The Supreme Court will quickly decide whether history will determine it as a friend or enemy of the American constitutional republic. The decisions for the coming weeks and months will also determine whether they are remembered as Roberts or Trump Court.
So far, the scale has leaned towards President Trump.
The justification of the Supreme Court depends on its credibility in the American people. Last month, voted Marquette University Law School has been discovered The High Court has regained some approval after it was sunk for records. That favorable rating rose to 51% in February, reaching a majority for the first time since March 2022.
However, the court's legitimacy remains tenuous. Faced with a barrage of lawsuits over their actions, President Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance and Chaos' Special Adviser Elon Musk have suggested that they may not follow court decisions that go against them. Musk posted, “We need an immediate wave of judicial bullets each.” Vance Posted“Judges are not permitted to control the legitimate power of executives,” cites Napoleon, Trump. Tweet“Those who save the country do not violate the law.”
People will judge the courts harshly if it does not stand in its position and defend the Republic. Asked if the president could ignore the Supreme Court decision, 83% of American adults said no.
There is a lot to prove at Roberts Court. Constitutional Law need The President said, “Please note that the law will be executed faithfully.” Nevertheless, last year, a judge ruled the former president. You cannot prosecute for committing a crime While carrying out their official duties.
Over 60% of Marquette Survey respondents oppose the verdict. And 54% say politics, not law, motivates judicial decisions. Only one in three respondents had “many” confidence in the court.
Since John Roberts became the Supreme Court justice in 2005, some of those decisions justify their unreliability. In 2013, the court broke the requirement under the Historic Voting Rights Act of 1965 that states with a history of racism must obtain clearance from the Department of Justice before changing election laws. Writing for the majority, Roberts reasoned, “Countries are no longer divided along those lines. “In the next decade, states have been added, including many people with a history of racism. Almost 100 voting methods.
The court ruled that businesses could give in 2010 Unlimited amount to an independent campaign committee. The judge allowed money to purchase corporate access to lawmakers, but rationalized that money would not affect the behavior of elected officials. Even if that is the case, the majority say, “The emergence of influence and access will not cause voters to lose faith in this democracy.” I insisted.
That was wrong. By July 2023, the Pew Research Center discovered it 80% of Democrats and 83% of Republicans They believed that large donors had too much influence in Congress. Open Secret Observes After the decision that “the role of money in politics has changed dramatically,” he said, “election spending has reached unprecedented heights and … the public has increasingly less insight into the source of its money.” Brennan Justice Center say“Super PAC allows billionaires to pour unlimited amounts into campaigns, and have the voices of ordinary Americans owned.”
In another misconduct decision, the court It overturned the 40-year-old principle known as the Chevron Doctrine last year. This doctrine gave federal agency experts the responsibility to interpret how industries are regulated under the national environmental laws. The judge held that the court was entitled to make these technical decisions. As a professor of environmental law Daniel Esti The ruling warned that it risked “regulation disruption” not only in environmental protection, but also in healthcare, labor standards and “businesses of large and small.”
The most awful appearance of the court's political influence is how it is I slowed down that decision Last year, there was a case of Donald Trump's immune system. That delay helped prevent Trump's felony cases from being brought to justice before the election. “At every point in the process, the courts acted exactly the same as Trump's legal team wanted,” Slate noted.
Now, encouraging Trump suggests he has power in the king. He tramples on the law Protect federal employees from political terminationdemands a president Notify Congress before dismissing a statutory inspectorban the president Attacks allotted funds And maintain citizens Sensitive personal information from fraudulent hands. As Trump and Elon Musk do Massive gunfire and Refund Program Trump's minions, created by Congress, claim it's up to him to decide what the country's interest is. They're wrong. The council will decide. The president will be executed.
Trump ignored the Constitution by trying to Refuses birthright citizenship Children born in the US become illegal immigrantsrobbing the control of Congress' federal programs Stroking over the strings of your wallet, and freedom of the press. He is harassing new media Litigation While his administration is investigating Bias claim Major television networks and the White House have restricted access to news organizations that are pissing him off.
The Republican-controlled Congress has been abandoned in its obligation to defend constitutional responsibility, and the Supreme Court has become the final boundary of the Republic's institutional defense. By failing to counterattack Trump, virtually all Republicans in the House and Senate are violating their pledge to protect the Constitution by supporting Trump's continued rebellion. Under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, It should not be permitted to continue in public office or to occupy again..
To prevent ongoing damage to the government, courts should consider taking the original jurisdiction over the abuse of presidential power, rather than waiting for dozens of cases to climb the federal court system. In particular, it may make it clear that despite the President's immunity for violation of law, the President is not permitted under any circumstances to violate the Constitution.
William S. Becker He is a co-editor of “Unchains of Democracy: How to Rebuild Government for the People,” and contributes to democracy during the hot season, named by the Nature Journal as one of the five best science books of 2023. He previously served as a senior official at the Wisconsin Department of Justice. He is now the executive director of the Presidential Climate Action Project, a nonpartisan climate policy think tank that has no connection to the White House.
