A federal judge in Hawaii and another in Maryland issued restraining orders blocking President Trump’s second attempt at a ban halting travel from six predominantly Muslim countries—Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. The orders also temporarily block the restriction on the number of refugees that can enter the U.S.
U.S. District Judge Derrick K. Watson of Federal District Court in Honolulu said that the updated executive order still appeared to promote discrimination against Muslims “in spite of its stated, religiously neutral purpose.” In Maryland, Judge Theodore D. Chuang reached a similar conclusion on the revised travel ban later in the day.
President Trump aggressively responded to Judge Watson’s ruling at a campaign-style rally in Nashville late on Wednesday, saying that “this ruling makes us look weak, which by way we no longer are, believe me.”
While the restraining orders set in motion by federal judges in Hawaii and Maryland only temporarily prevent the travel ban from taking place, it’s entirely possible that the courts will overturn it completely.
More information on the blocking of the ban is available via The New York Times. And more information on the second version of the ban and some industry response is available in our previous news coverage.
