WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The US Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals concluded an oral argument over the constitutionality of President Donald Trump's temporary travel ban by deciding to issue a final ruling as soon as feasible.
"We appreciate the importance and the time sensitive nature of this matter. We endeavor to issue our decision as soon as possible," Judge Michelle Friedland said in the hearing on Tuesday.
During the arguments, Justice Department Special Counselor August Flentje stated on behalf of Trump that the president's executive order has basis in the Constitution of the United States. He noted that the action relied on the congressional determinations of 2015 and 2016.
Washington Solicitor General Noah Purcell suggested that Trump's executive order caused harm to the states of Washington and Minnesota and significantly effected long-time residents who are entitled to their constitutional rights.
"We had students and faculty at our state universities who were stranded overseas. We had families that were separated," Purcell stressed. "We had lost tax revenue."
On Friday, US District Judge James Robart ordered a temporary nationwide halt to the entry ban, siding with the states of Washington and Minnesota that challenged the US federal government over the immigration policy they considered discriminatory and unconstitutional.
