WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - President Donald Trump's administration has petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to review lower court rulings blocking an executive order banning immigration from six Muslim-majority countries.
The Trump administration filings Thursday night also ask the Supreme Court to temporarily lift the injunctions and allow the order to take effect, which would require support from five of the nine Justices.
'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.
She added, '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.'
The Justice Department has asked the Supreme Court to expedite the case so that it could be heard near the beginning of the court's next term in October.
The administration had previously indicated its intention to appeal a decision by the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upholding a ruling blocking Trump's travel ban.
In the 10-3 ruling by the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals last month, the majority argued that Trump's anti-Muslim rhetoric on the campaign trail suggests the travel ban's primary purpose is religious.
The American Civil Liberties Union, one of the challengers to the travel ban, tweeted, 'We've beat this hateful ban and are ready to do it again.'
(Photo: Michael Vadon)
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