WASHINGTON, June 1 (Xinhua) -- The Donald Trump administration on Thursday asked the Supreme Court to reinstate the president's executive order to temporarily ban citizens from six Muslim-majority countries in the Middle East and Africa.

"We have asked the Supreme Court to hear this important case and are confident that President Trump's executive order is well within his lawful authority to keep the nation safe and protect our communities from terrorism," U.S. Justice Department spokesperson Sarah Isgur Flores said in a statement.

The move could set up a high-stake final verdict on Trump's order to restrict immigration from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.

Last week, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit declined to lift an existing lower court blocking on Trump's travel order.