October 18, 2017
U.S. District Court in Hawaii Blocks Implementation of Travel Ban for 6 out of 8 Countries
On Tuesday, October 17, 2017, Hawaii District Court Judge Derrick Watson issued a Temporary Restraining Order halting the implementation of President Trump’s most recent travel ban across the country. According to the decision, the U.S. government is prohibited from enforcing and implementing the ban on nationals from Chad, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen. The travel ban will still be effective for nationals of North Korea and certain government officials and their immediate family from Venezuela.
Judge Watson stated that the current travel ban “suffers from precisely the same maladies as its predecessor” and that it “plainly discriminates based on nationality.” Further litigation is expected as the decision may be appealed and the District Court will need to determine whether to extend the Temporary Restraining Order.
Maryland District Court Judge Theodore Chuang issued a similar order on Wednesday morning. Judge Chuang’s decision prohibits the U.S. government from applying the travel ban to individuals with bona fide ties to a person or business in the United States. Similarly, the Maryland decision will not apply to North Korean or certain Venezuelan nationals. A third challenge to the most recent travel ban is also pending in the state of Washington.