JUDGE & FURY
Appeals court blocks ban, Trump vows battle not over
A federal appeals panel ruled 3-0 yesterday that President Trump’s temporary immigration ban on people from seven Muslim-majority nations should remain on hold until the courts decide whether it’s lawful. Trump immediately exploded on Twitter that he’d continue to fight for his executive order.
Three federal appeals judges unanimously upheld a decision that slammed the brakes on President Trump’s refugee and immigration ban on Thursday — and he furiously fired back on Twitter that he would continue the fight in court.
The ruling by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco means the temporary travel ban — which sparked massive protests at airports across the US — cannot go into effect without further litigation.
“The Government has pointed to no evidence that an alien of the countries named in the Order has perpetrated a terrorist attack in the United States,” the panel wrote.
“Rather than present evidence to explain the need for the Executive Order, the Government has taken the position that we must not re- view its decision at all. We disagree.”
Trump responded in an all-caps post on Twitter: “SEE YOU IN COURT, THE SECURITY OF OUR NATION IS AT STAKE!”
He later told NBC the ruling was a “political decision” and declared, “We’re gonna win the case.”
The judges — one of whom was appointed by Republican President George W. Bush — said Washington state and Minnesota had shown that even temporary
reinstatement of the ban would harm their citizens.
And the judges also took issue with the administration’s argument that the president had near-absolute power over the nation’s borders and immigration policies.
Washington’s state attorney, Bob Ferguson, was exuberant. “This is a complete victory,” he declared.
Trump has insisted his travel ban against the seven Muslim-majority nations wasn’t actually aimed at Muslims. But the appeals judges said that issue remains to be decided.
“The States have offered evidence of numerous statements by the President about his intent to implement a ‘Muslim ban’ as well as evidence they claim suggests that the Executive Order was intended to be that ban,” the judges wrote.
Trump wants to ban refugees from Syria indefinitely and from other countries — Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen — for 120 days.
Since the order was suspended halted last Friday, the number of arriv- ing refugees from the seven targeted nations has doubled in what appears to be a rush ahead of a possible Supreme Court ruling upholding the ban, The Washington Times said.
The paper said 77 percent of the 1,100 refugees let into the country since Feb. 3 have been from the seven countries. A total of 346 were from Syria alone.
The appeals judges were William Canby, appointed by Jimmy Carter, Michelle Friedland, picked by Barack Obama, and Bush appointee Richard Clifton.
The has Governmenttaken the position that we must not review its decision at all. We disagree. — Appeals court ruling