Trump's revised travel ban defeated by second US appeals court

  • 13/06/2017
US President Donald Trump addresses press
The Trump administration has struggled to pass the ban on people entering the US from six Muslim-majority countries. Photo credit: Reuters

A second US appeals court has ruled against President Donald Trump's temporary travel ban on people entering the United States from six Muslim-majority countries, largely upholding a lower court's decision.

The 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco was reviewed a March ruling by a Hawaii-based federal judge that blocked parts of Trump's order. The ruling came after a separate court, the Richmond, Virginia-based 4th US Circuit Court of Appeals, on May 25 upheld a Maryland judge's ruling blocking parts of the order.

The Trump administration on June 1 asked the US Supreme Court to block the Hawaii and Richmond rulings and revive the ban.

Hawaii federal Judge Derrick Watson blocked a March 6 executive order barring travellers from Libya, Iran, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen for 90 days while the government put in place stricter visa screening. Judge Watson also blocked a directive that suspended entry of refugee applicants for 120 days, as well as other instructions for the government to study tougher vetting procedures.

The 9th Circuit on Monday upheld the block on Mr Trump's travel ban and a cap on refugees. However, the appeals court vacated part of the injunction in order to allow the government to conduct internal reviews on vetting.

Reuters