On March 15, 2017, federal courts in Maryland, Hawaii and
Washington heard arguments on motions to preliminarily enjoin the
New Executive Order ("New EO"), which was issued by
President Trump on March 6, 2017. Judge Derrick K. Watson of the
U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii was the first to
issue such an order (as described below), which essentially
prevents implementation of the New EO's travel and refugee
restrictions. Shortly thereafter, Judge Theodore Chuang in Maryland
also issued an order restraining the New EO's travel
restrictions for similar reasons.
Judge Watson's order enjoins key provisions of President
Trump's New EO entitled "Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry
into the United States." Judge Watson found that the New
EO likely violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment
to the United States Constitution because "a reasonable,
objective observer—enlightened by the specific historical
context, contemporaneous