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Indiana Can’t Ban Syrian Refugees

The U.S. Court of Appeals upheld a lower court ruling today that prevents Indiana from banning refugees from Syria. Days after terrorists struck Paris last November, Indiana Governor Mike Pence placed a ban on Syrian refugees from being resettled in the state. 

The American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana won an injunction, arguing Pence doesn’t have the authority to do that. The state challenged the ruling but the three-judge appeals court upheld it. 

At a hearing last month, the exchange between Judge Richard Posner and Indiana Solicitor General Thomas Fisher got heated. The judge suggested the ban was based on religion. A spokeswoman for Pence says the governor sought the ban because of gaps in the screening of Syrian refugees.