Hawaii becomes 1st state to sue over trumps new travel ban

A significant development!

Yes, you're correct. On March 7, 2017, the state of Hawaii became the first state to sue the Trump administration over its revised travel ban, which was announced on March 6, 2017. The lawsuit was filed in federal court in Honolulu, seeking to block the ban from taking effect.

The revised travel ban, also known as Executive Order 13780, aimed to restrict travel to the United States from six predominantly Muslim countries: Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen. The ban also suspended the U.S. refugee resettlement program for 120 days.

Hawaii's lawsuit argued that the travel ban was unconstitutional and violated the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment, which prohibits the government from favoring one religion over another. The state also claimed that the ban would cause harm to its residents, including students, workers, and visitors who would be affected by the travel restrictions.

The lawsuit was filed by Hawaii Attorney General Douglas Chin, who stated that the state had a strong interest in protecting its residents and visitors from discrimination and harm. Chin also argued that the travel ban was not based on national security concerns, but rather on religious discrimination.

The lawsuit was joined by several other states, including Washington, Minnesota, New York, California, Maryland, Massachusetts, and Virginia, which also filed lawsuits challenging the travel ban.

On March 15, 2017, a federal judge in Hawaii issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) blocking the travel ban from taking effect, citing the state's likelihood of success in its lawsuit. The TRO was later extended by a federal appeals court, and the travel ban was ultimately blocked by a federal judge in Maryland in October 2017.

The Trump administration appealed the decision to the Supreme Court, which ultimately upheld the travel ban in a 5-4 decision in June 2018. However, the court's decision was limited to the specific travel ban at issue, and did not address the broader constitutional issues raised by the states' lawsuits.