On Tuesday, the Supreme Court ruled to uphold the order, issued by President Donald Trump in September 2017, restricting travel to the US from several Muslim-majority countries. Writing about the 5-4 opinion, Chief Justice, John Roberts, said the ban fell within the authority of the President and rejected accusations that it was the result of religious hostility.
Roberts said the ban was premised on purposes that were entirely legitimate, saying nothing about religion but preventing the entry of foreign nationals into the US who could not be vetted in an adequate manner, while encouraging other countries to improve their own vetting practices. The case had been crucially important to the Trump administration’s policy, and their promise to secure the nation’s borders and cut down on immigration. The President embraced the decision on Twitter.
The travel restriction was the third issued by the administration and affects travelers and immigrants from Iran, North Korea, Syria, Yemen, Libya, Somalia, and Venezuela. In April, Chad was removed from the list of countries affected by the ban.
Previous iterations of the travel ban have been revised following court challenges. Trump called the decision a ‘profound vindication’ and accused Democrats and the media of having engaged in ‘months of hysterical commentary’. Courts usually defer to the President on immigration issues, according to the immigration author, Stephen Yale-Loehr.