Court Blocks California Firm's Effort to Restart 2027 Green Card Lottery
A federal judge rejected Red Eagle Law's request to force the Department of State to restart the 2027 Green Card Lottery.
Why it matters: This decision clarifies legal standing requirements and procedural limits in challenging immigration policy changes, affecting future visa-related litigation.
- U.S. District Judge Jinsook Ohta denied Red Eagle Law’s bid on September 3, 2026, to restart the 2027 Diversity Visa Lottery program.
- The Diversity Visa Lottery issues 55,000 visas annually but was suspended for 2027 after shootings involving a diversity visa recipient.
- The court ruled Red Eagle Law lacked legal standing, as it has no federally protected right under the Immigration and Nationality Act to bill clients.
- This ruling follows Medani v. Trump, where a court ordered the government to resume 2026 Diversity Visa processing, highlighting standing and timeliness as key issues.
On September 3, 2026, U.S. District Judge Jinsook Ohta rejected a request from California-based Red Eagle Law to issue a temporary restraining order demanding that the Department of State restart the 2027 Diversity Visa Lottery, commonly known as the Green Card Lottery.
The Diversity Visa Lottery has historically issued up to 55,000 visas annually for over three decades. However, the program was suspended for 2027 after shootings at Brown University and in Brookline, Massachusetts, incidents involving a recipient of a diversity visa through the lottery.
Judge Ohta emphasized the legal concept of standing, which requires plaintiffs to show a direct, concrete injury caused by the action they challenge. The judge questioned how the court could provide a remedy for alleged injury concerning the 2027 fiscal year when the program had been paused: "How would we fix the injury for fiscal year 2027?"
Red Eagle Law argued that the suspension harmed legal immigration flows and their ability to serve clients. Founder Curtis Morrison described the situation as unprecedented, noting no prior administration had halted the program for a full year. However, the Department of Justice responded that Red Eagle Law lacked a protected legal interest, as the Immigration and Nationality Act does not grant law firms a federally protected right to bill for immigration services.
This case contrasts with the August 28, 2026 ruling in Medani v. Trump, where a federal court ordered the government to resume processing Diversity Visa applications for 2026, temporarily setting aside policies that had frozen processing. The different outcomes illustrate how procedural factors like standing and timeliness heavily influence the viability of immigration policy challenges.
For legal professionals, this ruling underscores the importance of establishing clear legal injury and the limits courts place on interfering with executive immigration policies. It also highlights the challenges law firms face when seeking judicial intervention on behalf of clients in visa-related matters.
By the numbers:
- 55,000 — annual visas issued by Diversity Visa Lottery until 2027 suspension
- September 3, 2026 — date U.S. District Judge Jinsook Ohta issued the ruling
- August 28, 2026 — date of Medani v. Trump ruling ordering resumption of 2026 visa processing
Yes, but: While the court ruled against Red Eagle Law due to lack of standing, it recognized the unprecedented nature of a full-year suspension, indicating evolving judicial scrutiny of immigration policy shifts.
What's next: Legal observers expect continued litigation over immigration policy changes, with standing and procedural timing likely to remain critical issues in upcoming cases.