Statement on Today’s Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals Decision
Court ruling upholds the stay on President Trump’s Executive Order on immigration
February 9, 2017
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Washington, D.C. — Stand Up Republic applauds the decision issued today by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, upholding the stay on President Donald Trump’s Executive Order on immigration.
“This travel ban is motivated by the Trump administration’s political goals more than national security concerns,” said Stand Up Republic co-founder Evan McMullin, “and we are encouraged to see that the court’s ruling highlights the Executive Order’s fundamental flaws, most especially its unequal treatment of people based on religion.”
“President Trump has been playing a shell game, claiming that his Executive Order was not a ‘Muslim ban’ after advocating for such a ban using exactly those words throughout the campaign,” continued McMullin. “The court recognized that not only was there evidence of such intent and the President was unlikely to succeed on the merits arguing otherwise, but also noted the disconnection from the claimed goal of national security, targeting people from a list of countries that have yet to perpetrate a terrorist attack on U.S. soil.”
“The Trump administration attempted to argue that their actions on immigration and national security issues are essentially unreviewable, but this unanimous opinion clearly states that even the President is not above the law,” said Stand Up Republic co-founder Mindy Finn. “In fact, the court went so far as to characterize this argument as running ‘contrary to the fundamental structure of our constitutional democracy.’”
“While the President predictably has vowed to continue litigating this issue,” added Finn, “we are hopeful that this court ruling will help bolster the Members of Congress who have criticized this Executive Order, and we urge Americans to contact their representatives to encourage them to have a full, transparent, and bipartisan debate about the best path forward.”
ABOUT STAND UP REPUBLIC
Stand Up Republic, Inc. is a nonpartisan 501(c)(4) organization, founded by former independent presidential and vice-presidential candidates Evan McMullin and Mindy Finn, to build a national grassroots movement to help Americans stand up in defense of the fundamental principles that have made this country the true home of liberty and a source of hope for many around the world.
