Recently, Donald Trump stated that Supreme Court Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonya Sotomayor should recuse themselves from “Trump-related cases. Essentially, he was saying that the Supreme Court should do his bidding.
And why not?
Republicans in Congress have already given him a free pass though their sham impeachment trial. Why shouldn’t he expect the same treatment from the judicial branch?
This should come as no surprise given Trump’s history of slamming those who disagree with him, but telling Supreme Court Justices that they should abandon their Constitutional duty and become a rubber stamp for this administration goes beyond the pale.
It is the speech of dictators.
Trump earned a rare rebuke from Chief Justice John Roberts when he referred to a judge who ruled against his immigration policy as “an Obama judge”.
Roberts defended the decision stating, “We don’t have Obama judges or Trump judges, Clinton judges or Bush judges. What we have is an extraordinary group of dedicated judges doing their level best to do equal right to those appearing before them. That independent judiciary is something that we all should be thankful for.”
In an earlier ruling, Trump demanded that Judge Gonzalo Curiel recuse himself from a fraud case involving Trump University because of the judge’s Mexican heritage. Trump reasoned that because of his own negative comments about Mexicans, the judge could not render a fair and impartial verdict.
Don’t forget, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) set the stage for unprecedented judicial appointments by the Trump administration by repeatedly blocking judges appointed by President Obama. This created openings for a conservative judiciary that could influence legal decisions for decades, since appointments are for a lifetime.
Undoubtedly, Trump will demand fealty from those judges he had a role in appointing. He will assuredly lash out at any judge he appointed, demanding they too recuse themselves.
With no Congressional check on his power, Trump is now going after the third branch of government in an attempt to give himself, and eventually his family, dictatorial power.
Just another reason -- an incredibly important one -- why the upcoming presidential election is so vitally important. With no Congressional limitations, and a threat to the judicial branch, the only way to hold him accountable is to vote him out!