On Thursday evening, the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled to uphold the suspension of President Trump's executive order that keeps refugees and travelers from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States.
In its unanimous decision, the three-judge panel wrote, "We hold that the Government has not shown a likelihood of success on the merits of its appeal, nor has it shown that failure to enter a stay would cause irreparable injury, and we therefore deny its emergency motion for a stay." Oral arguments in the case were heard on Tuesday, with a lawyer for the state of Washington arguing that, among other things, the executive order discriminates on the basis of religion. A lawyer from the Department of Justice said the order was made to protect national security, and that the U.S. district judge in Seattle issuing a temporary restraining order last week that suspended the ban nationwide was "overbroad."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.