Trump administration asks SC to reinstate travel ban

Donald Trump's administration has asked the Supreme Court to revive the President's controversial travel ban executive order following its blocking by lower courts on discrimination grounds, the media reported.

In filings on Thursday night, the Justice Department asked the high court to temporarily lift injunctions that bar officials from carrying out Trump's directive to suspend visa issuance to citizens of the six majority-Muslim countries -- and halt the flow of refugees to the US from across the globe, Politico news reported.

The Trump administration also asked the justices to add the legality of the travel ban to the high court's docket.

"We have asked the Supreme Court to hear this important case and are confident that President Trump's executive order is well within his lawful authority to keep the Nation safe and protect our communities from terrorism," Justice Department spokeswoman Sarah Isgur Flores said in a statement.

"The President is not required to admit people from countries that sponsor or shelter terrorism, until he determines that they can be properly vetted and do not pose a security risk to the United States."

Thursday's move comes a week after the Virginia-based 4th Circuit federal appeals court ruled, 10-3, against Trump's bid to lift one of the pair of court orders blocking the visa ban, reports Politico news.

The court majority savaged Trump's directive, saying it "drips with religious intolerance, animus and discrimination".

Another court order, which blocks both the visa ban and the refugee halt, is on appeal to the California-based 9th Circuit. A three-judge panel of that court heard the case last month, but has not yet ruled.

Trump issued his initial travel ban order just seven days after taking office on January 20. It was quickly neutralized by a series of court orders.

The revised directive emerged in early March, exempting existing visa holders and removing Iran from the original list of seven countries affected by the visa ban.

Despite the changes, federal judges in Hawaii and Maryland blocked key parts of the policy before it was to take effect.

--IANS

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