Supreme Court seems headed toward upholding Trump's third try at a travel ban

The Supreme Court's conservative justices sounded ready Wednesday to uphold President Trump's travel ban as a national security measure.

Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and Justice Anthony M. Kennedy said federal law gives the president, not the courts, the power to weigh threats from immigrants.

"Could the president ban the entry of Syrians" if he had evidence that some Syrians had chemical or biological weapons, Roberts asked a lawyer challenging Trump's travel ban. The answer was obviously yes, the chief justice said, answering his own question.

Attorney Neal Katyal, representing the state of Hawaii, which has challenged the ban, said the law gives the president only temporary authority to exclude certain people, not a broad ban that would stay in place long term.

"Do you want the president to say: 'In six months we will have a safe world?'" Kennedy said in a sarcastic rejoinder.