ATG NEWS RELEASE: Hawaii files travel ban opposition in U.S. Supreme Court
Posted on Jun 12, 2017 in Latest Department News
HONOLULU – On June 1, 2017, the Trump Administration asked the United States Supreme Court to stay the injunction in Hawaii v. Trump that has blocked implementation of the travel ban. The State of Hawaii filed its memorandum in opposition to that motion today in the United States Supreme Court.
Hawaii’s memorandum in opposition states in part:
“Our foundational text, the First Amendment, bars the Government from making a citizen’s status in the political community dependent on his faith. The President unquestionably violates that command when he issues an Order that disproportionately burdens Muslim-Americans, while denigrating the Muslim faith and making it abundantly clear that the Order’s harmful effect on Muslims is far from incidental. To date, the injunction has prevented that constitutional violation. In doing so, it has safeguarded religious liberty and demonstrated the strength of our Constitution and the courts that protect it. Nonetheless, the Government now asks this Court to stay the injunction … [t]he long-term consequences [of a stay] would be even more significant. As soon as the unconstitutional Order is implemented, our Framers’ greatest fears for this Nation will be realized; the Order will serve as an ominous ‘Beacon on our Coast, warning’ the ‘persecuted and oppressed of every Nation and Religion’ that they must ‘seek some other haven.’”
A copy of Hawaii’s memorandum in opposition is attached.
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For more information, contact:
Joshua A. Wisch
Special Assistant to the Attorney General
Phone: (808) 586-1284
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @ATGHIgov