The decision provides Trump a legal victory. A federal appeals court ruled against the travel ban on February 9, prompting Trump to fire off a tweet in all caps.
SEE YOU IN COURT, THE SECURITY OF OUR NATION IS AT STAKE!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 9, 2017
The 7-2 decision announced late on Monday allows the administration to lift restrictions on the executive order that had been upheld by lower courts to partially block the ban. Legal disputes among lower courts have continued by the Supreme Court decision is somewhat decisive, especially since only two of the court's 9 justices dissented.
In November, 16 state attorney generals filed briefs with the court to oppose the third and most recent version of the ban, stating it was "unconstitutional."
"The Trump administration's continued efforts to discriminate undermine New York's families, institutions and business" New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said, adding, "we'll continue to fight back."
The most recent iteration of the van prevents entry into the US from nationals of Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Yemen and Chad. North Korean citizens and Venezuelan government officials are banned from entering the US as well.
The decision to put Chad on the list came under heavy criticism since Chad is one of the top US partners fighting the terror group Boko Haram in Africa.
"The travel ban into the United States should be far larger, tougher and more specific-but stupidly, that would not be politically correct," the US president tweeted in mid-September.
According to terrorism expert Max Abrahms, it's an open question whether "extreme vetting" protocols and bans actually mitigate the risk of terrorist attacks since "it's not clear which countries to include on the list."
"The Muslim Ban is not about keeping our country safe," the left-leaning Southern Poverty Law Center said on Twitter, "it's about dividing our country."
