Judge Says Justice Department Attacked Her Character To 'impugn The Integrity' Of Us Judicial System

A federal judge accused the Justice Department on Wednesday of attacking her character in an effort to undermine the integrity of the judicial system, forcefully pushing back against the Trump administration's criticism of the courts for rulings that blocked parts of the president's agenda.

U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell's comments came in an order denying the Justice Department's bid to remove her from a case over an executive order punishing a prominent law firm. The Trump administration had asked for the case to be moved to another judge in Washington's federal court, accusing Howell of demonstrating "a pattern of hostility" toward the Republican president.

"When the U.S. Department of Justice engages in this rhetorical strategy of ad hominem attack, the stakes become much larger than only the reputation of the targeted federal judge," wrote Howell, who was appointed to the federal bench by Democratic President Barack Obama.

"This strategy is designed to impugn the integrity of the federal judicial system and blame any loss on the decision-maker rather than fallacies in the substantive legal arguments presented."

It's the latest development in the Trump administration's battle with the judiciary over legal setbacks to his sweeping executive actions around immigration and other matters. The Trump administration has ramped up its criticism of judges in recent weeks, accusing the judiciary of improperly impinging on the president's powers. Trump has called for impeaching another Washington federal court judge who ruled against the president's deportation plans.