The Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C

Trump's March 6 executive order calls for a blanket 90-day ban on people from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen, and a 120-day ban on all refugees.  Though this order narrowed the scope of Trump’s January order, it was challenged by a lower court for discrimination against a certain religion.

The new ruling allows people from these 6 countries to enter the US if they have a valid connection with a US individual or organization. This includes students, contract workers, and relatives of legal residents of the US.

Varied public reactions

Trump called the high court's action a clear victory for national security and an important tool to protect the US homeland. 3 out of 9 Supreme Court judges said the travel ban should be fully implemented in the interest of national security. Some observers expressed disappointment in the ruling, saying it erodes a fundamental basis of American democracy. The ruling represents a difficult attempt to balance national security and human rights.

Yemen, one of the countries affected by the travel ban, voiced disappointment at the decision. Ahmed al-Nasi, an official in Yemen’s Ministry of Expatriate Affairs, said the order will not help to defeat terrorism and extremism, but rather will increase the feeling among the nationals of these countries that they are being unfairly targeted.

The US Department of Homeland Security promised to work with the Department of Justice and the Department of State to implement the decision in an orderly fashion.

It is not a final decision

The Supreme Court’s ruling is a victory for President Trump but only a partial victory because of restrictions imposed by the court. The Administration will have until October to prepare its arguments for the next Supreme Court review. The executive order has been widely condemned and Federal courts have twice blocked the order from taking effect  on the ground that it discriminates against Muslims.