Legal showdown brewing after court denies appeal to restore travel ban

Palm Beach, United States

A LEGAL showdown was brewing on Sunday after the US Justice Department appealed a temporary block on President Donald Trump's contentious travel ban but the court rejected any immediate move to reinstate it.

The early morning ruling by a federal appeals court was the latest in a series of dramatic twists in the saga which began on Jan 27 when the Republican president issued a blanket ban on refugees and travellers from seven mainly-Muslim nations.

As the fierce legal battle over the order played out, thousands of people around the world, from London to Washington, demonstrated against the ban.

There was no immediate reaction from the White House but ahead of the ruling, Mr Trump had assured reporters his ban would b…