Key Facts

• The Diversity Visa program, also called the Green Card Lottery, offers up to 55,000 visas yearly to people from countries with low U.S. immigration levels.
• Red Eagle Law sued Secretary of State Marco Rubio on August 19, 2026, saying the State Department failed to set a registration period for the 2027 lottery, which is required by law.
• The State Department paused the program in December 2025 to review security procedures, citing national security concerns; this pause was lifted in August 2026 after a court order.
• On September 3, Judge Jinsook Ohta denied the request to immediately restart registration but allowed the case to move forward quickly in court.
• The judge said it may be too late to grant emergency relief but will consider a preliminary injunction request before the end of September.
• Red Eagle Law says it has lost business because much of its work depends on the Diversity Visa program.
• The government argued Red Eagle waited too long to sue and does not have the right to bring the case since the program is meant for immigrants, not law firms.
• The State Department had announced plans in November 2025 to change the Diversity Visa process and promised to start registration "as soon as practicable."