Virginia Just Lost… Or Did It?

A preliminary injunction is a temporary court order that halts a law's implementation while litigation continues, and its denial does not mean the underlying legal challenge has failed; in the Virginia assault weapon ban case (Curtis v. Katz), the judge denied the injunction because the militia clause argument lacked likelihood of success on the merits, even though the court recognized irreparable harm would occur if an unconstitutional law took effect, meaning the constitutional battle continues through other legal avenues.