Legal battle over Trump's travel ban continues

A FURTHER DIVIDED NATION

Since its launch on Jan 27, the travel ban has sowed chaos and confusion, sparking furor at home and abroad.

National security veterans, major US technology companies and law enforcement officials from more than a dozen states backed the legal effort against the ban.

Protests were staged in cities both inside and outside the country.

A group of United Nations (UN) human rights experts issued a joint statement saying that the executive order breaches the US international human rights obligations.

While Trump's message has been criticized by experts as violating US law, it appears to be resonating with supporters.

A Morning Consult-Politico poll revealed on Wednesday that Trump won a 55-percent voter approval for his immigration ban, against a 38-percent disapproval rate.

The bitter division in public will probably go on as the legal wrangling continues.

The appeals court's ruling did not resolve the lawsuit. It said that more briefing would be needed to decide the actual fate of Trump's order.

The Department of Justice, on behalf of the Trump administration in the court, said it was reviewing the decision and considering its options.

According to legal experts, the federal government can either take the case to the Supreme Court, or ask a panel of 11 judges from the appeals court to review the case.

If the Trump administration appeals to the Supreme Court, it would need five of the eight justices to vote in favor of a stay blocking the district court's ruling.