1/19/2018

IMMIGRATION/SUPREME COURT/TRAVEL BAN/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The Supreme Court on Friday [1-19-18] agreed to consider the legality of President Donald Trump’s latest ban on travelers from certain countries, giving the justices a chance to settle a yearlong legal battle over one of the White House’s most controversial initiatives.
The justices in a brief written order said they would hear the Trump administration’s appeal of lower-court rulings that said the president’s efforts were likely unlawful, a case that began with a lawsuit filed by the state of Hawaii.
Mr. Trump, citing national security, has pursued three different versions of a travel ban since he took office a year ago, including an initial short-lived effort right after he took office that caused chaos at the nation’s airports.
The president issued the latest U.S. entry restrictions on Sept. 24, and targeted eight countries: the Muslim-majority nations of Chad, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen, as well as North Korea and some government officials in Venezuela.
Some listed countries face a near-total ban, while there are certain exceptions for others, such as students to enter the U.S. on nonimmigrant visas.
The latest ban came after the president ordered his administration to study vetting procedures around the world. The administration says the countries covered by Mr. Trump’s ban have deficient information-sharing practices or pose other concerns that prevent the government from assessing the risk their nationals pose to the U.S.”

-Brent Kendall, “Supreme Court Agrees to Decide Legality of Current Trump Travel Ban,” The Wall Street Journal online, Jan. 19, 2018 02:47pm