US top court backs Trump on travel ban targeting Muslim-majority states
The travel ban was one of Trump’s signature hardline immigration policies
Washington — The US Supreme Court on Tuesday handed US President Donald Trump one of the biggest victories of his presidency, upholding his travel ban targeting several Muslim-majority countries. The 5-4 ruling, with the court’s five conservatives in the majority, ends for now a fierce fight in the courts over whether the policy represented an unlawful Muslim ban. Trump can now claim vindication after lower courts had blocked his travel ban announced in September, as well as two prior versions, in legal challenges brought by the state of Hawaii and others.
The court held that the challengers had failed to show that the ban violates either US immigration law or the US Constitution’s First Amendment prohibition on the government favouring one religion over another. Writing for the court, Chief Justice John Roberts said that the government "has set forth a sufficient national security justification" to prevail. "We express no view on the soundness of the policy," Roberts added. T...
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