An appeals court hearing is set for today as the US Department of Justice seeks to have president Donald Trump’s travel ban reinstated in the interests of national security.
A 15-page brief argued it was a “lawful exercise of the president’s authority” and not a ban on Muslims. Trump’s executive order temporarily banned entry for all refugees and visitors from seven mainly Muslim countries.
A hearing has been set for later today on whether to allow or reject the ban.
The filing was made to the San Francisco-based 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals in response to the halting of Trump’s executive order on Friday by a federal judge in Washington state.
The judge had argued the ban was unconstitutional and harmful to the state’s interests.
As a result, people from the seven countries – Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen – with valid visas were able to travel to the US again.
More than 125 US technology firms, including Apple, Facebook and Microsoft, have signed a brief opposing the ban, claiming that it “inflicts significant harm” on their businesses and is unconstitutional.
They argue that “a broad, open-ended ban – together with an indication that the ban could be expanded to other countries without notice – does not fit the goal of making the country more secure. Instead, it will undermine American interests”.
The case could end up in the highest court in the US, the Supreme Court, whatever the decision of the appeals court.