US appeals court rules against Trump on travel ban
A federal appeals court has refused to reinstate Donald Trump’s refugee and travel ban, infuriating the US President who has promised to challenge the ruling
President Donald Trump reacted strongly to federal appeals court's refusal to restore his travel ban tweeting that he would challenge the ruling
A US court unanimously refused to reinstate Donald Trump's ban on refugees and nationals from seven Muslim-majority countries, dealing the new president and his controversial law-and-order agenda a major defeat.
A three-judge panel of the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously ruled that the Trump administration failed to offer any evidence that national security concerns justified immediately restoring the ban, which he launched two weeks ago.
"We hold that the government has not shown a likelihood of success on the merits of its appeal, nor has it shown that failure to enter a stay would cause irreparable injury," the judges ruled.
Shortly after the court issued its 29-page ruling, Trump promised to challenge the ruling, tweeting: "SEE YOU IN COURT, THE SECURITY OF OUR NATION IS AT STAKE!"
SEE YOU IN COURT, THE SECURITY OF OUR NATION IS AT STAKE!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 9, 2017
He told reporters his administration ultimately would win the case and dismissed the ruling as "political."
The Justice Department had asked the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to restore the measure on an emergency basis, but the three-judge panel instead maintained the suspension ordered by a federal judge in Seattle.
The Justice Department, which spoke for the administration at oral argument on Tuesday, said it was reviewing Thursday's decision and considering its options.
The 9th Circuit judges said more legal arguments would be needed to decide the actual fate of Trump's order.
Trump's decree summarily denied entry to all refugees for 120 days, and travellers from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen for 90 days. Refugees from Syria were blocked indefinitely.
The new Republican administration argued the ban was needed to prevent Islamic State and Al-Qaeda fighters migrating from reaching US soil, but it sparked travel chaos and was roundly rejected by immigration advocacy groups.
Trump has voiced frustration at the legal challenge to his order, calling US District Judge James Robart, who suspended the order, a "so-called judge" whose "ridiculous" opinion "essentially takes law-enforcement away from our country."
The order sparked protests and chaos at US and overseas airports on the weekend after it was issued. It was challenged by the states of Washington and Minnesota, which argued it violated constitutional protections against religious discrimination.
