Page 6 - ARUBA TODAY

A6 U.S. NEWS
Monday 27 January 2020

Three years later, Trump travel ban heads back to court

By DENISE LAVOIE they are only asking the ap-
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Af- peals court to find — as U.S.
ter the U.S. Supreme Court District Court Judge Theo-
upheld President Donald dore Chuang did — that
Trump's ban on travelers their lawsuits can move
from several predominantly forward to the discovery
Muslim countries in 2018, phase, when they will seek
the ruling appeared to shut records from the Trump ad-
down legal challenges that ministration on the origins
claimed the policy was of the ban and how it has
rooted in anti-Muslim bias. been enforced over the
But a federal appeals court last three years.
in Richmond is set to hear In rejecting the govern-
arguments from civil rights ment's motion to dismiss
groups hoping to keep the the lawsuits, Chuang found
challenges alive. that the plaintiffs "have pro-
The 4th U.S. Circuit Court vided detailed allegations
of Appeals will hear argu- for why the (travel ban)
ments Tuesday in three is not rationally related to
lawsuits filed by U.S. citizens its stated national secu-
and permanent residents rity interests and is instead
whose relatives have been grounded in the illegiti-
unable to enter the U.S. mate and unconstitutional
because of the travel ban, purpose of disadvantaging
which was first imposed Muslims."
shortly after Trump took of- In this Jan. 29, 2017 file photo, demonstrators carrying signs chant as they protest outside of the Jonathan Turley, a profes-
White House in Washington during a demonstration to denounce President Donald Trump's ex-
fice in January 2017. ecutive order banning travel to the U.S. by citizens of Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and sor at George Washing-
The court is being asked to Yemen. ton University Law School,
decide whether a federal Associated Press said that while the Muslim
judge in Maryland made a groups can legitimately
mistake when he refused to and public statements, in- say the Supreme Court nior litigation attorney with argue that the Supreme
dismiss constitutional claims cluding his call during the merely rejected a prelimi- the Council on American- Court did not require out-
made in a lawsuit filed by presidential campaign for nary injunction to block Islamic Relations. right dismissal of their legal
the International Refugee "a complete and total shut- the travel ban and did not Federal appeals courts challenges, the high court's
Assistance Project despite down of Muslims entering decide the merits of the — including the 4th Cir- ruling did put a significant
a 2018 U.S. Supreme Court the United States." constitutional claims. The cuit — had upheld rulings crimp in their arguments.
ruling in a Hawaii case that Trump has said the ban is plaintiffs allege the travel from federal judges who "It strikes me as willful blind-
found the travel ban "a le- aimed at making the U.S. ban violates several con- blocked the travel ban ness to pretend the opinion
gitimate grounding in na- safer from potentially hos- stitutional rights, including from taking effect. But the did not substantially under-
tional security concerns." tile foreigners. the First Amendment's Es- Supreme Court came to a mine these cases," he said.
The Justice Department ar- "The Court rejected the ar- tablishment Clause prohib- different conclusion. "It's very difficult to read
gues the high court's ruling gument that the Proclama- iting the government from The travel ban's third itera- the Supreme Court opinion
effectively puts an end to tion could be explained favoring one religion over tion — now in effect— ap- and not see considerable
the legal challenges. In a only by anti-Muslim bias, another. plies to travelers from Iran, support for the arguments
5-4 ruling, a sharply divided and held instead that the "The Trump administration Libya, Somalia, Syria and of the administration."
Supreme Court found that Proclamation was rational- has supplied ample and Yemen. It also affects two Justin Cox, an attorney with
the travel ban was within ly grounded in legitimate damning evidence of its non-Muslim countries, the International Refugee
the considerable author- national-security concerns discriminatory intent, time keeping out travelers from Assistance Project, said
ity U.S. presidents have and foreign policy objec- and time again, so we're North Korea and some Muslim advocates will con-
over immigration and their tives," Justice Department hopeful that any court — Venezuelan government tinue to try to prove that
responsibility for keeping lawyers argue in a legal any fair-minded observer officials and their families. the ban is unconstitutional.
the nation safe. The court brief. — will see it the way we The groups suing the Trump "I understand why they
rejected claims that the The Trump administration is do, that it is a Muslim ban administration say the 4th want us to go away," he
policy was rooted in anti- asking the 4th Circuit to dis- that's aimed at the Mus- Circuit is not being asked said. "But nothing requires
Muslim bias based in large miss the lawsuits. lim community and Islam,'" to decide the merits of the us to go away and we are
part on Trump's own tweets But the plaintiffs' attorneys said Gadeir Abbas, a se- legal challenges. They say going to keep fighting."q