Exhausted refugees cheer for the US after court ruling

"Freedom! Freedom! I love America!"

Those words were spoken to me by an exhausted Iraqi refugee arriving in America overnight.

He was one of hundreds of people being allowed to enter the US because of last night's dramatic court ruling.

The judges of the Federal Appeals Court of the 9th Circuit are being hailed by American liberals as the legal heroes who saved the country's values.

In a unanimous ruling, the three judges chose to ignore Trump's threats and keep America's doors open to refugees and travellers from the seven predominantly-Muslim nations covered by the President's original executive order.

Donald Trump immediately responded - by Twitter of course.

Trump's meaning was clear. This case - with all its significance for presidential authority and power - is heading for the Supreme Court.

But he may lose there too. There are currently only eight judges on the highest court. If they split 4-4, as seems possible, then last night's ruling stands.

Hillary Clinton couldn't resist her response to Trump's defeat. And her Tweet wasn't referring to a sports score.

So the President wakes up this morning facing a major challenge after just three weeks in office.

The US judiciary has roared its defiance to Trump's controversial executive order. As one analyst has noted, that's the sound of America's constitution working just as it should and just as the Founders intended.

It wasn't the press that stopped Trump in his tracks, or the Democrats. The Senate and the House were largely silent.

It was three judges in California who kept the President at bay and ensured - for now at least - that this country's values of tolerance and openness remain intact.