It seems strange now that MAGA would be attacking Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Amy Coney Barrett, but that's what seems to be happening.
Trump had profusely thanked Chief Justice Roberts after his Joint Congressional speech on March 4th. Most of us figured that Trump was giving thanks for Roberts and the Supreme Court making him immune to prosecution.
The next day after the speech, the first Supreme Court ruling against Trump occurred that made MAGA people call Roberts and Barrett traitors. It was about unfreezing $2 billion dollars in aid money.
When Barrett was first made a Justice, people praised her as a conservative replacement for Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Now Trump's allies call her evil and a DEI hire. They don't even bother with Justice Katanji Brown anymore.
Mike Davis, a former law clerk of Neil Gorsuch said, "She's a rattled law Clerk with her head up her ass."
There's a clip of her avoiding Trump at the speech. (X link)
Elon Musk got into the act, too, about all the federal judges ruling against Trump:
An hour later he X'ed, "If ANY judge ANYWHERE can block EVERY Presidential order EVERYWHERE , we do NOT have a democracy, we have TYRANNY of the JUDICIARY."
In January, Trump asked the Supreme Court to delay his sentencing in the 34 felonies case and it was Justice Roberts and Justice Barrett, of the conservatives, that ruled against him and allowed the sentencing to occur.
Steve Bannon responded to that with, "Barrett is a disgrace, total disgrace. (She should) step down, take another job and open up that slot for President Trump to appoint a true MAGA judge to the Supreme Court."
After the ruling against him about the frozen funds, Trump was asked about the scorn that was being heaped upon Barrett and he responded with:
"She's a very good woman. She's very smart, and I don't know about other people attacking her; I really don't know."
After Judge Boasberg ruled against the Tren de Arague gang members being deported, Mike Davis, again, said, "When will Chief Justice and Justice Barrett stop this extremely dangerous judicial sabotage of the presidency? ... Yet DC Obama Judge James Boasberg thinks he has the power to order the president to turn around these planes in mid-air and bring these terrorists back into America...(Trump should) ignore Judge Boasberg's lawless and dangerous order. The Supreme Court must use the emergency docket to immediately stay Judge Boasberg's order. Next week the House must impeach Judge Boasberg. And defund his court."
"It's time to ignore these illegal orders. It's time to impeach these lawless judges. It's time to defund these lawless courts."
On Monday, the American Bar Association's President William R. Bay released a statement condemning the recent calls for impeachment and attacks against the judiciary.
"There have now been statements by officials criticizing judges for not following the will of the people. Judges swear oaths to follow the law, not public opinion polling or political chatter or what someone contends is the will of the people."
"We may disagree with the interpretation of case law, but it is unacceptable to personally target judges just because we disagree with their ruling. We cannot have a Judicial System where the government seeks to remove judges simply because they do not rule as the government desires."
Judges that have ruled against Trump will probably see attacks in various forms.
Judge Beryl Howell told Trump a thing or two about his powers in her ruling that said that Trump's firing of the National Labor Relations Board member was illegal.
"Luckily, the Framers , anticipating such a power grab, vested in Article III, not Article II, the power to interpret the law, including resolving conflicts around congressional checks on presidential authority. The president's interpretation of his constitutional power --- or, more aptly, his aspiration --- is flat wrong."
She also quashed Trump's executive order trying to punish the law firm of Perkins Coie. When Williams & Connolly showed up in court to defend Perkins Coie, there were 14 lawyers from the firm just to show solidarity.
So far, there are no reports of threats against Judge Howell. I expect there will be, along with the following judges.
Judge Leo T. Sorokin of the Federal District Court for the District of Massachusetts, rules that Trump cannot enact his executive order denying birthright citizenship. Three other judges in New Hampshire, Seattle and Maryland preceded his ruling.
Judge Loren L. Alikhan of the Federal District Court for the District of Columbia decided that the Trump Administration can not unilaterally freeze all government grants, loans, and financial assistance.
Judge Amir. H. Ali of the Federal District Court for the District of Columbia, ruled that Trump overstepped his constitutional authority by freezing almost all spending of the US Agency for International Development.
Judge Christopher R. Cooper of the Federal District Court of the District of Columbia said that the US DOGE service is subject to the Freedom of Information Act.
Judge Brendan A. Hudson of the Federal District Court for the District of Maryland decided that the Trump Administration cannot enforce the executive order threatening to withhold federal funding from providers of gender affirming medical care for people under 19.
Judge Theodore D. Chuang of the Federal District Court for the District of Maryland decided that federal immigration officials cannot operate around certain places of worship.
Judge Tanya Chutkan in a case against USAID documents and emails being destroyed, was halted when the government promised not to. She directed both parties to come up with a plan on how the USAID records would be handled, declining to issue a restraining order. "We're not handing them out like candy." You'll remember her as the judge that almost had the chance to hold Trump accountable for Jan.6th, but was rescued by the immunity decision by the "activist" Supreme Court. They have, however, ruled twice against the Trump administration, with more to come.
Judge Chutkan has also ordered Musk and DOGE to produce documents and answer questions in two weeks for expedited discovery. The Plaintiff States want to identify DOGE personnel and the parameters of Musk and DOGE's authority. Previously, she had rejected issuing a temporary restraining order, but the case continues.
The Just Security Litigation Tracker shows 126 cases in progress against the Trump administration. The more cases, the more strained the Federal Program lawyers get as they are spread thin, which is why they're trying to use Federal Civil Procedure Rule 65(c) to slow things down by requiring a bond to be posted by plaintiffs.
Even with judges being defended by the Supreme Court, the Bar Association and others, MAGA thinks they have the right to attack them. They can't deal with their leader being shown to not be all powerful.
We still have the problem of court orders being ignored with the Tren de Aragua gang members ruling that expanded to all non-citizens. Hundreds of accused criminals were flown to Venezuela while the hearing was going on.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt served up some George Orwell double think with the statement that the administration: "...did not 'refuse to comply' with a court order." She said the planes were out of U.S. territory when the ruling came down, arguing that "the written order and the administration's actions do not conflict."
"Federal courts generally have no jurisdictions over the President's conduct of foreign affairs, his authorities under the Alien Enemies Act, and his core Article II powers to remove foreign alien terrorists from US soil and repel a declared invasion."
The administration is contending that Judge Boasberg didn't have the jurisdiction to enter the temporary restraining order. They argue that Trump's actions under the Alien Enemies Act are not subject to judicial review. This is all, of course, hogwash, because there is no war, and there is no armed invasion of the United States for the declared use of the Alien Enemies Act.
This is where we find out what happens if a court tries to use the US Marshals service in order to enforce their rulings when they're being ignored. Contempt of court. They still do have that power.
I have this fantasy of Tommy Lee Jones as a U.S. Marshal leading Trump away in handcuffs.
The fight for the Constitution goes on.
