ALEXANDRIA, Va. — A federal court judge in Virginia has ruled that the revised travel ban instituted by President Donald Trump’s executive order is legal according to The Hill.
Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson joined a lawsuit filed by Washington State earlier in March. NBC reports Judge James Robart in Seattle believed the two travel bans were different enough where an injunction couldn’t carry over.
The travel ban was stopped by a Federal Judge from Hawaii mere hours before it would take effect.
The proposed ban would halt new visas for six predominantly Muslim countries: Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen. The revised ban removed Iraq from the original plan. The national refugee program would have also been suspended for 120 days to evaluate current immigration policies.
Reuters reports that the Virginia lawsuit, filed by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) was ultimately overturned by Judge Anthony Trenga, an appointee of former President George Bush.
Trenga wrote, “order did not mention religion, the court could not look behind it at Trump’s statements about a “Muslim ban” to determine what was in the “drafter’s heart of hearts,” according to Reuters.
CAIR-MN has expressed their disappointment with Trump’s travel ban in the past. “The Trump Administration seeks to make this discriminatory ban more palatable to the courts, we must continue to challenge it for what it is, the Administration’s attempt to legalize bigotry,” said CAIR-MN Executive Director Jaylani Hussein. “This new Executive Order betrays our American values and will aid our enemies and make us less safe,” CAIR wrote in a statement when the revised ban was announced.
The conflicting decisions by Federal Court Judges could propel the travel ban issue to the Supreme Court. The confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Judge Neil Gorsuch could be the 5-4 tie-breaker needed to implement the ban.
Preya Samsundar
Preya Samsundar was born and raised in Minneapolis, MN. She graduated from the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities this Spring with a B.A. in Political Science and Sociology, with a minor in Strategic Communications. Preya has previously worked on several State Campaign Races.
