On February 9, 2017, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously denied the U.S. Department of Justice’s (“DOJ”)’s emergency motion requesting an administrative stay of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington’s (“U.S. District Court”) February 3, 2017 temporary restraining order. In its decision, the court found that the DOJ failed to show a likelihood of success on the merits of its appeal and also failed to show that the lack of a stay would cause irreparable injury. Further, the court expressed its concern with the lack of specific evidence from the DOJ in support of its national security claims, while emphasizing the “ample evidence” presented by Washington and Minnesota (“the states”) with regard to the harm suffered by their universities, students, businesses and families if the temporary restraining order were to be lifted.