Trump Criticizes ‘So-Called Judge’ Who Lifted Travel Ban

President Donald Trump criticized a federal judge for blocking his temporary travel ban in an early Saturday morning Twitter post that questioned the judge’s credentials and recalled a similar targeting of the court system during the presidential campaign.

Referring to U.S. District Judge James Robart as “this so-called judge,” Mr. Trump wrote on social media that the ruling was “ridiculous and will be overturned!”

“When a country is no longer able to say who can, and who cannot, come in & out, especially for reasons of safety & security—big trouble!” Mr. Trump added.

“Because the ban was lifted by a judge, many very bad and dangerous people may be pouring into our country,” Mr. Trump said on his Twitter account. “A terrible decision.”

A Justice Department appeal asking that the order be immediately reinstated was rejected early Sunday, with the federal appeals court asking for more filings before it rules on the matter.

Mr. Trump is spending the weekend at Mar-a-Lago, his oceanfront resort in Palm Beach, Fla. On his 16th day as president, he arrived at Trump International Golf Club at 9:33 a.m. A spokesman didn’t immediately respond to questions about whether Mr. Trump was golfing.

As the president spent the morning at his golf club, his comments drew attention across the political spectrum. Democrats accused the president of showing disrespect for separate but equal branch of the government, while supporters of the Republican president began picking apart the judge’s past.

The Senate’s top Democrat, Chuck Schumer of New York, said the president’s criticism “shows a disdain for an independent judiciary that doesn’t always bend to his wishes and a continued lack of respect for the Constitution.”

Mr. Schumer said that Mr. Trump’s remarks will also impact the president’s Supreme Court nominee, Neal Gorsuch, posting on Twitter that questions about Judge Gorsuch’s “ability to be an independent check will be front & center in this process.”

Sen. Sherrod Brown (D., Ohio) posted on Twitter: “Judge Robart’s decision to uphold our Constitution & block the #muslimban underscores why (an) independent Court is critical to Democracy,”

“I applaud Judge Robart, appointed by President Bush, for taking bold action to halt the #Muslimban” Sen. Kamala Harris (D., Calif.) added.

Meanwhile, conservative commentator Ann Coulter on Friday referred to Judge Robart as a “nut” and pointed her Twitter followers to a clip of him using the phrase “black lives matter” in court last year. The phrase refers to a movement formed in response to a series of police shootings in which unarmed black men were killed.

Sen. Orrin Hatch (R., Utah) at the time said the judge’s record was “exemplary and the highest caliber.” Before being confirmed, Judge Robart was a lawyer in private practice in Seattle, according to his official biography.

In his time on the bench, Judge Robart hasn’t shied away from bold rulings or statements.

In a court hearing last summer involving an agreement that required the city of Seattle to adopt reforms following accusations of police bias, Judge Robart stated: “black lives matter.” ​The statement, which repeated the slogan made by activists protesting allegations of police brutality, was made in open court during an unprompted speech about the importance of the issues in the case.

In a 2013 groundbreaking opinion in a case involving Microsoft Corp. and Motorola Inc., Judge Robart for the first time established a methodology for how to value certain patents used in Wi-Fi and video-encoding technologies. His ruling was affirmed ​on appeal two years later, and praised by the appellate court, which called his analysis “thoughtful and detailed.”

Mr. Trump’s Twitter posts also drew parallels to his attacks during the presidential campaign of U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel. In a civil lawsuit filed against Trump University, which he eventually settled for $25 million Mr. Trump accused the Indiana native of having an “absolute conflict” in presiding over the litigation given that he was “of Mexican heritage.”

Mr. Trump said that it was a relevant point because of his campaign stance against illegal immigration and his pledge to seal the U.S.-Mexico border. The remarks were roundly rebuked by Republican leaders, and resurfaced on Saturday by his Democratic opponents.

“Let’s all remember Trump attacking Judge Curiel and not be surprised by this,” Jesse Ferguson, a Democratic strategist and former deputy press secretary for Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, posted on Twitter. “This is who he is—he attacks anyone who questions him.”

Some legal experts condemned the attack on Judge Robart. “For a sitting president to direct a petty personal attack at a (federal) judge simply because the judge rules against him in pending litigation is unworthy of the office,” said University of Pennsylvania law professor Tobias B. Wolff. “It is nothing less than an attack on the judiciary and the rule of law.”