US judge rejects Hawaii's bid to exempt grandparents from Trump travel ban

A US judge rejected Hawaii's bid to exempt grandparents from President Donald Trump's temporary travel ban on Thursday, but ruled that the state could ask the US Supreme Court directly to clarify which parts of the order should take effect.

US District Judge Derrick Watson in Honolulu had been asked to interpret a ruling from the US Supreme Court that revived parts of Trump's 6 March executive order banning people from six Muslim-majority countries for 90 days.

The highest court let the ban go forward with a limited scope, saying it could not apply to anyone with a credible "bona fide relationship" with a US person or entity.

After last month's Supreme Court ruling, the government said that a "bona fide relationship" meant close family members only, such as parents, spouses, fiancés, siblings and children.

Grandparents, grandchildren, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and cousins from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen would still be banned.

“This court will not upset the Supreme Court’s careful balancing and ‘equitable judgment,’” Watson said in his order.

Hawaii attorney general Doug Chin objected to the administration’s omission of grandparents, aunts and uncles from its list of people meeting the definition of a close relationship.

A spokesman for the Hawaii attorney general's office said it would refile the request to the Supreme Court.

The Trump administration has said the exemption to the ban would apply to citizens of the six countries with a parent, spouse, child, adult son or daughter, son-in-law, daughter-in-law or sibling already in the US.

In a statement, the Justice Department said it was pleased with the ruling.

"We are confident that the US Supreme Court will again vindicate the president and his constitutional duty to protect the national security of the United States," it added.