PALO ALTO, California — The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has granted the Trump administration's request to expedite its appeal of a ruling that held the federal government cannot use immigration law against international students over protected speech, Law360 reported on Friday, October 23.

Source: Law360

The Stanford Daily reported on October 23 that the Department of Justice requested the expedited process last week and that the newspaper's lawyers at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) quickly agreed. Under the court's modified schedule, the opening and supporting amicus briefs for the Justice Department are due before the end of the year, and all briefs needed to begin oral argument are due before the end of January.

Source: The Stanford Daily

Without expedition, oral argument could have taken nine months to a year after filing; the fast track puts it roughly three to six months away. "We see this case as an important one that should move quickly through the courts," the Daily's editor-in-chief, George Porteous, told the newspaper. "Our lawyers are fully prepared to defend Judge Wise's ruling."

A California ruling that could reach nine states

The Daily and two unnamed plaintiffs filed the lawsuit in August 2025, after the administration used the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) to threaten and revoke the visas of international students at multiple universities who had engaged in pro-Palestinian speech. The suit alleged the actions chilled student voices and discouraged international students from writing for or speaking to the newspaper. In August, U.S. District Judge Noël Wise ruled in a 90-page decision that the INA provisions used by the government were unconstitutional — a ruling EdSource reported found First Amendment and due process violations. The decision currently applies only within the Northern District of California.

Source: EdSource

On appeal, the Ninth Circuit will decide whether Judge Wise's ruling should be overturned or expanded across the circuit's nine states and two territories, including California. The administration has argued it holds broad authority to deport international students, EdSource reported. For the many international students from India and Punjab studying in the United States, the outcome will decide whether the speech protection stays confined to Northern California or covers the whole West Coast circuit.