Supreme Court Upholds Trump Travel Ban

Last Updated on February 23, 2023

In a ruling issued today, President Trump’s travel ban has been upheld by the Supreme Court. The Justices were split, but ultimately the ruling was a partisan 5-4 in favor of upholding the ban, with Chief Justice John Roberts helping tip the scale.

Justice Roberts wrote in the opinion explaining the ruling: “Plaintiffs argue that this President’s words strike at fundamental standards of respect and tolerance, in violation of our constitutional tradition. But the issue before us is not whether to denounce the statements. It is instead the significance of those statements in reviewing a Presidential directive, neutral on its face, addressing a matter within the core of executive responsibility. In doing so, we must consider not only the statements of a particular President, but also the authority of the Presidency itself.”

The version of the travel ban in question is the third iteration, revised in September 2017 and restricts citizens of seven countries from entering the U.S., including Iran, North Korea, Syria, Libya, Yemen, Somalia and Venezuela. In April, the Supreme Court began deliberating on the legality of the travel ban policy issued by Trump in 2017, especially with regards to his previous comments on immigration.

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