Washington Dulles International Airport Photo by Joe Ravi via Wikimedia Commons
A federal judge in Seattle, Washington, Friday temporarily suspended implementation of President Donald Trump’s immigration executive order banning entry of citizens of seven Muslim majority countries.
Following the court decision, airlines planned to allow passengers, previously denied entry to the United States, to board for travel. The travel restriction were imposed on travelers from Iran, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen, affecting thousands of people.
Reacting to the court order, the Trump Administration said it would it would seek a halt to the order, arguing that the White House had the responsibility to shield Americans against harm.
A White House statement said the Department of Justice intends to file at the earliest possible time an emergency stay of the executive order and defend it as it is “lawful and appropriate.”
“The president’s order is intended to protect the homeland and he has the constitutional authority and responsibility to protect the American people.”
Civil society and rights activists hailed the decision by James Robart, Federal District Court of the Western District of Washington. Judge Robart was appointed by former president George W Bush.
According to The Washington Post, Judge James L. Robart wrote that in his opinion “fundamental” to the court’s work was “a vigilant recognition that it is but one of three equal branches of our federal government.”
“The court concludes that the circumstances brought before it today are such that it must intervene to fulfill its constitutional role in our tripart government,” he wrote, according to the Post.
The legal issues over travel restrictions and thee executive order are now expected to move to the higher courts.
