High-powered lawyers lobbed new legal grenades Monday at President Trump’s executive order stopping travel from seven majority-Muslim countries, asking federal courts to go beyond this weekend’s ruling and declare broad parts of the new policy unconstitutional.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations filed one lawsuit, while another was lodged by Bob Ferguson, the attorney general in Washington state.
Lawsuits filed over the weekend generally sought to free individuals who got snared in the new policy, but the new challenges go much broader. They argue both the pause on refugee resettlement and the temporary halt to admissions from Iran, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Sudan, Somalia and Yemen are unconstitutional.
“No one is above the law — not even the president,” Mr. Ferguson said in announcing his case. “And in the courtroom, it is not the loudest voice that prevails. It’s the Constitution.”
His lawsuit argues Mr. Trump’s order his hurting residents and businesses of his state and undercuts Washington’s efforts to make itself welcoming to immigrants and refugees.
A federal judge in New York ruled late Saturday that the U.S. couldn’t deport any of those snared in the policy, but that ruling was limited to those who managed to get to American soil with legal visas who were detained.
Mr. Trump still has legal authority to prevent those still overseas from attempting to enter, and legal scholars have said those presidential powers have generally been considered quite broad.
Still, the groups said they felt compelled to take a stand.
“In defending the muslim community we are defending the best values of this country,” said Nihad Awad, executive director of CAIR.
• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.
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