Supreme court rules Trump’s travel ban can stand

The US supreme court’s decision to uphold a controversial White House immigration order, after a year-and a half in limbo, could seriously damage America’s scientific enterprise, research universities and science organisations are warning. The 26 June ruling on a third iteration of the Trump administration’s so-called travel ban indefinitely restricts most entry to the US from five Muslim-majority countries including Syria and Iran, and also applies to North Korea and government officials from Venezuela.

The ruling follows the Trump administration’s two previous efforts to issue immigration edicts, which were tied up in the courts over allegations of religious discrimination. The first version of the immigration order, released in January 2017, applied specifically to seven Muslim-majority nations.