Courts currently blocking Trump’s executive order

Courts have blocked the implementation of President Donald Trump's executive order temporarily suspending the entry into the United States of refugees and travelers from seven countries in the Middle East and Africa.

Trump said his executive order was created to "protect the American people from terrorist attacks by foreign nationals admitted to the United States."

However, several states challenged the order, claiming it violates religious liberties guaranteed in the U.S. Constitution. Many immigrant rights activists and Democratic lawmakers also called the order a Muslim ban because it focused on Muslim-majority nations (Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.)

On Feb. 1, Washington and Minnesota filed a lawsuit in district court contending that Trump's order separated families, harmed thousands of the state residents, damaged their economies and undermined the states' "sovereign interest in remaining a welcoming place for immigrants and refugees."

On Feb. 3, U.S. District Judge James L. Robart, in Seattle, granted a nationwide temporary restraining order on Trump's order, favoring Minnesota and Washington states. Robart's decision concluded that there would be more harm in allowing the ban to continue then to block it.

After Robart's ruling, Trump tweeted: "The opinion of this so-called judge, which essentially takes law-enforcement away from our country, is ridiculous and will be overturned!"

Trump's Justice Department filed a motion appealing the district court's decision and seeking to resume the travel ban.

"The injunction immediately harms the public by thwarting enforcement of an Executive Order issued by the president, based on his national security judgment," the motion said. "As the President acted well within both statutory and constitutional authorization, the relief irreparably harms our system of government by contravening the Constitution's separation of powers."

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals denied the motion. But it asked both the states and the Justice Department for briefs in support and opposition for the emergency motion. On Feb. 9, in a 3-0 decision the Ninth Circuit affirmed the Seattle judge's decision to halt Trump's order nationwide.

That prompted another Trump tweet: "SEE YOU IN COURT, THE SECURITY OF OUR NATION IS AT STAKE!"

On Feb. 12, Trump tweeted that 72 percent of refugees admitted into United States between Feb. 3 and Feb. 11 were from the seven countries outlined in his executive order. We rated that Mostly True.

The Trump administration has since said it plans to introduce a new executive order.

On Feb. 19, John Kelly, secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, said Trump was "contemplating releasing a tighter, more streamlined version" of the initial executive order.

At this point, the order may be appealed to the Supreme Court, or the Trump administration may soon release a new executive order designed to address the courts' concerns. Given the court's halt of Trump's executive order, however, we rate this promise Stalled.