Donald Trump‘s immigration freeze has run into a mighty spot of trouble in the face of the federal court system. Now he’s been struck another blow – a three-judge federal appeals panel have unanimously refused to reinstate the ban. Naturally, he’s taking it well.
This was a narrow legal ruling which considered whether the executive order should be blocked while courts consider its usefulness. The judges unanimously decided that it should be blocked, and Trump took to Twitter minutes after the decision:
SEE YOU IN COURT, THE SECURITY OF OUR NATION IS AT STAKE!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 9, 2017
The judges on the Ninth Circuit panel were Judge Michelle T. Friedland, appointed by Barack Obama; Judge William C. Canby Jr., appointed by Jimmy Carter; and Judge Richard R. Clifton, appointed by George W. Bush.
It’s pretty likely that this will be appealed in the Supreme Court, but the government might run into some issues there too. A 4-4 split in the Supreme Court – a very possible outcome – would leave the appeals court decision in place.
Lawyers for the Trump administration argued that courts should not second-guess the government’s national security decisions, and that the Constitution gives the president sweeping powers to decide who can and cannot enter the United States.
On the other hand, the lawyers for the two states involved in the litigation – Washington and Minnesota – said that the ban was invalid because it was motivated by religious discrimination, endangered rather than enhanced the nation’s safety and threatened the economy.
We’ll see how this goes – but it’s a victory for people opposed to the ban.
Source: NY Times.
Photo: Getty Images.
