On March 28, 2025, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, No. 25-1273, stayed the district court’s March 18, 2025 preliminary injunction, as clarified March 20, pending resolution of the appeal in Does 1-26 v. Musk.
The signed order is entered at the direction of Judge Quattlebaum, with Judge Niemeyer concurring and Judge Gregory concurring in the result. The accompanying opinion states the panel’s stay-factor conclusion: the defendants “have made a strong showing that they are likely to succeed on the merits of the appeal,” that they will be irreparably injured absent a stay, that plaintiffs will not be injured because of the stay, and that the stay favors the public interest. Citation as reported: 2025 WL 1020995.
A stay pending appeal is not a full merits reversal. It is also not a vindication of the district-court PI. The PI is not the last word. The docket after March 28 includes an amended complaint and later district-court activity; those later filings do not cancel the stay of the March 18 injunction.