Supreme court appears to lean in favor of Trump's right to impose travel ban

Source: The Guardian

April 25, 2018 at 22:40

Protesters gather outside the US supreme court on 25 April. Photograph: Yuri Gripas/Reuters

Key judges signal support for president’s authority, as court weighs whether his motivation was national security or religious animus

Two key judges on the US supreme court signaled support on Wednesday for Donald Trump’s authority to impose his controversial travel ban on several Muslim-majority countries, as fierce arguments raged before the bench in Washington.

Chief justice John Roberts and Justice Anthony Kennedy, the two most likely swing votes on the nine-judge court, both expressed skepticism over attempts to undermine Trump’s authority on what the president’s side insists is a matter of national security.

Opponents argue the Trump travel ban is motivated by discrimination and want the supreme court to uphold lower court rulings striking down the ban, which Trump first imposed by executive order as one of his first moves as president in 2017.

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