US judge deals severe legal blow to Trump travel ban

LOS ANGELES, Feb 4 (AFP) - A US federal judge on Friday ordered a temporary, nationwide halt to President Donald Trump's ban on travellers from seven Muslimmajority countries, in the most severe legal blow to the controversial measure.

The restraining order issued by Seattle US District Judge James Robart is valid nationwide pending a full review of a complaint filed by Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson.

“The constitution prevailed today,” Ferguson said, describing the judge's decision as historic. “No one is above the law -- not even the president.” “It is not the loudest voice that prevails in a courtroom, it's the constitution,” he added, pointing out that Robart was appointed by Republican president George W. Bush.

But the White House quickly hit back, making clear it was ready for a drawn-out battle. It initially denounced the decision as “outrageous” but later removed the word from its statement.

“At the earliest possible time, the Department of Justice intends to file (for) an emergency stay of this order and defend the executive order of the president, which we believe is lawful and appropriate,” a statement said.

“The president's order is intended to protect the homeland and he has the constitutional authority and responsibility to protect the American people.”

Friday's ruling was not the first to challenge the travel ban, but it was the most sweeping as it effectively vacated the main tenets of the order.

Ferguson said the order technically means that anyone with a valid visa must be allowed entry into the country by Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

But it was unclear whether the Trump administration would succeed in challenging it, leaving travelers in limbo over their legal status.

Ferguson had filed a suit to invalidate key provisions of Trump's executive order which bars Syrian refugees indefinitely and blocks citizens of Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen from entry into the US for 90 days. Refugees from countries other than Syria are barred from entry for 120 days.

The State Department said Friday that up to 60,000 people from the seven targeted countries had their visas canceled as a result of the order. A Justice Department attorney, however, told a court hearing in Virginia that about 100,000 visas had been revoked.

The State Department was still studying the federal judge's order as of late Friday.