American travel ban partly allowed

WASHINGTON: A Supreme Court decision to partially reinstate US President Donald Trump’s temporary travel ban has left the effort to keep some foreigners out of the US in a murky middle ground, with unanswered questions and possibly more litigation ahead.

The justices ruled on Monday in an unsigned opinion they would hold a full hearing on the case in October. In the meantime, the administration can bar travellers from six majority-Muslim countries from the US if they don’t have a “credible claim of a bona fide relationship” with someone or some entity in the country.

It’s unclear what will ultimately constitute a “bona fide relationship”, though the ruling suggested that an American job, school enrolment or a close relative could meet that threshold. Equally unclear is how many foreigners will be affected from the six countries: Syria, Sudan, Iran, Yemen, Libya and Somalia.

The ruling was seen as at least a partial victory for Trump in the biggest court case of his presidency.

AP