Trump’s Muslim ban: Seattle judge blocks executive order

A ruling by a federal judge in Washington state has thrown the legitimacy of Donald Trump's Muslim ban into question as US customs tell airlines to start allowing people back into the country.

Washington: A federal judge in Seattle on Friday temporarily blocked President Donald Trump's executive order banning entry into the United States from seven Muslim-majority countries.

District Judge James Robert, who was appointed by President George Bush in 2003, issued a temporary restraining order against the restrictions, ruling that the ban would be immediately stopped nationwide.

In Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson's 90-page lawsuit filed on Monday, he'd claimed that the Trump administration is violating the Constitution's protections for religious freedom. "The Constitution prevailed today," Ferguson said in a statement after the verdict. "No one is above the law, not even the President."

Meanwhile, New York and Virginia have also taken legal action against the president's ban.

Reacting to the lawsuit, White House attorneys issued a response brief, claiming that Washington state is unable to challenge the President and his intentions. "What the judge announced today was nationwide the president's executive order does not apply," the brief said.

President Trump's order banned immigration for 90 days from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. It also halted the admission of Syrian refugees indefinitely along with all other refugees for 120 days, sparking confusion and outrage resulting in mass protests across the states.

The White House has not officially responded to the Seattle court ruling.

OneIndia News