Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals Hears Arguments on Merits of Travel Ban 3.0

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in Seattle heard arguments on Dec. 6, 2017, before a three-judge panel of on the merits of the third version of the President’s Executive Order banning travel from several Muslim-majority nations in Hawai‘i v. Trump. The panel consisted of Judges Ronald Gould, Michael Hawkins and Richard Paez.

“Travel Ban 3.0, unlike the earlier temporary versions, permanently blocks more than 150 million people from entry into the U.S. due to their nation of origin,” said Attorney General Chin. “The religious prejudice that infected this executive order on day one was reinforced by the White House as recently as last week. We appreciated the chance today to answer questions from the court regarding how the latest version still violates the Constitution and immigration laws passed by Congress.”

On Monday, Dec. 4, 2017, the U.S. Supreme Court allowed the travel ban to take effect while courts decide upon its merits. If the Ninth Circuit rules on the merits in Hawai‘i’s favor, the Trump Administration may appeal to the Supreme Court. If the Supreme Court grants review, the travel ban will remain in effect until a final ruling on the merits. If the Supreme Court denies review, the travel ban will be enjoined.