Who are the three judges who have ruled against reinstating Donald Trump's travel ban?

Donald Trump and protesters against his travel ban
Donald Trump and protesters against his travel ban

Donald Trump's travel ban remains on hold after three San Francisco-based judges ruled unanimously that the ban was not legitimate.

The three - Judge Richard Clifton, Judge Michelle Friedland and Judge William Canby - have been described as one of the most diverse judicial panels ever to be assembled.

Having heard an hour of oral arguments on Tuesday - with both representatives from the department of justice and Washington state, which brought about the blockage of the ban, laying out their arguments - the three judges issued their 29-page ruling on Thursday evening.

They found that the states - Washington and Minnesota - had offered substantial evidence that reinstating the ruling would be highly damaging to them, and the government did not offer enough evidence to outweigh that. 

Mr Trump immediately vowed to continue fighting through the courts to reinstate his ban.

The president has made no secret of his anger at the block of his ban.

On Wednesday morning he tweeted his frustration at the delay, saying the US will "never have the security and safety to which we are entitled. Politics!"

 So who are the three judges?

William Canby
Credit: AFP

Judge William Canby:

The most senior of the three, he was appointed in 1980 by Jimmy Carter.

The 85-year-old from Minnesota studied law at Yale and in Minnesota, before going on to teach constitutional law at Arizona State University.

He usually sits in Phoenix, Arizona.

Judge Richard Clifton
Credit: AFP

Judge Richard Clifton:

Appointed by George W. Bush, Mr Clifton, now 66, was approved in 2002.

Originally from Hawaii, he graduated from Princeton and Yale and served as a law clerk since 1975.

He is currently the only ninth circuit judge from Hawaii.

Judge Michelle Friedland
Credit: AFP

Judge Michelle Friedland:

The newest judge on the panel, she was appointed by Barack Obama in 2014.

Before joining the bench the 44-year-old Californian worked in a San Francisco law firm.

She has been honoured for her pro bono work challenging Proposition 8, a ballot initiative that made same sex marriage illegal.

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