Trump files travel ban appeal

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration filed court papers Friday hoping to salvage its second version of a travel ban, after two judges in separate cases this week found it likely violated the Constitution.

The Justice Department filed legal notice of its intent to appeal in federal court in Maryland, setting up a new appeals court showdown in Richmond, Va.

Earlier this week, federal judges in Hawaii and Maryland issued orders against the travel ban, finding it likely violated the First Amendment by disfavoring a particular religion. If the Justice Department had appealed the Hawaii order, the case would have gone to the same San Francisco-based appeals court that rejected an earlier version of the travel ban.

The administration denies it is a Muslim ban, and says the order aims to prevent terrorism by suspending visitors from terror prone countries where screening of individuals seeking U.S. visas may not be effective.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals previously ruled against the first version of President Donald Trump’s executive order that suspended the U.S. refugee program and temporarily barred visitors from seven majority Muslim countries — Libya, Iran, Iraq, Sudan, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen. A three-judge panel found that executive order violated the due process rights of people who had previously been approved to visit the United States.

In response to the legal setback, the White House crafted a new version that dropped Iraq from the list of countries and exempted holders of valid visas and green cards.