It looks like President Donald Trump’s promise to “SEE YOU IN COURT” might have been an empty threat.
A day after the Ninth Circuit Court ruled to maintain Washington state’s order halting his immigration ban, Trump told press he is considering signing a “brand new order” on immigration.
Trump’s statement comes amid reports that the White House doesn’t intend to immediately appeal the hold on his ban to Supreme Court, but the administration will continue its defense of the merits of the executive order, likely in Seattle’s federal district court, sources told CNN and NBC on Friday.
Instead of going directly to the Supreme Court, the White House is reportedly considering several options, including rewriting the ban. In a press conference with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Friday afternoon, Trump said White House is working on new security measures, without offering specifics.
“We are going to do whatever is necessary to keep our country safe,” Trump said. “We’ll be doing something very rapidly having to do with additional security for our country. You’ll be seeing that sometime next week.”
Later, Trump reportedly told reporters outside Air Force One that he is considering a new order that would differ “very little” from the original one.
The restraining order halting his original immigration ban was issued in Seattle court on Friday after Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson filed an emergency junction in a lawsuit against Trump’s administration.
On Friday, Judge James Robart, who gave the original ruling, ordered Washington state and the Department of Justice to submit a joint report on whether they want to proceeding with the case defending the merits of the order in the Seattle court while appeals are pending in the Ninth Circuit Court. The report is due Sunday.
