A federal appeals court has upheld a ruling blocking President Donald Trump's proposed temporary travel ban for six Muslim-majority countries, the Associated Press reports.
The court would not reinstate it because it believes it discriminated on the basis of religion. The case is likely to go before the Supreme Court, according to the New York Times.
Trump issued the initial order on Jan. 27, but the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals halted it. The Trump administration later issued a revised order that omitted Iraq, one of the countries on the original list, and limited the overall scope.
However, the revised order still did not pass muster with the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
BREAKING: Appeals court rules against President Trump's revised travel ban targeting Muslim-majority countries.
— The Associated Press (@AP) May 25, 2017
The AP reports:
The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday upheld a lower court ruling that blocked the travel ban. It's the first appeals court to rule on the revised travel ban. Trump rewrote the ban after several legal defeats. His administration will likely appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The appeals court decision blocks the administration from suspending new visas for people from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.
A federal judge in Hawaii has also halted that provision and the freeze on the U.S. refugee program. Trump's administration is fighting that decision in the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.