A federal appeals court has upheld a lower court ruling that suspends President Trump’s immigration order that barred refugees and citizens from seven Muslim-majority nations from entering the U.S.
The decision wan unanimous, the three judges flatly rejected the government’s argument that the suspension of the order should be lifted immediately for security reasons.
The judges wrote that any suggestion that they could not serve as a check on the president’s power “runs contrary to the fundamental structure of our constitutional democracy.”
“The Government has pointed to no evidence that any alien from any of the countries named in the Order has perpetrated a terrorist attack in the United States,” the judges wrote. “Rather than present evidence to explain the need for the Executive Order, the Government has taken the position that we must not review its decision at all.”
Trump of course reacted swiftly and angrily on Twitter:
SEE YOU IN COURT, THE SECURITY OF OUR NATION IS AT STAKE!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 9, 2017
President Trump, after losing in court, says he will see the court. In court.
— Matt Viser (@mviser) February 9, 2017
He later said to reporters that the judges had made “a political decision.”
“We have a situation where the security of our country is at stake, and it’s a very, very serious situation, so we look forward, as I just said, to seeing them in court,” he said.
Trump has previously targeted federal judges over Twitter blaming politics for their decisions and has even despicably said that people should blame the judge and the courts if an attack happens.
Just cannot believe a judge would put our country in such peril. If something happens blame him and court system. People pouring in. Bad!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 5, 2017
The Justice Department, which was defending the administration’s position, said in a statement it was “reviewing the decision and considering its options.”
Kellyanne Conway, counsellor to the president, said on Fox News: “This ruling does not affect the merits at all. It is an interim ruling, and we’re fully confident now that we’ll get our day in court and have an opportunity to argue this on the merits, that we’ll prevail.”
Read the 9th Circuit Court’s full decision here
Hopefully this ruling against Trump’s immigration ban will restore some of the damage he’s done to our nation’s reputation around the world. https://t.co/jQq9dK2wqz
— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) February 9, 2017