Federal Judge in Hawaii Extends Injunction Against Trump’s Muslim Travel Ban
Tonight, the injunction blocking Donald Trump’s Muslim ban has been extended by federal Judge Derrick Watson in Hawaii.
The original injunction was only valid for 14 days; this will keep Trump’s bigoted order from being enforced until the issue is decided in court.
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - A federal judge in Hawaii on Wednesday extended the state’s block on President Trump’s revised travel ban, issuing a preliminary injunction that will keep the executive order shelved while its fate is decided in court.
U.S. District Judge Derrick Watson first granted the state’s request for a TRO on the ban two weeks ago, preventing the federal government from suspending new visas for people from six Muslim-majority countries and freezing the nation’s refugee program.
“It is always in the public’s interest to protect constitutional rights,” Hawaii Attorney General Doug Chin said in court on Wednesday.
During the hearing, attorneys for the state told Judge Watson that comments made by President Trump on the day of Watson’s previous ruling — where the president called the revised travel ban a “watered down” version of the order — served to strengthen their stance.
“If [the state’s] position was strong two weeks ago, it is stronger today,” said Chin, who added that President Trump’s “plainly worded statements betray the executive order’s stated purpose.
Chin later read aloud for the court a series of the president’s previous quotes, dating back to the campaign trail, that were critical of the Muslim faith or Muslim refugees.
“Even devoting a minute to stringing these together really drives the point home,” he said.