Washington Attorney General seeks travel ban hearing Tuesday; new court filings

California joins growing coalition supporting Washington State v. Trump.

Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson today filed an amended Complaint in his lawsuit challenging President Donald Trump’s travel ban as illegal and unconstitutional. Ferguson also filed a Motion to Enforce the injunction he obtained on Feb. 3, which blocked implementation of the President’s original immigration Executive Order nationwide. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously upheld that injunction on Feb. 9.

In his Motion to Enforce, the Attorney General asks U.S. District Court Judge James Robart, who granted the Feb. 3 injunction, to enforce it against President Trump’s renewed travel ban. Ferguson also requests that the court hold a hearing on the matter tomorrow.

“No one is above the law, not even the President — and I will hold him accountable to the Constitution,” Ferguson said. “Cutting some illegal aspects of President Trump’s original travel ban does not cure his affront to our Constitution.”

Ferguson also announced a growing, multi-state coalition working in support of his lawsuit, counting California as the most recent partner.

Judge Robart granted Oregon’s motion to intervene on March 8. Maryland, Massachusetts, New York and now California also asked the court for permission to join the lawsuit. Those requests are currently pending.

On Jan. 30, Washington filed the first lawsuit broadly challenging the constitutionality of the Trump Administration’s move to restrict immigration from several majority-Muslim nations and the resettlement of refugees.