Firm Files Amicus Brief on Behalf of Muslim American Bar and Law Student Associations in Support of Legal Challenge to Travel Ban
Patterson Belknap filed an amicus curiae brief today in IRAP v. Trump, on behalf of a coalition of Muslim American bar and law student associations in support of a continuing legal challenge to President Trump’s Muslim travel ban. Amici contend that the administration’s actions—both before and after the Supreme Court’s 2018 decision in Trump v. Hawaii—demonstrate that the ban is unconstitutional because it is a product of animus towards Muslims. Amici argue that the current litigation is not barred by the Supreme Court’s decision in Hawaii, which dealt with narrower questions on a preliminary basis. Further, based on their personal experiences under the ban, amici believe that plaintiffs will be able to develop significant evidence undercutting the government’s argument that the ban is rationally related to legitimate state interests. Amici also assert that the ban has contributed to intensifying persecution of Muslim Americans, and has generated a perception that Muslim Americans are “lesser members of the American fabric.”
To read the full brief, click here.