So-called president

Trump is raging on Twitter, but the restraining order is being heeded all the same.

The Department of Homeland Security said Saturday that it had suspended “any and all actions” related to President Trump’s travel ban on immigrants from seven mostly Muslim countries and his halt on refugees coming into the U.S.

The move came after a federal judge in Seattle issued a temporary restraining order against the major parts of Trump’s executive order, effective nationwide, in response to a lawsuit filed by the states of Washington and Minnesota.

“DHS personnel will resume inspection of travelers in accordance with standard policy and procedure,” the department’s statement said.

The State Department, which had “provisionally revoked” 60,000 visas since the president signed his Jan. 27 order, said Saturday that it had started re-accepting those visas from people in the countries affected.

Trump would like to fire them all, but he can’t.

Trump’s White House has said it will ask for an emergency stay of the judge’s order, and argued that the president’s actions were lawful.

“The opinion of this so-called judge, which essentially takes law-enforcement away from our country, is ridiculous and will be overturned!” Trump said amid a series of early morning tweets.

He did say that. It’s mind-blowing that the head of state could say such a thing. It’s mind blowing that the head of state thinks there’s such a thing as “the country,” which owns a thing called “law-enforcement” which is separate from and in opposition to judges. It’s mind blowing that the head of state thinks judges are some kind of aliens who steal “law-enforcement” from “the country.” It’s mind blowing that the head of state considers it appropriate to go on Twitter and disparage the authenticity of a federal judge.

Legal experts said the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, which would review any request from the White House for a stay, may not be friendly to it.

“The 9th Circuit has a group of three judges who sit together all month hearing any motions that get filed …. The motions panel looks like a very good panel for the plaintiffs, but we’ll see what happens,” said Margo Schlanger, a law professor at the University of Michigan who served as the head of civil rights for the Department of Homeland Security under President Obama.

Schlanger predicted a long court battle that could end up in the U.S. Supreme Court. Already, several federal courts have issued emergency stays against portions of the executive order as dozens of lawsuits proceed against it.

Trump will have a lot of judges to Twitter-rage at.

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