Ken Paxton
AUSTIN – Attorney General Ken Paxton today welcomed the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to dismiss a major challenge to President Trump’s executive order temporarily pausing the entry into the U.S. of foreign nationals from six terror-prone countries. Last night, the high court ruled that the case against the travel ban is moot and vacated the lower court’s judgment against the ban.
Concerned about the safety of Texans, Attorney General Paxton stood alone last February when he filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit in support of the initial travel ban. Subsequently, he led coalitions of 13, 15 and 16 states in amicus briefs filed with the 4th Circuit, 9th Circuit and U.S. Supreme Court, all to defend the Trump administration’s revised immigration order.
“We argued all along that the Trump administration’s travel ban is a lawful exercise of statutorily authorized executive power over foreign affairs and national security, and a tailored response to a very real threat to our national security,” Attorney General Paxton said. “The president is fulfilling his solemn duty to protect Texans and all Americans.”
While the Supreme Court ordered that the 4th Circuit case is moot, it has not yet ruled whether to hear a second challenge to the ban, which was brought by the state of Hawaii and concerns a provision of the executive order that does not expire until October 24. Earlier this year, the high court allowed crucial parts of the ban to take effect.
View the U.S. Supreme Court decision here: http://bit.ly/2kHaKXG