There have been quite a few, er, notable moments from President Donald Trump’s deal with to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday, however maybe one of the crucial hanging was when he turned to Supreme Court docket Chief Justice John Roberts, patted him on the again, and mentioned he “won’t forget it.”
“Thank you again. Thank you again. Won’t forget it,” the president mentioned whereas shaking Roberts’ hand after delivering his speech.
We don’t know precisely what Trump meant by this, contemplating all the favors Roberts has performed for him. In spite of everything, Roberts is answerable for authoring the choice that grants former presidents immunity from prosecution, primarily giving them energy to commit crimes beneath the guise of “official acts” in workplace.
There was additionally the Roberts-authored ruling that narrowed obstruction prices for defendants accused of collaborating within the rebel on Jan. 6, 2021, and the time when the Supreme Court docket’s conservative majority usurped the Fourteenth Modification, ruling that states couldn’t disqualify Trump from the poll regardless of the Structure’s ban on insurrectionists holding workplace.
In brief, Trump might have been thanking Roberts for quite a few issues, however the president insists that his gesture was merely routine.
Choose Juan Merchan presides over proceedings within the hush cash case in opposition to President Donald Trump on Could 7, 2024.
However as judges who bow to the president obtain gratitude, those that don’t are met with dying threats.
In line with Reuters, legislation enforcement has warned federal judges that they’re going through unusually excessive ranges of risk as they try and uphold the legislation regardless of Trump and his allies’ efforts to undermine it.
Eleven judges expressed concern to Reuters about their bodily safety, saying that they’ve confronted dying threats in latest weeks.
These threats come as Elon Musk, the unelected billionaire who appears to have undue affect over the federal authorities, has made a number of posts on X attacking judges as “corrupt” or “evil.” In a single case, Musk known as for a federal choose’s impeachment after he blocked DOGE entry to delicate Treasury Division information.
And Musk isn’t the one one criticizing the judiciary.
In February, Vice President JD Vance posted on X that “judges aren’t allowed to control the executive’s legitimate power,” suggesting that Trump possesses final authority.
Whereas Roberts hasn’t been as compliant as another members of the Supreme Court docket—and has even proven a willingness to interrupt along with his conservative colleagues—he’s nonetheless unlikely to function a test on Trump’s lawlessness.
At the least two judges, Tanya Chutkan and Juan Merchan, confronted threats for presiding over circumstances involving Trump the place the verdicts have been rejected by conservatives.
In the meantime, the six Republican Supreme Court docket appointees, three of whom have been appointed by Trump throughout his first time period, have delivered some beautiful victories within the president’s favor. And contemplating that conservative judges typically help Trump in his continued assault on democracy, he may need much more to thank them for sooner or later.
Roberts acknowledged in December that “violence, intimidation, disinformation, and threats” jeopardize judicial independence, so it will be hypocritical if he’s now serving to Trump dismantle present statutes.
Trump has beforehand inspired his followers to interrupt the legislation on his behalf, and his actions on Tuesday will solely serve to additional politicize the courts.
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