Trump's Words at Heart of Travel Ban Argument in Virginia
- Even if Trump wins, the directive is blocked by another court
- Trump argues the ban is needed to improve security in U.S.
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For more than two hours on Monday, a panel of 13 federal judges peppered lawyers for the U.S. and a civil rights group with questions about presidential power, religious bias and the threat of terrorism as it tried to determine whether to let stand President Donald Trump’s revised travel ban on citizens of six mostly Muslim countries.
The decision by the federal appeals court in Richmond, Virginia, is likely to turn on whether Trump’s statements during and after the campaign can be used as evidence that the ban is meant to discriminate against Muslims. The court didn’t say when it would rule.