--- title: "Appeals court blocks order to reopen Diversity Visa lottery" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/politics/appeals-court-blocks-order-to-reopen-diversity-visa-lottery" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/appeals-court-blocks-order-to-reopen-diversity-visa-lottery" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/politics/appeals-court-blocks-order-to-reopen-diversity-visa-lottery.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/appeals-court-blocks-order-to-reopen-diversity-visa-lottery" category: "Politics" area: "United States" published: "2026-10-31T06:45:52.988Z" source_reported: "2026-10-31T05:32:25.000Z" updated: "2026-10-31T06:45:52.988Z" trust_score: 76 critic_score: 87 hype_score: 45 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-10-31T05:58:40.770Z" --- # Appeals court blocks order to reopen Diversity Visa lottery *Ninth Circuit rules law firm lacked standing to sue over State Department's pause on applications.* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 76 of 100, higher is better. Trust 76: multiple named sources, independent outlets, and specific figures with origins raise corroboration. - Craft 87 of 100, higher is better. Critic 87: provides context, quotes a legal expert, separates facts, includes specific data, and reads cohesively. - Hype 45 of 100, lower is better. Hype 45: headline is dramatic but article largely matches content without excessive clickbait. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals blocked a preliminary injunction that would have forced the State Department to open the 2027 Diversity Visa lottery. - The court ruled 2-1 that the law firm Red Eagle lacked standing to sue the federal government over the lottery's pause. - The State Department had paused the diversity visa program after a 2017 lottery recipient committed a mass shooting at Brown University. - The appeals court stated its decision was based on procedural grounds and did not endorse the department's delay in opening the lottery. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in California has blocked a lower court's preliminary injunction that would have required the State Department to open the 2027 Diversity Visa lottery. The appeals court ruled 2-1 that the law firm Red Eagle, which sought to sue the federal government, did not have standing in the case. The State Department had placed an indefinite pause on issuing diversity visas following a mass shooting at Brown University carried out by a Portuguese national who had received a 2017 lottery visa. The shooter killed two people and injured nine others. ## Disagreement on the court's reasoning The New York Ledger reported that the appeals court stated its ruling was based on procedural grounds and did not weigh whether the State Department failed to follow the law, quoting the court as writing, "We do not endorse the Department’s failure to open the lottery registration period." The quicknewsupdates.com digest does not include this statement. ## What the coverage left out None of the reports below mention the mass shooting that prompted the State Department's indefinite pause on diversity visas. The New York Ledger report mentions the shooting and identifies the perpetrator, Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, and the details of the attack at Brown University. The quicknewsupdates.com digest does not mention the mass shooting. ## Who covered it Shares of the 17 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 6% (1) - Centre: 17% (3) - Right: 77% (13) 2 of 19 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-10-31T05:58:40.770Z. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 8 times; 0 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-10-31T08:45:23.662Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left No separate framing summary. ### Centre - The New York Ledger led with the appeals court's decision blocking the lower court's order, framing it as an "immigration win for Trump" and noting a judge's warning of "floodgates" if the law firm had succeeded. The report detailed the 2-1 ruling by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and identified the State Department's notice in November delaying the program and the subsequent indefinite pause after the Brown University mass shooting. It quoted the court's reasoning that Red Eagle lacked standing, stating the program was intended "to encourage immigration, not generate revenue for law firms." The outlet also included commentary from a former federal prosecutor and noted President Donald Trump's past opposition to the Visa Lottery Program. ### Right No separate framing summary. **Provisional coverage gap:** left. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - veryLow: 2 - low: 7 - mixed: 5 - high: 3 - unknown: 2 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [quicknewsupdates.com](https://quicknewsupdates.com/appeals-court-blocks-order-to-reopen-2027-diversity-visa-lottery-says-law-firm-had-no-standing) — Appeals Court Blocks Order to Reopen 2027 Diversity Visa Lottery, Says Law Firm Had No Standing - Quick News Updates - [The New York Ledger](https://thenyledger.com/politics/liberal-court-delivers-immigration-win-for-trump-as-judge-warns-of-floodgates-if-law-firm-succeeded) — Liberal court delivers immigration win for Trump as judge warns of ‘floodgates’ if law firm succeeded - [Restoring Liberty](https://joemiller.us/2026/10/liberal-court-delivers-immigration-win-for-trump-as-judge-warns-of-floodgates-if-law-firm-succeeded) — Liberal Court Delivers Immigration Win for Trump as Judge Warns of ‘Floodgates’ if Law Firm Succeeded - [capitalisminstitute.org](https://capitalisminstitute.org/ninth-circuit-hands-trump-a-diversity-visa-win-after-warning-of-floodgates-for-lawyer-suits) — Ninth Circuit Blocks Law Firm Diversity Visa Lawsuit - [Conservative Daily News](https://conservativedailynews.com/2026/10/appeals-court-lets-trump-administration-keep-2027-green-card-lottery-shut) — Appeals Court Lets Trump Administration Keep 2027 Green Card Lottery Shut - [nytimespost.com](https://nytimespost.com/liberal-court-delivers-immigration-win-for-trump-as-judge-warns-of-floodgates-if-law-firm-succeeded) — Liberal court delivers immigration win for Trump as judge warns of ‘floodgates’ if law firm succeeded - [Times of India](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/green-card-lottery-judge-freezes-reopening-of-diversity-visa-program-for-2027-what-happens-next/articleshow/135372933.cms) — Green Card lottery: Judge freezes reopening of Diversity Visa program for 2027. What happens next? - [Fox News](https://foxnews.com/politics/liberal-court-delivers-immigration-win-trump-judge-warns-floodgates-law-firm-succeeded) — Liberal court delivers immigration win for Trump as judge warns of ‘floodgates’ if law firm succeeded - [100% FED UP!](https://100percentfedup.com/ninth-circuit-stops-order-forcing-rubio-reopen-green) — Ninth Circuit Appeals Court Hands Trump Administration A Surprise Win On Immigration Green Card Lotteries - [WLTReport](https://wltreport.com/2026/10/30/ninth-circuit-stops-rubio-green-card-lottery-order) — Ninth Circuit Appeals Court Hands Trump Administration A Surprise Win On Immigration Green Card Lotteries - [[your]NEWS](https://yournews.com/2026/10/30/7245713/federal-appeals-court-blocks-judges-order-to-restart-diversity-visa) — Federal Appeals Court Blocks Judge’s Order to Restart Diversity Visa Lottery, Allowing Trump Administration to Maintain Suspension - [The Gateway Pundit](https://thegatewaypundit.com/2026/10/ninth-circuit-blocks-biden-appointed-judges-order-forcing) — Ninth Circuit BLOCKS Biden-Appointed Judge’s Order Forcing Marco Rubio to Reopen Diversity Visa Lottery for Up to 55,000 Foreign Nationals - [The Epoch Times](https://theepochtimes.com/us/appeals-court-grants-stay-on-reopening-of-green-card-lottery-6110973) — Appeals Court Grants Stay on Reopening of Green Card Lottery - [Slay News](https://slaynews.com/appeals-court-blocks-order-forcing-trump-administration-reopen-green-card-lottery) — Appeals Court Blocks Order Forcing Trump Administration to Reopen Green Card Lottery - [Hindustan Times](https://hindustantimes.com/world-news/us-news/us-hikes-eb-5-green-card-fees-from-november-30-new-charges-and-key-changes-explained-101793350346670.html) — Green Card update: New EB-5 visa fees and application changes for investors and regional centers explained - [News Addicts](https://newsaddicts.com/trump-administration-achieves-legal-victory-against-visa-lottery-order) — Trump Administration Achieves Legal Victory Against Visa Lottery Order - [TrendingPolitics](https://trendingpoliticsnews.com/new-trump-admin-scores-immigration-win-following-controversial-prior-ruling-from-activist-judge-cmc) — Trump Admin Scores Immigration Win On 'Randomized' Visa Lottery System - [Business Insider](https://africa.businessinsider.com/local/lifestyle/us-court-blocks-reopening-of-55000-visa-green-card-lottery-leaving-african-applicants/htswsw6) — US court blocks reopening of 55,000-visa Green Card lottery, leaving African applicants uncertain over 2027 entry - [Newsweek](https://newsweek.com/green-card-update-judge-freezes-reopening-of-diversity-visa-lottery-12639675) — Green Card Update: Judge Freezes Reopening of Diversity Visa Lottery ## Questions **What did the appeals court rule regarding the Diversity Visa lottery?** The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals blocked a lower court's order that would have forced the State Department to open the 2027 Diversity Visa lottery. The court ruled 2-1 that the law firm Red Eagle did not have standing to sue the federal government over the program's pause. **Why did the State Department pause the Diversity Visa program?** The State Department ordered an indefinite pause on issuing diversity visas after a Portuguese national, who received a 2017 lottery visa, carried out a mass shooting at Brown University. The attack resulted in two deaths and nine injuries. **Did the court rule on the State Department's actions?** The appeals court stated its decision was based on procedural grounds, specifically that the law firm lacked standing to sue. The court explicitly wrote that it did not endorse the Department's failure to open the lottery registration period. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/politics/appeals-court-blocks-order-to-reopen-diversity-visa-lottery. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "Appeals court blocks order to reopen Diversity Visa lottery", https://mediabias.news/politics/appeals-court-blocks-order-to-reopen-diversity-visa-lottery