In a scorching, 43-page opinion filed on Wednesday, a federal judge in Hawaii blocked President Trump’s new executive order hours before it was set to take effect. The temporary restraining order bars the Trump administration from enforcing the travel and refugee sections of the new executive order.

U.S. District Judge Derrick K. Watson, who was nominated by then-President Barack Obama in 2012, cited evidence to prove that Trump’s order would be used to effectively discriminate against Muslims. The Hawaii-born judge also said the order would be shown to violate the Constitution.  

Watson declared that “a reasonable, objective observer — enlightened by the specific historical context, contemporaneous public statements, and specific sequence of events leading to its issuance — would conclude that the Executive Order was issued with a purpose to disfavor a particular religion.”

At the time of the ruling, President Trump held a rally in Nashville. While addressing his supporters, Trump called Watson's ruling "terrible" and said that his administration will go as far as the Supreme Court in order to protect the country. Trump also egged on the crowd by asking what they thought of the ruling. 

“You don’t think this was done by a judge for political reasons, do you?” Trump asked. “This ruling makes us look weak. Which, by the way, we no longer are, believe me.”