Another Federal Judge Rules Against Trump's Immigration Order

A U.S. district judge in Alexandria, Virginia, has ruled against President Trump's executive order barring refugees from seven predominantly Muslim nations, arguing that the order violates the First and Fifth amendments and would cause irreparable injury to Virginia residents.

The ruling comes after a similar injunction imposed by a judge in Washington state. U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema noted the national injunction in her ruling and limited the scope of the ruling to just Virginia, although her injunction is more permanent than the temporary restraining order in the Washington state case.

Brinkema reportedly pointed out that Trump had called for a "Muslim ban" during the campaign and also said he would seek to help persecuted Christians by giving them priority, which gives the appearance that the order violates the First Amendment by singling out a specific religious group.

She also noted there was evidence that Trump didn't consult with experts on immigration, according to an NBC Washington report.

"To the contrary, there is evidence that the president's senior national security officials were taken by surprise," she wrote.

She added that Virginia was likely to face irreparable harm because it would impact students and faculty of the commonwealth's universities, according to the ruling.

"We presented a mountain of evidence showing this was the 'Muslim ban' that President Trump promised as a candidate, while his administration failed to refute one shred of our evidence or provide any of its own to support its claims," Virginia Attorney General Mark Herrin said in a widely reported statement praising the ruling.

Image via Flickr user Gage Skidmore