Next Stop, U.S. Supreme Court: Last Chance for Trump Travel Ban

WASHINGTON -- The Trump administration is pledging to take its travel ban case to the Supreme Court after it was blocked by an appellate court.

The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Thursday that the executive order "drips with religious intolerance, animus and discrimination."

The order blocks immigrants from six countries with terrorist ties – Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Sudan and Yemen – from entering the U.S. for 90 days.

"Congress granted the president broad power to deny entry to aliens, but that power is not absolute," the court wrote in its decision. "It cannot go unchecked when, as here, the president wields it through executive edict that stands to cause irreparable harm to individuals across this nation."

The administration says, however, that the order is not based on religion but on protecting the country from places where there are terrorism threats.

"The Department of Justice strongly disagrees with the decision of the divided court, which blocks the president's efforts to strengthen this country's national security," Attorney General Jeff Sessions said of the appellate court ruling.

"This Department of Justice will continue to vigorously defend the power and duty of the executive branch to protect the people of this country from danger, and will seek review of this case in the U.S. Supreme Court."
 
The high court is almost certain to intervene in the case over Trump's presidential executive order.
    
Parties have around 90 days to appeal to the high court, but if the administration waits until August the justices would not vote to hear the case until October.
    
In that instance, arguments would not take place until February of 2018.