Trump attacks Hawaii judge’s travel ban block for making US ‘look weak’

Donald Trump’s revised travel ban has been blocked by a federal judge hours before it was due to take effect across the US. Hawaii District Judge Derrick Watson ruled there was a strong likelihood that “irreparable injury is likely if the requested relief is not issued”. He also pointed to “questionable evidence supporting the government’s national security motivation”. His ruling prevents the President’s executive order restricting travel to the US from Muslim-majority countries from going into effect today. Mr Trump hit out against the decision as he visited Nashville, Tennessee, claiming it was “flawed” and an example of “unprecedented judicial overreach”. He said the court’s decision “makes us look weak” and said he was prepared to fight it all the way to the Supreme Court if necessary.

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President Donald Trump

More than half a dozen states have been trying to stop the ban, and federal courts in Maryland, Washington state and Hawaii heard arguments on Wednesday about whether it should come into force. Hawaii argued that the ban discriminates on the basis of nationality and would prevent Hawaii residents from receiving visits from relatives in the six countries covered by the ban. The state also said the ban would harm its tourism industry and the ability to recruit foreign students and workers. The judge was nominated to the federal bench by Barack Obama in 2012 and is currently the only Native Hawaiian judge serving at that level. Donald Trump has said the restrictions on all refugees and people from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen are needed to prevent extremists from entering the US.

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