The Supreme Court has postponed a decision on the legality of President Trump’s travel ban.
WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court has postponed a decision on the legality of President Trump’s travel ban, announcing Monday it will not hear arguments on the issue Oct. 10 as planned.
The justices were set to hear an appeal from Trump’s lawyers who had urged the high court to reject a series of rulings from district judges in Hawaii and Maryland and appeals courts in Virginia and California.
These judges struck down the temporary travel ban affecting six mostly Muslim nations as unconstitutional and a violation of federal immigration law. But a key part of the ban expired Sunday, and in its place, the President announced a revised and expanded entry ban that affects eight nations. And unlike the earlier version, the new bans will extend indefinitely.
The new moves almost certainly rendered the old cases moot.
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In a brief order, the justices asked the lawyers on both sides to submit letters on what should be done next. And they added, „The cases are removed from the oral argument calendar, pending further order of the court.“
One pending question is whether the justices will set aside the rulings by the 4th Circuit Court in Virginia and the 9th Circuit Court in California that struck down the temporary travel ban.
Typically the Supreme Court agrees to vacate such rulings because the losing party did not have a full chance to appeal. But it is also clear that Monday’s order will only delay a decision.
The American Civil Liberties Union and other immigrants-rights advocates said they would go back to court to challenge the new presidential proclamation. And the constitutionality of Trump’s policy is likely to come back to the Supreme Court in a few months.
– ©2017 Tribune Washington Bureau Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
