Trump Appeals Block On Muslim Ban To SCOTUS

The New York Times reports:

The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court late Thursday to revive its revised ban that limits travelers visiting the United States from six mostly Muslim countries. The move sets the stage for a constitutional showdown over the president’s authority to make national security judgments in the name of protecting Americans from terrorism.

Last week, a federal appeals court in Richmond, Va., said President Trump’s travel ban was a product of religious animus and intolerance, and so violated the First Amendment. Mr. Trump’s national security justifications for the ban, that court said, were a pretext for the religious discrimination suggested by his campaign rhetoric, including his pledge to ban Muslim immigrants from entering the country.

The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit split along ideological lines in its 10-to-3 decision, with its three Republican appointees in dissent. Shortly after the decision was issued, Attorney General Jeff Sessions vowed to appeal to the Supreme Court.