Appeals court to hear case on Trump's blocked immigration ban

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published 8 May 2017

On Monday, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia, will hear arguments over President Trump's blocked immigration executive order, which temporarily banned people from multiple Muslim-majority countries from entering the U.S. The Trump administration plans to argue that the order is "motivated by national security, not religion" and thus does not violate the Constitution, The Associated Press reported.

In March, a federal judge in Maryland issued a nationwide ban on enforcing the order, citing statements Trump made during his campaign as evidence the order deliberately discriminated against Muslims.

Ten of the 15 active judges in the court were appointed by Democratic presidents, and CNN reported that "at least one" of the court's conservative judges has recused himself from the case.