Re: [Wikimedia-l] Wikimedia Foundation supports legal challenge to new travel-related executive order

Dear All, Yesterday, the Wikimedia Foundation joined more than 50 other organizations, including Electronic Arts, Pinterest, and Zendesk, in signing an amicus brief[1] that was filed in State of Hawaii v. Trump,[2] a challenge to the new immigration-related executive order issued in the United States.[3] This order was issued following legal challenges to a previous executive order that instituted restrictions on immigration and travel based upon national origin.[4] The amicus brief was filed in support of an application for a temporary restraining order,[5] which would prevent the executive order from going into effect until legal challenges to its substance can be heard by a court. It details how the order’s provisions would harm the operations of the signatories, including the Wikimedia Foundation. As an organization that collaborates across borders daily, with staff, contractors, and members of the Wikimedia communities, these restrictions will hamper the Foundation’s ability to work effectively in pursuit of our mission to make free knowledge globally available. The Wikimedia Foundation continuously monitors events around the world that may impact the Foundation’s ability to support the projects and communities. When that capacity is threatened, as in the case of these travel restrictions, we will take action to protect the future of the projects, our mission, and our team's ability to serve both. This is not about political ideology, it is about preservation. More about today’s filing is available on the Wikimedia blog.[6] Best, Michelle Paulson [1] https://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/File:Tech_Amici_ Curiae_Brief,_Hawaii_v._Trump,_3.14.17.pdf [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Executive_Order_13780#Hawaii [3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Executive_Order_13780 [4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Executive_Order_13769 [5] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Injunction [6] https://blog.wikimedia.org/2017/03/15/amicus-brief-us- travel-restrictions/ == Michelle Paulson Interim General Counsel Wikimedia Foundation 149 New Montgomery Street, 6th Floor San Francisco, CA 94105 mpaulson(a)wikimedia.org 415.839.6885 ext. 6608 <(415)%20839-6885> (Office) 415.882.0495 <(415)%20882-0495> (Fax) *NOTICE: This message may be confidential or legally privileged. If you have received it by accident, please delete it and let us know about the mistake. As an attorney for the Wikimedia Foundation and for legal/ethical reasons, I cannot give legal advice to, or serve as a lawyer for, community members, volunteers, or staff members in their personal capacity. For more on what this means, please see our legal disclaimer <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Legal_Disclaimer>.*