Sarsour v. Trump

• Decision Date: 24 March 2017
• Docket Number: Civil Action No. 1:17cv00120 (AJT/IDD)
• Court: U.S. District Court — Eastern District of Virginia
• Parties: Linda SARSOUR, et al., Plaintiffs, v. Donald J. TRUMP, et al., Defendants.

245 F.Supp.3d 719

Linda SARSOUR, et al., Plaintiffs,

v.Donald J. TRUMP, et al., Defendants.

Civil Action No. 1:17cv00120 (AJT/IDD)

United States District Court, E.D. Virginia, Alexandria Division.

Signed March 24, 2017

Gadeir Ibrahim Abbas, The Law Office of Gadeir Abbas, Washington, DC, for Plaintiffs.

Dennis Carl Barghaan, Jr., United States Attorney's Office, Alexandria, VA, for Defendants.

MEMORANDUM OPINION

Anthony J. Trenga, United States District Judge

Presently pending before the Court is Plaintiffs' "Emergency Motion for Temporary Restraining Order and/or Preliminary Injunction" [Doc. No. 13] (the "Motion"). The Court held a hearing on the Motion on March 21, 2017, following which it took the Motion under advisement. Upon consideration of the Motion, the memoranda in support thereof and in opposition thereto, the arguments of counsel at the hearing held on March 21, 2017, and for the reasons set forth below, the Motion is DENIED.¹

I. BACKGROUND

The Plaintiffs seek an emergency order enjoining the enforcement of Executive Order 13,780 ("EO–2" or the "Order"), issued by President Donald J. Trump ("President Trump" or the "President") on March 6, 2017 and scheduled to go into effect on March 16, 2017. Subject to a number of enumerated limitations, exemptions, and waivers, the Order suspends entry into the United States by nationals of six countries for 90 days and by all refugees for 120 days. EO–2 explicitly rescinds Executive Order 13,769 ("EO–1"), which similarly temporarily barred nationals from certain countries from obtaining visas or entering the United States but did not contain the exemptions and waivers now in EO–2 and also included certain religious preferences no longer in EO–2.

The ultimate issue in this action is whether the President exceeded his authority, either as delegated to him by Congress or as provided by the Constitution. But because Plaintiffs seek at the beginning of this case the relief they would ultimately obtain at the end of the case should they prove successful, Plaintiffs must show not only that (1) they are likely to succeed on the merits of their claim that EO–2 exceeded the President's authority, but also that (2) without immediate injunctive relief, Plaintiffs face imminent irreparable harm; (3) the balance of equities, including the balance of hardships, weigh in their favor; and (4) issuance of the requested injunction on an emergency basis is in the public interest. Winter v. Nat. Res. Def. Council, Inc. , 555 U.S. 7, 22, 129 S.Ct. 365, 172 L.Ed.2d 249 (2008).

A. Factual History

1. Executive Order No. 1

On January 27, 2017, President Trump issued Executive Order 13,769, titled " Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States," 82 Fed. Reg. 8977 (Jan. 27, 2017). EO–1 immediately suspended immigrant and nonimmigrant entry into the United States for 90 days to aliens from Iraq, Iran, Libya, Sudan, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen. EO–1 also suspended the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program ("USRAP") for 120 days, id. § 5(a), and suspended the entry of all refugees from Syria indefinitely, id. § 5(c). Furthermore, in screening refugees, government bodies were directed "to prioritize refugee claims made by individuals on the basis of religious-based persecution, provided that the religion of the individual is a minority religion in the individual's country of nationality." Id. § 5(b). The order provided for "case-by-case" exceptions to the 120–day refugee suspension. Id. § 5(f).

A group of plaintiffs including the State of Washington and the State of Minnesota challenged EO–1 on both constitutional and statutory grounds in the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington. See Washington v. Trump , No. C17-0141JLR, 2017 WL 462040 (W.D. Wash. Feb. 3, 2017). On February 3, 2017, the district court issued a nationwide injunction halting enforcement of the operative portions of that order, although it did not provide a specific basis for finding that the plaintiffs were likely to succeed on the merits. Id. On February 9, 2017, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit denied the defendants' emergency appeal to stay the district court's order, which it construed as a preliminary injunction. Washington v. Trump , 847 F.3d 1151, 1165–66 (9th Cir. 2017). The Ninth Circuit found that the defendants had not demonstrated a likelihood of success on the merits as to the plaintiffs' procedural due process claim, but it reserved judgment on the plaintiffs' Establishment Clause and Equal Protection Clause claims, noting that they "raise[d] serious allegations and present[ed] significant constitutional questions." Id. at 1168.

Separately, on February 13, 2017, this Court enjoined the enforcement of section 3(c) only as to Virginia residents and students enrolled in state educational institutions located in the State of Virginia. Aziz v. Trump , No. 1:17–cv–116, 234 F.Supp.3d 724, 2017 WL 580855 (E.D. Va. Feb. 13, 2017) (Brinkema, J.). This Court ruled that the plaintiffs had clearly demonstrated a likelihood of success on the merits of their Establishment Clause claim, but it did not address their other claims. That injunction has not been appealed.

2. Executive Order No. 2

Responding to the successful legal challenges to EO–1, on March 6, 2017, President Trump issued EO–2. EO–2 explicitly rescinds EO–1 and was scheduled to go into effect on March 16, 2017 at 12:01 a.m. EDT. EO–2 has the same title as EO–1 and has many of the same stated policies and purposes. It also has substantial differences, as discussed in detail below. Briefly summarized, EO–2 removes Iraq from the list of designated countries whose nationals are covered by the Order, eliminates the indefinite suspension of all refugees from Syria, exempts otherwise covered persons who are located in the United States or who had appropriate travel documents as of the date on which EO–1 was issued, provides a list of categories where otherwise covered persons qualify for consideration of a waiver, and removes any religious-based preferences for waivers. The Order also contains substantially more justification for its national security concerns and the need for the Order, including why each particular designated country poses specific dangers.

Before the Order's effective date, the State of Hawaii and a United States citizen challenged the Order in the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii. On March 15, 2017, the Hawaii court issued a nationwide temporary restraining order ("TRO") enjoining the enforcement of sections 2 and 6 of EO–2. Hawai‘i v. Trump , No. 1:17-cv-00050, 241 F.Supp.3d 1119,2017 WL 1011673 (D. Haw. Mar. 15, 2017). At the hearing in this action before this Court on March 21, 2017, Defendants represented that they expected the District of Hawaii court to extend the TRO, with their consent, until that court decides the pending motion for a preliminary injunction, a hearing on which has been scheduled for March 29, 2017.² The TRO has not been appealed.

A separate group of six individuals and three organizations challenged EO–2 in the United States District Court for the District of Maryland, alleging that it inflicted stigmatizing injuries as well as various other more particularized forms of harm. In an order signed on March 15, 2017 but entered on March 16, 2017, the Maryland court issued a nationwide preliminary injunction enjoining the enforcement of section 2(c) of EO–2. Int'l Refugee Assist. Proj. v. Trump , No. 8:17–cv–00361–TDC, 241 F.Supp.3d 539, 2017 WL 1018235 (D. Md. Mar. 16, 2017).

Litigation in the Western District of Washington also continues. In that case, Plaintiffs filed an emergency motion to enforce the court's February 3, 2017 preliminary injunction of EO–1. The district court rejected that motion, finding that EO–2 did not violate the court's prior preliminary injunction because EO–2 is substantively different from EO–1. Order Denying Washington's Emergency Motion to Enforce the Preliminary Injunction, Washington v. Trump , No. C17–0141JLR, 2017 WL 1045950 (W.D. Wash. Mar. 16, 2017), ECF No. 163.

By way of summary, at this point, the District of Hawaii court's TRO remains in effect as to sections 2 and 6 of the Order until March 29, 2017, and the District of Maryland court's preliminary injunction remains in effect as to section 2(c) of the Order. All other sections of EO–2 are in force at this time. Plaintiffs in this litigation ask this Court to enjoin the enforcement of EO–2 in its entirety.

B. Plaintiffs Who Move for Emergency Relief

All Plaintiffs are Muslims who are presently residing in various locations across the country and claim that they have been harmed by the issuance of EO–2 in a variety of ways. Among the injuries they allege is the harm created by a stigma against Muslims living in the United States. Specifically, they claim that as a result of Defendants' conduct, beginning with the initial announcement of the "Muslim Ban," Defendants have promoted views that (1) disfavor and condemn their religion of Islam; (2) marginalize and exclude Muslims, including themselves, based on the claim that Muslims are disposed to commit acts of terrorism; (3) endorse other religions and nonreligion over Islam; (4) Muslims are outsiders, dangerous, and not full members of the political community; and (5) all non-adherents of Islam are insiders and therefore favored. Amended Complaint [Doc. No. 11] ("AC") ¶¶ 20–38. In addition, Plaintiffs allege a range of other injuries based on each's particular status in the United States and each's relationships with persons outside of the United States. The following eight Plaintiffs have joined in the Motion.³

Plaintiffs Basim Elkarra, Hussam Ayloush, and Adam Soltani are United States citizens who allegedly "are no longer able to bring their family members from Syria and Iran to visit them in the United States as a direct result of the Revised Muslim Ban [EO–2] as they otherwise would." Plaintiffs'...