Second appeals court blocks Trump travel ban

A unanimous three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decided Monday to continue blocking President Donald Trump’s temporary ban on travel from six Muslim-majority countries. The judges’ ruling echoed a May 25 decision by the 4th Circuit, which administration lawyers have appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. In their unanimous opinion, the San Francisco-based 9th Circuit said discrimination, not national security, provided the motive for the travel ban. Because the president based his decision on bias against Islam, he violated the constitutional prohibition against favoring one religion over another, the judges ruled. Trump and his team insist the ban is about keeping potential terrorists out of the country, pointing to recent attacks in Europe as evidence of the threat. The administration said in January it needed a four-month pause in travel to adopt a more stringent vetting system. Officials have yet to announce new procedures.

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