By Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com
The Justice Department is defending President Trump’s travel restrictions, saying the executive order was a “lawful exercise of the president’s authority” and did not amount to a ban on Muslims.
The Justice Department filed a 15-page brief with the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, which is taking up the case today to determine whether a federal judge in Seattle made the right decision to lift the travel restrictions nationwide.
The federal judge said Trum’s executive order violates the constituent’s guarantee of due process and discriminates on the basis of religion.
“But even if some relief were appropriate, the court’s sweeping nationwide injunction is vastly overbroad,” the Justice Department argued in the brief.
Trump made an unprecedented attack on the independent judiciary, saying the Seattle judge was putting Americans in danger.
“If something happens blame him and court system,” Trump tweeted.
The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals also is expected to determine whether the Seattle judge had the authority to lift the ban nationwide.
