In a series of angry early-morning tweets, President Donald Trump on Saturday slammed a judge's decision to put on hold his week-old executive order preventing refugees and travelers from seven Middle East countries from coming into the United States.
Trump insisted that the "ridiculous" decision of the "so-called judge" in the case will be overturned.
On Saturday afternoon, Trump contintued his attack on the judge.
On Friday, federal judge James Robart in Seattle put a nationwide block on Trump's order for the temporary ban. The White House responded that it believes Trump's order to be "lawful and appropriate" and that the Department of Justice will file an emergency appeal in the matter.
Hours after Robart's ruling, however, airlines were being told by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials that they could allow travelers from Iran, Iraq, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Libya, and Yemen to board travelers affected by the ban.
Robart was appointed to the bench in the Western District of Washington by President George W. Bush in December 2003, taking the judge's seat the following year. On Friday, he made his ruling apply nationwide; other judges issued orders concerning only specific travelers, not a blanket ruling concerning all.
The challenge was initially brought by the state of Washington, which was joined by Minnesota. Robart also ruled states have legal standing to sue, giving Democratic attorneys general power to take on Trump in other issues.
The case in Washington was based on the claim that the state would suffer harm from the ban, in part because students and faculty from its universities were to be forced to stay overseas, reports Reuters.
In addition, Washington-based tech firms Amazon and Expedia supported the lawsuit, saying that as tech companies that rely on foreign talent they stood to suffer harm from the travel restrictions.
Robart questioned a Justice Department official about the harm suffered by the state's universities while questioning the Trump administration tying the 9-11 attacks to the ban, saying no attacks have come from anyone from the seven listed countries since then.
The ban, said Robart, had to be "based in fact, as opposed to fiction."
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, a Democrat, applauded the decision, saying that nobody, "even the president is above the law."
Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson on Friday night told CNN's Anderson Cooper that Robart's order was just what had been sought.
"It's Keystone Cops, the way that thing (the order) was put together," he continued, vowing to take his case to the Supreme Court if he needs to.
Seattle immigration attorney Daniel Smith told CNN he predicts a "flood of people trying to enter the US over the next few days," but he's still advising his clients who remain in the United States to stay here, and those wishing to enter the country to come in right now "and then stay put if you get here."
There are already opposing opinions on the ban, including from a Boston federal court, reports The Boston Globe, where U.S. District Judge Nathaniel Gorton — a nominee of President George H.W. Bush in 1992 — refused to extend a temporary stay, ruling that Trump would likely win his case because of his broad authority over federal immigration laws.
On Friday, federal officials reported that as many as 100,000 visas have been revoked because of Trump's travel order, and Massachusetts officials said that caused problems with thousands of businesses, as professors, scientists, and doctors were stranded overseas.
“While this Court is sympathetic to the difficult personal circumstances in which these plaintiffs find themselves, if they choose to leave the country, as nonresident aliens, they have no right to re-enter,” Gorton said in his ruling.
Boston's order, which was issued last weekend, is set to expire early Sunday morning.