"Told you I'd get my way". We imagine he might have said something like that, anyway.Three versions of President Donald Trump’s travel ban - the most controversial of his executive orders - were successfully blocked by the courts, before the Supreme Court allowed the third to take affect on Monday, pending appeals.
Here, we summarise the president’s legal battle, which has spanned most of his time in office.
January 27, 2017: Trump signs an executive order, “Protecting the nation from foreign terrorist entry into the United States.” The order closes the US border to citizens of seven countries - Yemen, Syria, Libya, Iran, Sudan, Somalia and Iraq - for three months, and to all refugees for four months. Chaos ensues in airports, while the decision sparks outrage across the world.
February 3: A federal judge in Seattle blocks enforcement of the ban. Trump says the decision is “ridiculous” and brands Judge James Robart a “so-called judge.”
February 9: A federal appeals court in San Francisco upholds the suspension. “SEE YOU IN COURT, THE SECURITY OF OUR NATION IS AT STAKE!”, Trump tweets in response.
March 6: The president signs a second version of the ban, forbidding travellers from six Muslim-majority countries from entering the US for 90 days. Iraq is removed from the initial list.
March 16: Another judge, this time in Hawaii, blocks the second version of the ban. A Maryland judge makes a similar decision, and says the text is discriminatory against Muslims. The Trump administration announces it intends to appeal.
May 25: An appeals court in Richmond, Virginia, upholds the suspension of the second version, snubbing the president once again.
June 26: Trump wins a victory in the Supreme Court, which rules in favor of partially enforcing the ban upon travelers “who lack any bona fide relationship with a person or entity in the United States.”
September 24: The president signs a third executive order, permanently prohibiting citizens of Yemen, Syria, Libya, Iran, Somalia, North Korea and Chad, along with some government officials from Venezuela, in the name of poor security and lack of cooperation with US authorities.
October 17: A federal judge from Hawaii blocks the third version of the ban.
November 13: A San Francisco appeals court authorizes limited implementation of the order -- excluding grandparents, grandchildren, brothers- and sisters-in-law, aunts and uncles, nephews, nieces and cousins of people in the US.
December 4: The Supreme Court authorizes full enforcement of the travel ban’s third version pending appeal. The White House says it is “not surprised” by the ruling, adding, “The proclamation is lawful and essential to protecting our homeland.”