After nearly two weeks of chaos and confusion, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled against reinstating Donald Trump’s immigration ban that barred refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries. The three judges who comprise the 9th Circuit were appointed by presidents Carter, Obama, and Bush. CNN legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin termed the unanimous decision by the court as “a complete and total repudiation of the Trump administration’s legal position” in the case.
This chapter of the saga revolves around the Justice Department’s request that the appeals court reinstate Trump’s executive order for reasons of national security. Although at least fifteen other states and Washington D.C. currently have outstanding legal proceedings regarding the executive order, this case — State of Washington v. Trump — shall be the broadest ruling thus far on the books.
As the New York Times notes, further appeal on this case is likely and it will likely head to the Supreme Court. However the Supreme Court is currently stocked with only eight justices (unless Trump nominee Neil Gorsuch ends up being confirmed soon), so this could end in a 4-to-4 deadlock, which would leave the Ninth Circuit’s ruling intact.
We will now all wait for President Trump to respond on Twitter, which you just know he will, wearing his bathrobe, of course.
UPDATE: And there it is, in all caps, naturally.
SEE YOU IN COURT, THE SECURITY OF OUR NATION IS AT STAKE!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 9, 2017
(Via NBC and New York Times)