Appeals court sets hearing on travel ban

The federal appeals court in Richmond, Va., Thursday agreed to move quickly in hearing the government’s appeal of a lower court’s order blocking President Trump’s revised travel ban.

The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals set the hearing for 1 p.m. May 8.

District judges in Hawaii and Maryland issued separate orders earlier this month blocking the executive order that temporarily bans nationals from six majority-Muslim countries from entering the U.S. hours before it was set to take effect.

{mosads}Trump decided to appeal Maryland’s order so his appeal would be heard by the 4th Circuit. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, which has jurisdiction over Hawaii, refused to reinstate Trump’s first travel ban when it was blocked by a district court judge in Washington. 

In revising the order, the administration dropped Iraq from the list of targeted nations, and removed language that gave preference to religious minorities when the refugee program resumes, exempted legal U.S. residents and certain visa holders and indefinitely stopped the U.S. from admitting Syrian refugees.

The new order bars all refugee resettlement in the U.S. for 120 days.