Washington (CNN) A federal judge ruled on Wednesday that the Terrorist Screening Database violates the constitutional rights of American citizens who are on it, deciding in favor of 23 citizens who sued after being placed on the watchlist.

The ruling from Judge Anthony Trenga in the Eastern District of Virginia calls into question federal authorities' practice of using the list to support decisions on people's ability to travel.

While Wednesday's ruling is significant, Trenga set up a bigger battle in the weeks ahead. The judge ordered both sides of the case to come up with arguments for what should happen next following his decision and those arguments could influence the fate of the database and the federal government's process.

Trenga found the watchlist deprived the citizens of due process, which is guaranteed by the Constitution.

"The general right of free movement is a long recognized, fundamental liberty," Trenga wrote. The government decision-making "is a black box -- individuals are not told, even after filing, whether or not they were or remain on the (terrorism) watchlist and are also not told the factual basis for their inclusion. Accordingly, the Court concludes that the risk of erroneous deprivation of Plaintiff's travel-related and reputational liberty interests is high, and the currently existing procedural safeguards are not sufficient to address that risk."

Read More