Judge Partially Blocks Trump’s 11-Nation Refugee Ban

A federal judge in Seattle has partially blocked the Trump administration’s ban on certain refugees from 11 countries, ruling on Saturday that the order violates federal rule-making requirements. U.S. District Judge James Robart, who had earlier blocked Trump’s January travel ban, sided with the ACLU and Jewish Family Service, which filed a lawsuit on behalf of refugees barred entry to the U.S. Robart said the refugee ban can be applied only to refugees who don’t have a “bona fide” relationship to individuals or institutions in the U.S. Robart also noted an argument made by former officials that the ban would “harm the United States’ national security and foreign policy interests.” The partial block of the refugee ban—which covers Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Mali, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Yemen, South Sudan, and North Korea—comes a day after an appeals court found Trump’s third travel ban violates federal law.