SAN FRANCISCO, CA – The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday rejected the broad scope of President Donald Trump's travel ban, ruling that extended family members of people in the United States and certain refugees cannot be blocked from entering the country.

The unanimous ruling from the three-judge panel of the San Francisco-based appeals court upheld a ruling by a federal judge in Hawaii who argued the administration's definition of what constituted "close relatives" was too restrictive. The judge also challenged the government's assertion that refugees should be banned even if they have ties to resettlement agencies.

"Stated simply, the government does not offer a persuasive explanation for why a mother-in-law is clearly a bona fide relationship, in the Supreme Court's prior reasoning, but a grandparent, grandchild, aunt, uncle, niece, nephew, or cousin is not," the ruling stated.