ON February 3rd, one week after Donald Trump issued an executive order banning travel from seven Muslim-majority countries and suspending America’s refugee programme, a federal judge in Washington state dealt a major blow to the administration’s plan. James Robart, appointed by George W. Bush to the federal district court in Seattle in 2004, was unequivocal in his ruling. There is “no support”, he said, for the government’s argument that its order served to “protect the US from individuals from these countries”. Mr Trump responded with a tweet: “The opinion of this so-called judge”, he wrote, “is ridiculous and will be overturned!”
Observing that Mr Trump’s immigration order had caused “immediate and irreparable injury” in “employment, education, business, family relations and freedom to travel”, Mr Robart granted several states’ request for a temporary restraining order against the ban. While federal courts may not weigh in on the “wisdom” of policy, he concluded, they are duty-bound to ensure that “the actions undertaken by the other two branches comport with our country’s laws, and more importantly, the constitution”. Though...Continue reading
Source: United States http://ift.tt/2kAE8h5
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