The Trump administration has dropped its appeal of the injunction against President Donald Trump's first travel ban executive order, although the president vowed that government lawyers would continue to defend its legality. The move is announced one day after Trump signed a new revised executive order.
The new executive order removes several aspects of the original order that were flagged unfit by a 9th Circuit Court of Appeals panel in a ruling last month. The original travel ban issued by Trump administration was blocked by the 9th Circuit for suspending citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the U.S. for three months and canceled at least 60,000 visas.
According to Politico, the 9th Circuit stated the plaintiffs in the suit, agreeing to dismiss the appeal of the states of Washington and Minnesota. The withdrawal of the appeal, however, may have little direct effect on the Washington and Minnesota suit.
Justice Department lawyers had previously asked the 9th Circuit to vacate the ruling issued last month by a three-judge panel, refusing to stay Robart's order, according to LA Times. Unless overturned by a larger group of 9th Circuit judges, the decision will now remain on the books as a precedent.
Dropping the appeal will also mean less work for the Justice Department as it seeks to fight the swelling legal challenges to Trump administration's newly proposed travel ban order. The department has declined to further comment on the development.
"The Trump Administration's decision to withdraw their appeal and pay our costs, confirms what I said yesterday: The President's original travel ban was unconstitutional," Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson said in a statement. "Contrary to President Trump's indefensible criticisms of the judiciary, his concession today admits that Judge Robart got it right when he enjoined the original Executive Order."
The legal battle in the U.S. since Trump took over the presidential position, goes beyond the politics of the moment and could impact national security for years to come. If the confusion and haste continue, the Trump administration might lose more than a news cycle in the future.
