The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld on Thursday a nationwide preliminary injunction on President Donald Trump's travel ban.
A majority of judges on the appeals court in a 10-3 decision said they were "unconvinced" the travel order had more to do with national security concerns than a "Muslim ban."
The decision, written by Chief Judge Roger Gregory, described Trump's executive order in forceful terms, saying it uses "vague words of national security, but in context drips with religious intolerance, animus, and discrimination."
"Congress granted the president broad power to deny entry to aliens, but that power is not absolute," the published decision stated. "It cannot go unchecked when, as here, the president wields it through an executive edict that stands to cause irreparable harm to individuals across this nation."
