Emory University has joined 30 other universities around the country in filing an amicus brief opposing President Donald Trump's second executive order restricting immigration that was issued on March 6. The brief was filed on March 31 in the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit of Maryland.

In previous action, on Feb. 13, Emory joined 16 other research universities in filing an amicus brief opposing the president’s first executive order restricting immigration. The first brief was filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York.

According to the March 31 brief, the “amici's missions and reach are truly global: they educate, employ, conduct research, and collaborate with students, faculty, and scholars from all over the world—individuals who speak different languages, practice different religions, and have wide-ranging life experiences that illuminate amici's campuses and support their academic missions.… These individuals also contribute to the United States and the world more generally by making scientific discoveries, starting businesses, and creating works of literature and art that redound to the benefit of others far beyond amici's campuses…. Recognizing the invaluable contributions of international students, faculty, staff, and scholars, amici make significant efforts to attract the most talented individuals from around the globe. The Executive Order at issue here, like its predecessor, threatens amici's ability to continue to attract these individuals and thus to meet their goals of educating tomorrow’s leaders.”

In addition to Emory, signers include Boston University, Brandeis University, Brown University, Bucknell University, Carnegie Mellon University, Case Western Reserve University, Columbia University, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, Duke University, George Washington University, Georgetown University, Harvard University, Johns Hopkins University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Middlebury College, Northeastern University, Northwestern University, Princeton University, Rice University, Stanford University, Tufts University, University of Chicago, University of Michigan, University of Pennsylvania, University of Southern California, Vanderbilt University, Washington University, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and Yale University.

Earlier this year Emory President Claire E. Sterk and 47 other American college and university presidents sent a letter to Trump urging him to "rectify or rescind the recent executive order closing our country's borders to immigrants and others from seven majority-Muslim countries and to refugees from throughout the world.”

"If left in place," the letter says, "the order threatens both American higher education and the defining principles of our country."