White House press secretary Sean Spicer on Monday said the Supreme Court’s decision to reinstate President Trump’s travel ban is a positive thing, even if only a limited version of it is being allowed for now.
“I think it’s a positive step forward,” Spicer said during an off-camera briefing with reporters at the White House.
Spicer said the Department of Justice is reviewing the Supreme Court’s order “both in terms of its implementation and its impact.”
“So I don’t want to get too far ahead of all these brilliant legal minds, as they review the impact, but I think, as I noted, I think the president feels he’s very, very pleased with the 9-0 decision,” Spicer said.
The Supreme Court’s actions on Monday allow the administration to begin blocking people from six Muslim-majority countries — Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen — from entering the United States for 90 days. The court said Monday the administration could begin blocking people who don’t have bona fide relationships with U.S. citizens while it later rules on its legality.
Trump first signed a travel ban executive order on Jan. 27 but lower courts blocked its implementation. The administration issued a revised travel ban in March.
Trump on Monday celebrated the decision that allows a limited version of his travel ban to go into effect while the high court rules on its legality. “Today’s unanimous Supreme Court decision is a clear victory for our national security,” Trump said in a statement. “It allows the travel suspension for the six terror-prone countries and the refugee suspension to become largely effective.”
