A legal showdown was brewing Sunday after the US Justice Department appealed a temporary block on Donald Trump's contentious travel ban but the court rejected any immediate move to reinstate it.
The early morning ruling by a federal appeals court was the latest in a series of dramatic twists in the saga which began on January 27 when the Republican president issued a blanket ban on refugees and travelers from seven mainly-Muslim nations.
As the fierce legal battle over the order played out, thousands of people around the world, from London to Washington, demonstrated against the ban.
There was no immediate reaction from the White House but ahead of the ruling Trump had assured reporters his ban would be reinstated.
"We'll win. For the safety of the country, we'll win," he said.
Earlier, the Manhattan property mogul had unleashed a string of fiery tweets defending his policy and attacking federal judge James Robart who had on Friday blocked the ban nationwide pending a wider legal review.
"The opinion of this so-called judge, which essentially takes law-enforcement away from our country, is ridiculous and will be overturned!" Trump wrote on Twitter.
- 'Irreparable harm' -
"The judge opens up our country to potential terrorists and others that do not have our best interests at heart. Bad people are very happy!"
With the ban temporarily halted, travelers from the targeted countries with valid visas began arriving on American soil, while others prepared to set off for the United States.
In an appeal filed late Saturday, the Justice Department said that suspending the ban was causing "irreparable harm" to the American public.
It said Robart's ruling had run afoul of constitutional separation of powers, and "second-guesses the president's national security judgment."
- Borders reopened -
But on Sunday morning, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals rejected a request calling for the travel ban to be immediately reinstated.
Judges William Canby, Jr and Michelle Friedland did not give a reason in their two-paragraph ruling.
However, they told the states of Washington and Minnesota, which had filed the original suit against the ban, to provide documents detailing their opposition to the government's appeal by 11:59 pm Sunday (0759 GMT Monday).
And the Justice Department was given until 3:00 pm on Monday (2300 GMT) to supply more documents supporting its position.
The early morning ruling by a federal appeals court was the latest in a series of dramatic twists in the saga which began on January 27 when the Republican president issued a blanket ban on refugees and travelers from seven mainly-Muslim nations.
As the fierce legal battle over the order played out, thousands of people around the world, from London to Washington, demonstrated against the ban.
There was no immediate reaction from the White House but ahead of the ruling Trump had assured reporters his ban would be reinstated.
"We'll win. For the safety of the country, we'll win," he said.
Earlier, the Manhattan property mogul had unleashed a string of fiery tweets defending his policy and attacking federal judge James Robart who had on Friday blocked the ban nationwide pending a wider legal review.
"The opinion of this so-called judge, which essentially takes law-enforcement away from our country, is ridiculous and will be overturned!" Trump wrote on Twitter.
- 'Irreparable harm' -
"The judge opens up our country to potential terrorists and others that do not have our best interests at heart. Bad people are very happy!"
With the ban temporarily halted, travelers from the targeted countries with valid visas began arriving on American soil, while others prepared to set off for the United States.
In an appeal filed late Saturday, the Justice Department said that suspending the ban was causing "irreparable harm" to the American public.
It said Robart's ruling had run afoul of constitutional separation of powers, and "second-guesses the president's national security judgment."
- Borders reopened -
But on Sunday morning, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals rejected a request calling for the travel ban to be immediately reinstated.
Judges William Canby, Jr and Michelle Friedland did not give a reason in their two-paragraph ruling.
However, they told the states of Washington and Minnesota, which had filed the original suit against the ban, to provide documents detailing their opposition to the government's appeal by 11:59 pm Sunday (0759 GMT Monday).
And the Justice Department was given until 3:00 pm on Monday (2300 GMT) to supply more documents supporting its position.
