Federal appeals court upholds block on Trump's travel ban
Federal appeals court upholds block on Trump's travel ban, A federal appeals court has dealt another blow to President Donald Trump's temporary travel ban.
The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday upheld a lower court ruling blocking the revised version of the executive order, which temporarily restricts travel from six predominantly Muslim countries. The Trump administration crafted it to better hold up to legal scrutiny than an earlier version did.
Trump has insisted that the measure is necessary to prevent possible terrorist attacks and protect national security. But opponents, and courts in previous rulings blocking its enforcement, have cited past statements from Trump and his advisors signaling that it may target Muslims.
The 4th Circuit ruling said it was "unconvinced" that the order "has more to do with national security than it does with effectuating the president's proposed Muslim ban."
After previous legal setbacks for his executive order, Trump said that the federal government will take it to the Supreme Court, if necessary. The White House has insisted that Trump had the authority to issue the order based on the president's powers to limit certain immigrants.
The 4th Circuit ruling said that while "Congress granted the president broad power to deny entry to aliens," the "power is not absolute."
A federal judge in Hawaii also halted the order, and the Trump administration is fighting that decision in a separate appeals court.
Judges have had to consider whether to consider only the text of the executive order or take into account Trump's campaign statements about temporarily barring Muslims from entering the country.
— NBC News and the Associated Press contributed to this report
