Appeals court denies travel ban hold

SEATTLE (AP) — A federal appeals court on Monday denied a request from the U.S. Justice Department to put President Donald Trump’s travel ban case on hold until he issues a new executive order.

A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals did not give an explanation for its ruling but said it would extend until next week the deadline for the government’s opening brief in its appeal.

A lower court temporarily blocked Trump’s order that banned travelers from seven predominantly Muslim countries and paused the U.S. refugee program after Washington state and Minnesota sued to stop it.

Trump has said repeatedly that his administration is working on a new travel ban that addresses some of the constitutional concerns that critics have raised.

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer was asked during a briefing Monday why the administration wants to defend the ban in court if it’s writing a new one. He said the government would defend the appeals case “because we were right the first time.”