Trump administration: Travel ban is religiously neutral

The Trump administration is blasting a Hawaii judge’s ruling blocking its revised travel ban in court documents asking a federal appeals court to overturn the decision.(Photo: Michael Vadon/Flickr)

SAN FRANCISCO — The Trump administration is blasting a Hawaii judge’s ruling blocking its revised travel ban in court documents asking a federal appeals court to overturn the decision.

In a filing with 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals late Friday, the Department of Justice says U.

S. District Judge Derrick Watson second-guessed President Donald Trump’s national security judgment and wrongly relied on statements Trump made on the campaign trail to conclude the travel ban was motivated by religious discrimination.

The DOJ says the president revised his order to address concerns raised by 9th Circuit judges who ruled against his first executive order. It warned that upholding Watson’s ruling would set a dangerous precedent.

The revised order bans new visas for people from six Muslim-majority countries. Hawaii says the policy discriminates against Muslims and hurts the state’s economy.