Hawaii judge who blocked Trump’s revised travel ban target of threats

President Donald Trump's revised travel ban was blocked by a judge in Hawaii.

Credit: Chip Somodevilla

Credit: Chip Somodevilla

President Donald Trump's revised travel ban was blocked by a judge in Hawaii.

The Hawaii federal judge who ruled against President Donald Trump's revised travel ban has been the target of threatening messages, according to the FBI.

U.S. District Judge Derrick Watson's ruling last week resulted in a temporary restraining order nationwide, CNN reported — hours before the revised travel ban was set to go into effect.

In the 43-page ruling, Watson ruled that the state of Hawaii had established "a strong likelihood of success" on their claims of religious discrimination, CNN reported.

Watson, who presides in Honolulu, has received threatening messages since the ruling. FBI spokeswoman Michele Ernst said the agency is aware of the situation and prepared to assist.

The FBI declined to provide additional details on the investigation. The U.S. Marshals Service, which is spearheading the investigation, said it does not discuss specific security measures.

"The U.S. Marshals Service is responsible for the protection of federal judicial officials, including judges and prosecutors, and we take that responsibility very seriously," it said in a statement.

"While we do not discuss our specific security measures, we continuously review the security measures in place for all federal judges and take appropriate steps to provide additional protection when it is warranted."

Trump decried Watson's ruling during a rally in Nashville, Tennessee, last week.

"This is, in the opinion of many, an unprecedented judicial overreach," Trump said.

Watson's ruling, which applies nationwide, means people from six Muslim-majority countries and refugees will be able to travel to the United States. The countries were Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen.

"The illogic of the government's contentions is palpable. The notion that one can demonstrate animus toward any group of people only by targeting all of them at once is fundamentally flawed," Watson wrote.