SEATTLE (AP) – President Donald Trump’s surprise executive order on immigration and a Seattle judge’s stunning decision to temporarily block it a week later have induced a national whiplash, riveting attention first on protests that filled airports around the country and then on Trump’s Twitter rants questioning the judge’s legitimacy.
Whether the travel ban gets immediately reinstated is now up to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, where three judges heard arguments Tuesday .
If they keep U.S. District Judge James Robart’s order in place, the case could return to Robart, who would have more time to make a ruling on the merits of the case, based on fuller arguments and evidence.
If they let the President go forward with his executive order, it could compound the whiplash: The travel ban would take effect once again pending a legal challenge by Washington state and Minnesota, even though the courts might wind up striking it down later.
A decision has been promised within days.