US President Donald Trump has repeatedly called for the merit-based system to reduce overall immigration to the US. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
In one of the biggest victories for his presidency, the Supreme Court Tuesday upheld US President Donald Trump’s travel ban from several mostly Muslim countries, effectively rejecting a challenge that it discriminated against Muslims or exceeded his authority.
The 5-4 decision Tuesday is the court’s first substantive ruling on a Trump administration policy.
The US President can now claim vindication after lower courts had blocked his travel ban which was announced in September last year, as well as two prior versions, in legal challenges brought by the state of Hawaii and others. The top court had observed that the challengers had effectively failed to show that the ban fundamentally violates either US immigration law or the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment prohibition on the government favouring one religion over another.
The ruling is an affirmation of broad presidential discretion over who is allowed to enter US. Today’s ruling essentially means that the current ban can remain in effect, while Trump could potentially add more countries to the list. Trump has said the policy is needed to protect the country against attacks by Islamic militants.
Meanwhile, Trump responded to the court’s decision on Twitter with a ‘wow’.
SUPREME COURT UPHOLDS TRUMP TRAVEL BAN. Wow!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 26, 2018
Trump issued his first version just a week after taking office, though it was quickly halted by the courts.