Campaign Pledges Haunt Trump In Court

“In quick succession on Wednesday night, federal judges in Hawaii and Maryland blocked President Trump’s revised travel ban. They said statements Mr. Trump had made as a presidential candidate, including his call for ‘a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States,’ helped doom the executive order,” the New York Times reports.

“The judges said Mr. Trump’s promises to impose a “Muslim ban” were too telling and categorical to be ignored.”

“Outside the context of Mr. Trump’s two travel bans, few judicial rulings have addressed how much weight courts may put on statements from political candidates… But decisions about religious discrimination allow courts to consider government officials’ real purposes, even if their stated ones are neutral.”