Donald Trump’s racist attack on a judge of Mexican heritage won him criticism across the political spectrum. But it is not the only issue worrying former judges, an ex-attorney general, and legal scholars as they contemplate a Trump presidency.

Several other issues have also raised serious legal concerns among such observers, including the presumptive Republican nominee’s call for a temporary ban on Muslim immigration, his advocacy of bringing back waterboarding, and his statement that if elected he would “open up” the nation’s libel laws to make it easier to sue the press and win “lots of money”.

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Smith’s view of the proposed ban was echoed by legal scholars who spoke with the Guardian. Deborah Rhode, a Stanford law professor, said Trump’s call for banning Muslim immigrants was “hard to reconcile with the ideals that have motivated this nation”.

Rhode noted that the standard test for immigration has long been good moral character, and said that “to suggest that someone fails to meet this standard because of religion alone seems constitutionally problematic”.