A federal judge in Hawaii decided on Wednesday to extend an order that temporarily blocks President Trump’s revised travel ban.
U.S. District Judge Derrick Watson granted a motion to convert the March 15 temporary restraining order into a preliminary injunction until the state’s lawsuit against the Trump administration has been resolved.
Watson’s freeze affects two key parts of Trump’s executive order: a 90-day suspension of travel from six majority-Muslim countries and a 120-day freeze on refugees entering the U.S. It was set to be enforced on March 16 before it was blocked.
While the Trump administration argues its revised travel ban is well within its purview to maintain national security, Hawaii said it discriminates against Muslims, which would be a violation of the Constitution, and hurt the state’s economy.
The Justice Department can now appeal the ruling to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, which ruled against Trump’s original ban.
Attorneys for the Justice Department have already appealed a separate injunction by a judge in Maryland, which only focused on the immigration ban. That case has moved on to the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.
