[author: Laura Anne Schierhoff]
A federal Judge in Maryland issued a ruling to block provisions of President Trump’s March 6th Executive Order. The Executive Order (EO) was a revision from a previously blocked EO, which bans foreign nationals from six countries identified as being state sponsors of terrorism. The EO was scheduled to take effect on March 16th, but first a Judge from the Federal District Court in Honolulu, Hawaii granted a temporary restraining order that enjoined the Trump Administration from implementing the EO. Then, U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang in Maryland issued an injunction that enjoined the Trump Administration from barring entry into the U.S. by immigrants from six majority-Muslim countries. Like the Judge in Hawaii, Chuang cited Trump’s negative statements about Muslim immigrants during the campaign. The scope of each Judge’s ruling is different. In the challenge brought by Hawaii, Judge Derrick Watson blocked the federal government from enforcing its travel ban from the six majority-Muslim countries and its suspension of the U.S.’s refugee program. While Judge Chuang only blocked the travel ban.
