One day after 16 democratic attorneys general across the United States condemned President Trump's order to restrict people from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the country, on Monday one of them - the Attorney General of Washington state - said he is filing a lawsuit against President Donald Trump over his immigration executive order.
Bob Ferguson announced Monday that he is filing a federal lawsuit against President Donald Trump, some high-ranking administration officials and the Department of Homeland Security. The attorney general’s office says the complaint asks U.S. District Court to declare unconstitutional key provisions of Trump’s executive order on immigration.
“No one is above the law — not even the President,” Ferguson said. “And in the courtroom, it is not the loudest voice that prevails. It’s the Constitution.”
No one is above the law, including @POTUS.
— WA Attorney General (@AGOWA) January 30, 2017
The lawsuit seeks to overturn and invalidate Trump's new immigration policy nationwide, extending on similar partial rulings announced over the weekend by various Federal courts.
Ferguson's office says the complaint claims that the president's actions are “separating Washington families, harming thousands of Washington residents, damaging Washington’s economy, hurting Washington-based companies, and undermining Washington’s sovereign interest in remaining a welcoming place for immigrants and refugees.”
Ferguson argues that the Executive Order violates the U.S. Constitution’s guarantee of Equal Protection and the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause, infringes individuals’ constitutional right to Due Process and contravenes the federal Immigration and Nationality Act.
"Major Washington state institutions supported the Attorney General’s lawsuit through declarations filed alongside the complaint. In their declarations, Amazon and Expedia set forth the detrimental ways the Executive Order impacts their operations and their employees.
As we reported on Saturday night, Brooklyn federal judge Ann Donnelly (who is a Trump appointee and Clinton donor) was was the first to issue an order preventing the Trump Administration from enforcing the executive order from restricting certain people from traveling to the United States. Ferguson was one of 16 state attorneys general who released a statement Sunday calling Trump's immigration action "un-American and unlawful."
Ferguson is likely just the first of many AG lawsuits to come forth: Ferguson was one of 16 state attorneys general who released a statement Sunday calling Trump's immigration action "un-American and unlawful."
“Never has our system of checks and balances been more important. Washington is filing the first suit of its kind in the nation, thanks to the good work of Attorney General Ferguson and his team,” said Gov. Jay Inslee at a Monday news conference. “I would not be surprised to see more. Until Congress takes this Administration to task for the obvious moral and legal injuries suffered by innocent, law-abiding people entering our country, it is up to states to protect and promote the rights of the people who reside in our borders.”
.@GovInslee on immigration ban: "This is un-American. It is wrong. And it will not stand." #Q13FOX pic.twitter.com/aL7CelA8TO
— Matt Lorch (@MattLorchQ13Fox) January 30, 2017
Ferguson said Washington is the first state to sue Trump's administration over the immigration executive order. He is asking the court to schedule a hearing within 14 days. Officials said a copy of the complaint would be available on the attorney general's website later in the day. Expect a flood of more lawsuits to hit court dockets in the coming days, bogging down the Trump administration with legal fights for months to come.
And in an unexpected twist, moments ago Reuters reported that instead of being enjoined by another AG, none other than Microsoft said it has been cooperating with the Washington State Attorney General's Office, in its lawsuit to stop Trump's immigration order. Microsoft said it was providing information about the order's impact "in order to be supportive. And we'd be happy to testify further if needed," spokesman Pete Wootton said in a statement.