Court denies Trump request to immediately restore travel ban
WASHINGTON: A federal appeals court denied early Sunday the Justice Department's request for an immediate reinstatement of President Donald Trump's ban on accepting certain travelers and all refugees.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco instead asked challengers of the ban respond to the appeal filed by the Trump administration late Saturday night, and for the Justice Department to file a counter-response by Monday afternoon.
The Trump administration declared that a federal judge in Seattle overstepped his authority by temporarily blocking the ban nationwide. Now the higher court's denial of an immediate stay means the legal battles will continue for days at least.
Acting Solicitor General Noel Francisco forcefully argued Saturday night that the president alone has the power to decide who can enter or stay in the United States, an assertion that invokes the wider battle to come over illegal immigration.
"The power to expel or exclude aliens is a fundamental sovereign attribute, delegated by Congress to the executive branch of government and largely immune from judicial control," the brief says.
Earlier Saturday, the government officially suspended the ban's enforcement in compliance with order of the order of U.S. District Judge James Robart. It marks an extraordinary setback for the new president, who only a week ago acted to suspend America's refugee program and halt immigration from seven Muslim-majority countries the government said raise terrorism concerns.
Trump, meanwhile, mocked Robart, who was appointed by President George W. Bush, calling him a "so-called judge" whose "ridiculous" ruling "will be overturned."
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco instead asked challengers of the ban respond to the appeal filed by the Trump administration late Saturday night, and for the Justice Department to file a counter-response by Monday afternoon.
The Trump administration declared that a federal judge in Seattle overstepped his authority by temporarily blocking the ban nationwide. Now the higher court's denial of an immediate stay means the legal battles will continue for days at least.
Acting Solicitor General Noel Francisco forcefully argued Saturday night that the president alone has the power to decide who can enter or stay in the United States, an assertion that invokes the wider battle to come over illegal immigration.
"The power to expel or exclude aliens is a fundamental sovereign attribute, delegated by Congress to the executive branch of government and largely immune from judicial control," the brief says.
Earlier Saturday, the government officially suspended the ban's enforcement in compliance with order of the order of U.S. District Judge James Robart. It marks an extraordinary setback for the new president, who only a week ago acted to suspend America's refugee program and halt immigration from seven Muslim-majority countries the government said raise terrorism concerns.
Trump, meanwhile, mocked Robart, who was appointed by President George W. Bush, calling him a "so-called judge" whose "ridiculous" ruling "will be overturned."
