Travel Ban TRO Converted to Prelim Injunction

Attorney General Doug Chin issued the following statement yesterday, Wednesday, March, 29, in response to the ruling by federal Judge Derrick K. Watson granting the state’s motion to convert the temporary restraining order enjoining the president’s travel ban to a preliminary injunction:

“This is an important affirmation of the values of religious freedom enshrined in our Constitution’s First Amendment. With a preliminary injunction in place, people in Hawai‘i with family in the six affected Muslim-majority countries—as well as Hawai‘i students, travelers and refugees across the world—face less uncertainty. While we understand that the president may appeal, we believe the court’s well-reasoned decision will be affirmed.”

Unlike a temporary restraining order, a preliminary injunction generally has no set expiration date.