By Heidi Rand
“See You In Court!”
After Trump’s first travel ban (call it what it was: The President’s Muslim Ban) was slapped down by the courts, he came back with a somewhat toned-down second Executive Order (EO). Travel Ban Jr was halted before it went into effect by Hawaii district court judge Derrick Watson’s nationwide preliminary injunction.
Judge Watson decided that evidence such as statements Trump made when campaigning, showed the EO was likely motivated by anti-Muslim sentiment in violation of the Constitution’s Establishment Clause.
The government appealed to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals – yes, the same court that struck down the first Muslim ban. A different three-judge panel, Judges Michael Daly Hawkins, Ronald M. Gould and Richard A. Paez, all appointed by Bill Clinton, will decide this appeal.
Watch the oral argument live on Monday, May 15 starting at 9:30 am PT – stream via the court’s website or tune in on C-SPAN.
Find out more about the arguments — read the parties’ briefs, the district court’s orders, and amicus (friend of the court) briefs filed by more than 50 groups.
And after the argument? It’s impossible to predict what (and when) the Ninth will decide about Travel Ban Jr. But whatever the outcome, it’ll be big news, so stay tuned for alerts and/or calls to action.
