Court refuses to reinstate Trump ban on travelers

The San Francisco federal appeals court on Thursday unanimously refused to reinstate President Donald Trump's ban on refugees and nationals from seven Muslim-majority countries, dealing his controversial law-and-order agenda a major blow.

The San Francisco federal appeals court's ruling on Trump's executive order - issued on Jan 27 with no prior warning and suspended by a lower court a week later - capped a turbulent first three weeks of his presidency.

A defiant Trump quickly pledged to battle on, tweeting within minutes of the decision: "See you in court, the security of our nation is at stake!"