US Supreme Court unlikely to side with Trump on travel ban: Commentator

A federal appeals court in the US has ruled to uphold the suspension of President Donald Trump’s order that banned entry from several nations. The 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously ruled against Trump, saying the US government had not offered any evidence justifying the ban. 

In a tweet published after the ruling, Trump vowed to challenge the appeals court verdict, saying the decision was politically motivated.

Meanwhile, the US justice department said it was considering its options on the court decision.

Now, an American political commentator says Trump has little chance to win if he takes the case to the Supreme Court.

"I don’t see a panel Supreme Court siding on the side President Trump and if they wait until his nominee is confirmed, I don’t see it going in the direction of President Trump. This was a unanimous decision. Three justices two of whom were appointed or nominated by president Obama, one was nominated by president Bush. I don’t see it going in the way of the Trump administration," Dr. Wilmer Leon told Press TV on Friday.

He also said in his opinion the recent ruling obviously rejected Trump’s claim that courts are powerless to review a president’s national security assessments, stressing that judges have a crucial role to play in the US.

"It is a victory for constitution. The court showed two things... one that the administration showed absolutely no evidence that there was a need for this ban particularly from the countries that the administration listed and it also showed, and I think it is very important, that some of the people that were being affected by the ban would be harmed by having their rights to travel cut off. So, it [the verdict] is showing A that the government basically had no position and B it [the court] was also standing up for the rights of some of those whose travel rights were being restricted," Leon underscored. 

In January, Trump signed a controversial directive banning the entry of citizens from seven Muslim majority nations for 90 days. The directive also suspends refugee admissions for 120 days while halting the admission of Syrian refugees indefinitely.

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