Source: Associated Press

By

SAM HANANEL

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge in the nation’s capital said Thursday she won’t act on a request to block President Donald Trump’s revised travel ban because two other judges have already stopped the executive order from going into effect.

U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan said in an order that she is “inclined to agree” that Trump’s effort to temporarily bar new visas for citizens of six predominantly Muslim countries is unlawful. But she said the best course of action is to delay proceedings until appeals from the rulings in Maryland and Hawaii are resolved.

Chutkan heard testimony last month from Iranian-American and Muslim groups that say Iranians have faced delays and disruptions in obtaining visas even after the ban was blocked. They had asked for a more sweeping injunction that would restore the normal visa application process.

Organizations challenging the ban in Washington, D.C., include the Iranian American Bar Association and the National Iranian American Council. The lawsuit claims the ban was driven by anti-Muslim sentiment and is harming students, business travelers and families.

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