rule that President Donald Trump’s executive order seeking to end birthright citizenship is unlawful.