Trump blasts 9th Circuit over immigration rulings

WASHINGTON – President Trump isn't happy with the group of judges who have ruled against his travel ban and attempts to cut off federal money from "sanctuary cities" – and is vowing to take both issues to the nation's highest court.

"First the Ninth Circuit rules against the ban & now it hits again on sanctuary cities-both ridiculous rulings. See you in the Supreme Court!" Trump said in a Wednesday morning tweet storm.

U.S. District Judge William H. Orrick, a federal judge in San Francisco, ruled Tuesday that Trump exceeded his authority with an order seeking to cut off federal funds from cities accused of harboring migrants who are in the country illegally. Orrick said only Congress could put such restrictions on federal spending.

The decision follows a series of rulings, also from within the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, against the Trump administration's proposed ban on travel from certain Muslim majority countries. Judges said the proposal amounts to an unconstitutional discrimination against religion.

In his attack on the 9th Circuit – which covers nine western states and two U.S. territories – Trump echoed the complaints of aides who say that lawyers are filing suits in those states seeking liberal judges who would be more sympathetic to their arguments.

In another tweet, Trump said the 9th Circuit "has a terrible record of being overturned (close to 80%). They used to call this 'judge shopping!' Messy system."

The city of San Francisco, one of the plaintiffs in the sanctuary cities case, praised Orrick's ruling.

“This is why we have courts -- to halt the overreach of a president and an attorney general who either don’t understand the Constitution or chose to ignore it,” said Dennis Herrera, the San Francisco city attorney.

Trump echoed his criticism when a reporter asked him about the ruling during an event Wednesday morning.

"I'm never surprised by the 9th Circuit," Trump said. "As I said, we'll see them in the Supreme Court."