For a third time, President Donald Trump’s travel ban has been blocked by a federal judge.
The news came late Tuesday, just hours before the travel restrictions on eight countries were scheduled to take effect.
This is according to the New York Times, which says that Derrick K. Watson of the Federal District Court in Honolulu is the judge that is not only responsible for blocking the most recent ban, but was also responsible for stopping its second iteration in March.
The third version of the ban was more restrictive than the original, creating permanent limitations instead of the 90-day suspensions. Countries included in the ban are Iran, Libya, Syria, Yemen, Somalia, Chad, North Korea, as well as some Venezuelan government officials and their families.
Additionally, a second judge from Maryland, U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang, issued a another halt of the ban early Wednesday morning.
The Washington Post reports that this halt is less complete that Judge Watson’s, saying that Judge Chuang’s prevents “the administration from enforcing the directive only on those who lacked a ‘bona fide’ relationship with a person or entity in the United States, such as family members or some type of professional or other engagement in the United States.”
In response, the White House called Watson’s decision “dangerously flawed” and the Justice Depart vowed to repeal, reports Fox News.
According to an early morning article, “White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders says the Hawaii decision ‘undercuts the president's efforts to keep the American people safe and enforce minimum security standards for entry into the United States.’”
Since its announcement, the ban has faced criticism, with some groups even going as far as to file lawsuits against it within weeks of its publications.
The Supreme Court was scheduled to review the second iteration of the ban, according to the New York Times, but with the latest block, the Court is expected to look into the current version as well.
Related Stories
U.S. Travel Association Weighs In on Newest Travel Ban
ASTA: Americans Split on Trump Travel Ban
GBTA: Brexit, Travel Ban, Laptop Ban to Cause $1.3 Billion U.S. Travel Loss
Stats: 87 Percent Say They Won’t Change Travel Plans as a Result of Travel Ban