It’s clear victory, says Trump

PARTIAL REINSTATEMENT OF RESTRICTIONS WILL HAVE ‘LIMITED IMPACT’ Real crunch will come when justices hear argument in October.

The US Supreme Court on Monday partially reinstated Donald Trump’s controversial travel ban targeting citizens from six predominantly Muslim countries, prompting the president to claim a victory for national security.

The nine justices, who will hear arguments in the case in October, said the ban could now be enforced for travellers from the targeted countries “who lack any bona fide relationship with a person or entity in the US”.

The court tempered its ruling by saying the ban could not be implemented against people who have personal links to the US, citing the examples of foreign nationals wishing to visit family, or students accepted to attend university.

But the decision nonetheless marks a win for the Republican leader, who has insisted the ban is necessary for national security, despite criticism that it singles out Muslims in violation of the US constitution. Trump has suffered a series of judicial defeats over the ban, with two federal appeals courts maintaining injunctions on it by arguing that it discriminated against travellers based on their nationality. Reacting to Monday’s ruling, Trump said he felt vindicated by what he called “a clear victory for our national security”.

Attorney-General Jeff Sessions voiced confidence the government would prevail when the top judges heard the case. – AFP