Washington (CNN) A federal judge in Utah said Thursday that American Samoans are US citizens and should be issued new passports reflecting that.

"This court is not imposing 'citizenship by judicial fiat.' The action is required by the mandate of the Fourteenth Amendment as construed and applied by Supreme Court precedent," wrote Judge Clark Waddoups in the US District Court for the District of Utah.

"Further, Plaintiffs are American Samoans. They brought this action seeking to realize their rights to citizenship under the Fourteenth Amendment," he added. It's unclear whether Waddoups' order applies to American Samoans beyond Utah.

"It's an overwhelming victory but it's the first step in what will likely be several more steps," said Neil Weare, attorney for the plaintiffs and the president and founder of the non-profit Equally American.

In 2016, the Supreme Court declined to reconsider a ruling in a similar case from the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit that the Constitution does not confer citizenship on those born in American Samoa.

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