Appeals court rejects Trump administration’s request to restore travel ban

A federal appeals court early Sunday rejected the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) request to restore President Trump’s travel ban on immigrants from seven predominantly Muslim countries.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit in San Francisco denied the DOJ’s request an emergency stay, pending full consideration of the motion.

The court requested a response from attorneys general in Washington state and Minnesota on Sunday and from the administration by Monday afternoon.

{mosads}The Justice Department filed a notice Saturday evening that it would formally appeal a temporary nationwide restraining order issued by a federal judge in Seattle on Friday, which immediately halted Trump’s immigration order.

Earlier in the day, Trump criticized Judge James Robart, who was appointed by former President George W. Bush in 2003, and his ruling in the case.

Trump called Robart a “so-called judge” and blasted his decision as “ridiculous.”

“We’ll win. For the safety of the country we’ll win,” Trump told reporters late Saturday at his private Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.

Robart’s ruling allowed refugees and travelers from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen, who were barred by the president, to continue to be able to enter the country.

In response to Robart’s ruling, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) suspended “any and all actions implementing the affected sections” of Trump’s order.

“This includes actions to suspend passenger system rules that flag travelers for operational action subject to the Executive Order. DHS personnel will resume inspection of travelers in accordance with standard policy and procedure,” DHS spokesperson Gillian Christensen said in a statement, as first reported by BuzzFeed News.

–This breaking news report was updated at 6:25 a.m.