A US federal judge in Hawaii blocked US President Donald Trump’s new travel ban early on Thursday, just a few hours before when the ban was set to go into effect.
US District Court Judge Derrick Watson put an emergency stop on Trump’s executive order, which aimed to temporarily bar entry of most refugees as well as travellers from six Muslim-majority countries to the United States.
In a 43-page ruling, Judge Watson concluded that the new executive order failed to pass legal muster at this stage and the state had established "a strong likelihood of success" on their claims of religious discrimination.
The Republican President has said the policy is critical for national security.
Responding to the news, Trump said the decision was an example of "unprecedented judicial overreach". The defiant Trump added that he is ready to take the case 'as far as it needs to go,' including to the Supreme Court of the United States.
Trump's first more sweeping travel order was signed on January 27, which was also halted by a federal judge.
Unlike the previous executive order, the new one removed Iraq from the list of banned countries, exempted those with green cards and visas and removed a provision that arguably prioritises certain religious minorities.
The new ban was announced earlier this month and was set to take effect on Thursday. It would have banned people from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen from entering the US for 90 days and all refugees for 120 days.