Appeals court blocks Trump travel ban challenge

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday denied a legal challenge from the Trump administration to broaden its travel ban. The three-judge panel unanimously ruled that extended family members of those already in the United States, including grandparents, aunts, and uncles, are exempt from the ban. The ruling also permits entry for additional refugees who already have contractual commitments with U.S. resettlement organizations. Earlier this year. the U.S. Supreme Court allowed, in a limited fashion, President Donald Trump to implement his executive order on travel and refugees before the justices review the order’s constitutional merits this fall. The high court said in June individuals from banned nations could still enter the country if they could prove a “bona fide” relationship with a U.S. resident. The Trump administration interpreted that to mean only immediate family members, but a federal district court later broadened the exemption list to extended relatives. The 9th Circuit sided with the lower court, denying the Trump administration’s appeal. The Justice Department plans to appeal the 9th Circuit ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court.