A U.S. appeals court appeared likely on Wednesday to conclude that President Donald Trump's executive order curtailing automatic birthright citizenship is unconstitutional, though it may wait for the Supreme Court to first decide whether to narrow judicial orders that have prevented it from taking effect.

The arguments at the courtroom in downtown Seattle were far different from a few months ago when a judge called Trump's order "blatantly unconstitutional."

The Justice Department on Wednesday pressed a federal appeals court to reverse a judge’s ruling that blocked nationwide President Donald Trump’s effort to end birthright citizenship.