Trump Travel Ban Reaches Appeals Court

President Donald Trump's revised executive order temporarily banning travel from six Muslim-majority countries in the Middle East and Africa will be weighed by a 15-member federal appeals court beginning Monday, according to NBC News.

Arguments for and against the travel ban will be heard by the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia, which covers Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia.

According to ABC News, lawyers on both sides will have half an hour to make their case, though judges can extend the time for questioning.

Justice Department lawyers will argue that the order must be judged based on what it says and its purpose rather than what undisclosed motives may have inspired it. Meanwhile, the opposition will point to Trump's controversial comments on the campaign trail as proof that the ban is discriminating against Muslims.

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It's likely that a decision will be handed down in the coming days or weeks.

Since Trump's second executive order was also blocked by a federal judge in Hawaii, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is set to hear an appeal May 15.

If both appeals courts rule in the Trump administration's favor, the temporary travel ban would be allowed as enforceable. However, if either court opposes, the debate will most likely head to the Supreme Court.

Trump rolled out his initial executive order halting travel from Iran, Iraq, Sudan, Syria, Libya, Somalia and Yemen for 90 days on Jan. 27, leading to chaos at airports across the U.S. The ban was blocked by a court ruling days later, and Trump's revised order that excluded Iraq met a similar fate in March.

While the travel impact has been difficult to measure given the short timeframe since Trump took office, many prominent figures within the travel and tourism industry have criticized the ban, including Marriott International CEO Arne Sorenson and Expedia CEO Dara Khosrowshahi.

The former called the ban "not good, period" while the latter told the Financial Times in March that the industry was in for "a turbulent year amid falling international interest in visiting the country."

READ MORE: Are Political Worries Stopping People from Traveling?

To this point, the uncertainty alone appears to be turning some travelers off to the U.S. as a destination.

Last week, data from the Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC) showed planned travel from the Middle East to the U.S. was down 5.77 percent in the first quarter of 2017 compared to the same period last year.

Earlier this year, Pennsylvania-based Tourism Economics estimated that Trump's travel ban and the tumultuous political climate could cost the U.S. travel and tourism industry $18 billion in lost revenue over the next two years.

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