US Court of Appeals Rules Against Trump's Travel Ban

The latest travel ban issued by the US government has been deemed unconstitutional by a federal appeals court. The court's ruling states that the ban discriminates against Muslims based on their religious beliefs. The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia, ruled 9 to 4 that the travel ban requested by the Donald Trump administration is 'unconstitutional due to its entanglement with anti-Islamic sentiments.' According to the appeals court ruling, a previous federal judge's decision in Maryland opposing and overturning this presidential order was upheld. The federal judge had ruled that the travel ban against citizens from Chad, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen who have good faith relationships with individuals in the US should not be enforced. The US Supreme Court has also agreed to review the case of this presidential order in April – two months from now. Last December, the Supreme Court stated that the government could enforce the presidential travel ban while the case is under review in the appeals courts. The language used in the appeals court's final ruling indicates a critical stance towards the travel ban. The ruling stated that this order has 'far-reaching harmful effects' beyond the imposition of travel restrictions on citizens from a few countries. The appeals court ruling noted that this presidential order 'violates the ability to maintain full family connections with tens of thousands of American citizens.' Chief Judge Roger Gregory wrote in the final ruling: 'At a more fundamental level, this order calls into question our nation's commitment to religious freedom and tolerance.' Donald Trump has stated that the travel ban he issued is a legitimate action to protect the citizens of the United States. The first travel ban was issued by Donald Trump in January of last year, shortly after the new US administration took office. This order faced challenges in several courts. On March 8, Donald Trump issued another version of his order, which was also taken to court. The US government claims that it has used its powers to maintain national security for this order. The court's conclusion states that this order discriminates against a religion and is, in practice, a violation of the US Constitution.