A federal appeals panel in New York voted 2-1 Friday to let a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Donald Trump's failure to divest from his businesses to move forward. The decision overturned a lower court decision from December 2017 and scored a victory for the group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, which has brought the suit on behalf of Trump's competitors.
"If President Trump would like to avoid the case going further and curtail the serious harms caused by his unconstitutional conduct, now would be a good time to divest from his businesses and end his violations of the Emoluments Clauses of the Constitution," CREW Executive Director Noah Bookbinder said in a statement.
Judge Pierre Leval wrote for the majority, "Plaintiffs have plausibly pleaded that the President’s ownership of hospitality businesses that compete with them will induce government patrons of the hospitality industry to favor Trump businesses over those of the Plaintiffs so as to secure favorable governmental action from the President and Executive branch."