Law enforcement agencies have stepped up security for more than one judge involved in the legal challenge to President Donald Trump's immigration ban after they received threats, CNN reports.
The agencies are treating the threats seriously out of an abundance of caution, according to the news network. Both the U.S. Marshals Service and local police have stepped up patrols and increased protective officers for some of the judges.
A three-judge federal appeals court ruled Trump's travel ban will remain blocked. The unanimous ruling allows citizens of seven majority-Muslim countries to continue to be able to travel to the U.S.
CNN reports that the threats come while Trump has openly criticized judges involved in the continuing case. And, it notes, it has sparked concern from former law enforcement officials who say public officials should base their criticism on a court's ruling rather than on judges.
But the security experts add Trump's comments were clearly not meant to put the judges at risk.
"Federal judges are constantly under some kind of threat around the country, and the U.S. Marshals investigate hundreds of threats every year on the federal judiciary," Arthur Roderick, a retired assistant director for investigations for the U.S. Marshals told CNN.
"Anybody that has looked at what the U.S. Marshals do has got to realize that an attack on any judge is an attack on the rule of law of the United States," he says.
But Leonard Leo, an adviser to Trump on the Supreme Court, says it is a "huge stretch" to equate the criticisms that president made with any threat to judges, CNN notes.
"President Trump is not threatening a judge, and he's not encouraging any form of lawlessness," Leo said. "What he is doing is criticizing a judge for what he believes to be a failure to follow the law properly."
The Hill reports Trump's initial criticism came against U.S. District Judge James Robart, who temporarily halted the travel ban.
Trump referred to him as a "so- called" judge. "If something happens blame him and court system," Trump tweeted.
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