POLI•RANT: The "Courts Will Save Us" Mirage

With all the lawsuits, there's been a pause. But, nothing has really changed.

I can’t keep up with all the great lawsuits. There are a ton of them hitting the Trump regime’s illegal actions on a ton of fronts. We should do every single one of them. And more, throughout state courts especially.

But, there have a been a number of wins as they make their way through the legal system.

There's a mix of wins and losses with those court “guardrails” that are literally the last we have in a three-branch system.

But, if you think the Project 25 crowd didn't anticipate a way "around" courts in general you are missing the cold, hard, calculation.

For twenty years before Trump, this crowd was railing at federal judges “legislating” from the bench, even if the hypocrisy of that philosophy has been laid bare. When the first court injunctions came in last month Trump, Vance, and Musk all questioned the actual ability for courts to even question a president.

The White House came out with a clarifying statement a few days later that made it even more clear: The President and Attorney General are the only people to interpret law in this country.

So, yes, this isn’t front-burner stuff, but it’s an ongoing (and continued) indoctrination for the MAGA crowd. Not just that Crazy Town statement, but the reality that Congress has the ability to impeach Federal Judges.

In our history before this dictatorship hand-job only eight federal judges have ever been convicted. Ever. Only a simple majority is needed, but 8 in our history. Now there are grumblings about specific “anti-Trump” judges.

Then there’s the Supreme Court. Our last “guardrail” and ultimate adbitor.

Yesterday they voted 5-4 to stop Trump from cutting off USAID payments to third parties.

Great!

But, look at the case and the fact that four dissented. Of course, this is money legislated by Congress, which the Constitution mandates be spent through the Executive Branch.

Messing with that money in any way, shape, or form is blatantly unConstitutional by any standard circa 2020, let’s say. But, that wasn’t even it. The heart of the suit was from third-party contractors who had not been paid.

Think a trucking company that delivers food from port to camp. At the end of the month they put in an invoice for services provided. Under a contract they have.

Four Supreme Court Justices said a president (well, this president) can not just do what he wants with appropriated, money but he can just break contracts. I’m not a lawyer, but that seems like a break from not just very specific shit in our Constitution, but the whole idea of Contract Law.

So, yes, the dictatorship crisis hasn’t gone anywhere.

Indeed, it keeps creeping forward on multiple worse-case-scenario fronts.

With my non-reactionary hat firmly on, I just don’t see an off ramp here. I can’t see a scenario that Trump doesn’t try to blow up the courts.

Sorry.

Hope I’m wrong.