Associate Justice Amy Coney Barrett

Many Federal Judges Ruling Against Trump, But Will The Supreme Court Ultimately Uphold The Constitution?

Donald Trump is on the losing side of many lawsuits, as judges at the district court and appellate court levels, including some appointees of Trump or earlier Republican Presidents, are making decisions that declare Trump is engaged in illegal actions. Constraints on his power is important not just for now, but also for future Presidencies.

These decisions include the illegality of the National Guard intervention in Los Angeles; the imposition of tariffs on many foreign nations; and the misuse of the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to deport migrants to other nations, including El Salvador, South Sudan, Uganda, and elsewhere. And now, a federal judge has just declared that withholding $2 million in research funds from Harvard University is unlawful.

Altogether, Trump has lost 130 cases brought to court about his actions, including his abuse of executive orders, which have numbered close to 200 in seven and a half months.

The problem is that while this is good news, ultimately, the Supreme Court will have the final say on these matters, and it seems, sadly, unlikely that the majority of the very extreme right wing Court will deny Trump ability to do whatever he wants.

This means the Supreme Court seems on the road to allowance of the establishment of an authoritarian dictatorship, with no controls or regulations on the actions of Donald Trump. The Trump V US case of 2024 was a sign that the Court is not interested in putting reins on a President’s power, upending constitutional law, and the intentions of the Founding Fathers.

There is still hope of regulations being enforced, but it will be up to Chief Justice John Roberts, who has demonstrated how weak and ineffective he is; and likely, Associate Justice Amy Coney Barrett, who is very unpredictable and unreliable.

The Supreme Court Has Become A True Disaster!

The US Supreme Court, under Chief Justice John Roberts, has become a total disaster, a disgrace to its 236 year history since 1789.

The present Court, with a 6-3 right wing majority, is the most extremist since the 1920s, and seems to have the purpose to join Donald Trump in destroying the regulatory state and the promotion of civil rights that has occurred from the New Deal onward.

Two of the members—Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito—are the most extremist and corrupt members of the Court in the past century, highly arrogant individuals. And Chief Justice Roberts, who seems so concerned about his legacy in history as the leader of the Court, has given up trying to regulate the influence of these two members, and the three Donald Trump appointments, which with rare exceptions join in on most decisions, with an occasional, surprising split by Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh or Amy Coney Barrett.

The three Democratic appointments to the court–Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Ketanji Brown Jackson–are clearly frustrated, as indicated in their often fiery, critical responses to many of the Court decisions. It must be hard to have civil relations, and one would think, that the frustrations could lead to private thoughts of resigning from the Court. But of course, they know that if any of them were to resign, that would mean a future 7-2 Court and even more extremist impact.

Right now, in a very difficult time, we must be proud of their defiance, and their commitment to staying and fighting, and hope for their continued health and prosperity, with the fear if one is forced to leave, what a disaster that would mean for constitutional law, already in disarray as things stand now!

Birthright Citizenship, A Basic Part Of The 14th Amendment, Lies In Tatters! :(

Donald Trump’s despicable attack on the 14th Amendment and Birthight Citizenship has won a battle in the right wing, extremist Supreme Court, by a 6-3 vote on Friday.

While it is not final, as the issue has been sent to the lower federal courts for further adjudication, the signs are that a basic right, insured 150 years ago after the Civil War, may be totally wiped out.

The tensions are high on the Supreme Court, with Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson in particular, being highly critical of the majority decision produced by Justice Amy Coney Barrett.

The language utilized by both Justices and the clearcut tone of exasperation at what the Court is doing to promote an Imperial Presidency makes one wonder how thare can be any sense of camaraderie of the Court members toward each other.

It seems clear that the three Justices in the minority, also including Elena Kagan, probably would wish to leave the Court in disgust, but of course, cannot do so, as that would only promote an even more extremist right wing Court.

But it is clear that there are no “happy days” on the Court led by Chief Justice John Roberts, who has clearly presided over a totally disgraceful Court, that will undermine his reputation in the long run of American history!

Federal Judiciary, Including Appointees Of Trump, The Bushes, Reagan, Put Limits On Donald Trump Power!

The Federal Judiciary, including appointees of Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, George W. Bush, and even Donald Trump, have been clamping down on abuse of executive power, to the fury of Trump.

The fact that even some of his own judicial appointees are holding Trump accountable says legions about the abuses of power going on.

This includes all three of Trump’s Supreme Court Justice appointments—Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett.

Trump seems to be ready to refuse to obey any Supreme Court decision, or lower courts, and if that ultimately occurs, then we are in a no win situation in which the President and his appointees are unaccountable in any fashion.

This is a terrifying scenario, with horrifying potential for disaster in so many ways.

Death threats are mounting against judges across the nation, and the President’s rhetoric is encouraging such intimidation.

It is getting more difficult for critics, including this author and blogger, to keep up their optimism that democracy, the rule of law, and the Constitution can, successfully, win out over the abuses of power going on in America, as we enter the fifth full month of the second Trump Presidency.

Donald Trump Has Declared War On Supreme Court And Other Federal Courts’ Authority!

The nation is reaching a crucial turning point, as Donald Trump has attacked the seven members of the Supreme Court, who have ruled that he cannot use the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to deport immigrants without habeus corpus and due process.

Trump is ranting on Truth Social about this, and he and his MAGA Republican supporters have also unleashed attacks against District Court Judges and Appeals Court Judges who have ruled against his policies regarding deportation.

Chief Justice John Roberts has also made clear how disturbed he is at the attacks on the rule of law and the Constitution, as has Associate Justices Ketanji Brown Jackson, Elena Kagan, Sonia Sotomayor, and even Trump appointed Amy Coney Barrett.

The fact that all three Trump Supreme Court nominees, including Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, along with Barrett, have voted against him, and that some of the District and Appeals Court Judges who have done so, are Reagan, George H W Bush, George W Bush, and even some Trump appointees, is an indication of great alarm in the judicial branch about Trump’s grabbing of power and attacks on the validity and legitimacy of the courts!

It looks as if Trump and his Cabinet officers, particularly Attorney General Pam Bondi, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Thomas Homan, and White House Adviser Stephen Miller, are hell bent on breaking the law and the Constitution, and refusing to obey the federal courts.

This is, if not stopped, a full scale attack on civil liberties, the Bill of Rights, and endangers all Americans, that any excuse could be used, without evidence or investigation, leading to massive deportations to foreign dictatorships beyond just El Salvador, with no appeal or ability to reverse such totalitarian, Fascist actions!

US Supreme Court Adding To Its Poor Image By Delaying Presidential Immunity Decision To End Of June!

The US Supreme Court, already with a terrible reputation as an extremist right wing Court, is adding to its poor image by delaying its Presidential Immunity decision to the very last week of the present term.

The idea that any President has total immunity on anything he does as President is shocking, but the Court, with its three Donald Trump appointees, plus the horrendous Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito, both involved in conflict of interest controversies of their own making, is adding tension to the nation by not having rejected such an idea summarily.

The hope is that the Court will reject such an outrageous abuse of Presidential power, that would allow any action of a President without any controls.

This blogger senses, and hopes that the vote will be as high as 7-2 rejecting total Presidential immunity, with only Thomas and Alito seemingly assured to back such abuse of power.

But this assumes that the Trump appointees, and at the least, Amy Coney Barrett, along with Chief Justice John Roberts, will join Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Ketanji Brown Jackson, to come to that conclusion. The hope is that Brett Kavanaugh will also join such a majority, and possibly Neil Gorsuch.

Supreme Court Unpredictable On Presidential Immunity Case, Mind Boggling!

After watching and listening to commentary about the Supreme Court Presidential Immunity case of Donald Trump, one is left with a sense of unpredictability as to what the Court will determine and when.

It seems clear that there might be a split on the Court, with the likely “best” result being a 5-4 vote for limited use of Presidential immunity for official actions, but not for “private” actions such as campaigning for reelection.

Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Ketanji Brown Jackson seem certain on disputing Presidential immunity, and it also seems that the fourth woman on the Court, Amy Coney Barrett, might join them, leaving the determining vote likely to be Chief Justice John Roberts.

The other four Justices seem not to be concerned with any limits on Presidential immunity, including the events of January 6, 2021, which, if it works out that way, would be totally outrageous and disgraceful!

Trump V Anderson Supreme Court Case Demonstrates A Bitterly Divided Court!

The right wing Supreme Court has determined that Donald Trump cannot be barred from Presidential primary ballots, despite many conservatives, including former Circuit Court Judge J. Michael Luttig among many others, stating that his inciting of the US Capitol Insurrection of January 6, 2021 violated the 14th Amendment, Section Three.

The decision was that it is up to Congress to bar anyone from running for President, not individual state governments.

In so doing, the decision demonstrated a bitterly divided Court, as the four women on the Court, three Democrats and Justice Amy Coney Barrett, while part of an unanimous vote, made clear their discomfort with the issue of Donald Trump being able to avoid responsibility for his actions on January 6.

If Trump had been removed from the ballot in Colorado, Maine and Illinois, it would have led to further incitement by Trump on the basis that he was being denied the right to be judged by the American people.

So the understanding is that ultimately it is up to the American people and their voting to repudiate this Insurrectionist by reelecting Joe Biden in November!

The Supreme Court has lost all credibility, and its public opinion rating is an all time low, with particularly two of its members—Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito—being seen as corrupt and personally obnoxious—and the Court being the most right wing since the early 1930s.

Mitch McConnell, Longest Serving Senate Leader, To Leave, After Tremendous Damage Done Over The Years! :(

Kentucky Republican Senator Mitch McConnell, who has served longer in party and Senate leadership than anyone in American history, will leave his role in the Senate after the Presidential Election of 2024.

Arguably the single most important Senate leader since Lyndon B. Johnson was Majority Leader from 1955-1961 before his rise to the Vice Presidency and Presidency, McConnell single handedly caused tremendous damage in so many ways.

Among them was his refusal to allow a Supreme Court nominee by Barack Obama in 2016 after the death of Justice Antonin Scalia; McConnell’s ramming through the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett in the Fall of 2020 before the election after the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg; his promotion of a massive number of right wing judges onto the federal courts; and his unwillingness to vote to convict Trump on impeachment charges in the days before the end of the Presidential term after the horrendous events of January 6, 2021.

The extremist right wing tilt of the Supreme Court, and its moves against abortion, affirmative action, and promotion of lack of regulation of guns, is primarily due to this man, and he will not look good in the annals of history, for having helped emboldened Donald Trump, even though Trump does not appreciate what McConnell did!

Nikki Haley Disqualifies Herself For Presidency By Endorsing States Have Right To Leave Union!

Republican Presidential contender Nikki Haley has come out for the right of states to leave the Union, referring to the battle over who controls the borders and the problem of widespread migration of people from Central America into Texas.

The federal government is responsible for the borders, not the states, and the Republican Party needs to cooperate on legislation being promoted by a coalition of Democrats and Republicans in the US Senate.

But instead, Governor Greg Abbott of Texas, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, and Republican governors of 13 other states have defied a Supreme Court decision that included Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justice Amy Coney Barrett, along with the three Democratic appointments on the Court, mandating that the state of Texas stop creating dangerous barbed wire barriers, that led to the death by drowning of several migrants, including children.

Nikki Haley has now taken a stand with seditionists and rebels that caused the Nulllification Crisis under Andrew Jackson, due to Vice President John C. Calhoun’s promotion of states rights in 1832-1833, as well as Jefferson Davis and the Confederate States of America provoking the four year Civil War from 1861-1865.

This is the same concept promoted by Southern governors and most notably Alabama Governor George Wallace in the time of the civil rights movement in the 1960s.

Haley, by so doing, has disqualified herself for the office of the Presidency, and should be ashamed of herself for promoting lawlessness by state governors, who choose not to obey the Supreme Court!