Trump travel ban on hold amid legal battle that could reach top court
President Donald Trump’s sweeping travel ban is now in limbo amid a high stakes legal battle. Here’s what we know today and what is likely to come:
What’s in the president’s executive order?
On Jan. 27, Trump signed an order barring people from seven predominantly Muslim countries from entering the U.S. for 90 days: Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen. The order also bars any refugees from resettling in the U.S. for 120 days and it indefinitely blocks Syrian refugees from resettling here.
What’s going on with the court case?
On Friday, a federal judge in Seattle issued a nationwide temporary restraining order, putting much of the travel ban on hold after officials in Washington and Minnesota sued. The Trump administration sought an immediate stay of U.S. District Court Judge James Robart’s order, but the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco declined that request early Sunday.
What will likely happen next?
The appeals court has given the parties in the legal case until Monday afternoon to file briefs. But the arguments likely won’t end after the appeals court rules. The case is expected to reach the U.S. Supreme Court.
Meanwhile, what’s the status of Trump’s executive order?
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security — which includes U.S. Customs and Border Protection — announced over the weekend it had stopped enforcing the parts of the travel ban covered by Robart's temporary restraining order. And volunteer attorneys who are monitoring Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport reported they saw no indications that the ban was still being carried out.
About the Author
Jeremy Redmon is an award-winning journalist, essayist and educator with more than three decades of experience reporting for newspapers. He has written for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution since 2005.
