Katie Zavadski: Trump’s executive order restricting citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries from travel to the U.S. is unconstitutional because it creates “favored and disfavored groups based on their faith,” according to a new lawsuit filed by the Committee on American-Islamic Relations in a Virginia federal court on Monday.
The suit against Trump, Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly, the Department of State, and the Director of National Intelligence names more than 20 plaintiffs, a dozen of whom are identified only as John or Jane Doe because of the precariousness of their legal position. It refers to Trump’s order, officially known as “Protecting the Nation from Terrorist Attacks by Foreign Nationals,” as the “Muslim Exclusion Order” throughout.
“Our First Amendment is under attack. We, as attorneys, are foot soldiers of the American Constitution and took an oath to protect all from being targeted by the government because of their faith,” Shereef Akeel, an attorney who is co-counsel on the lawsuit, said in a press release. More here.