An Old Doctrine
Politics just gets stranger and stranger.
Trump ordered around 200 Tren de Aragua gang members deported – the ACLU filed a lawsuit, told a judge five of the deportees weren’t Tren de Aragua gang members.
All Trump had to do was prove the ACLU was wrong. But he didn’t. Instead his lawyers said he had the power to deport away under a law passed back in 1798.
Wanting time to hear more evidence the judge ordered Trump to ‘pause’ – not stop but pause – the deportations.
Enraged, Trump called the judge a radical left lunatic, roared he should be ‘IMPEACHED!!!’
A Trump congressman immediately introduced a bill to impeach him.
Trying to cool the flames Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts stepped in, pointed out an old fact: Trump had every right to appeal the judge’s ruling but impeaching the judge because he didn’t like his ruling wasn’t proper.
Trump ignored Roberts. Disobeyed the judge’s order. Deported away. So now the case is no longer about deportations; it’s about Trump disobeying the law. It’s not about what he set out to do – it’s how he did it.
That’s a fight like we’ve never seen before: The President on one side. The Supreme Court on the other. Slugging it out over disobeying a court order.
Now stop for a moment and ask yourself: What happens if Trump loses then tells the Supreme Court: You didn’t get elected…you’re not President…go fly a kite.
The ‘Separation of Powers Doctrine’ has been around a long time, as long as the Constitution. It says courts get to decide the law, what’s legal and illegal. And presidents enforce the law. If a president can get away with ignoring a court ruling that doctrine flies out the window. Are we better off without it? That doesn’t sound promising – but that’s where this case is heading.
*****
Telling stories, in his memoir Carter Wrenn follows The Trail of the Serpent twisting and turning through politics from Reagan to Trump. Order his book from Amazon.
An Old Doctrine
Politics just gets stranger and stranger.
Trump ordered around 200 Tren de Aragua gang members deported – the ACLU filed a lawsuit, told a judge five of the deportees weren’t Tren de Aragua gang members.
All Trump had to do was prove the ACLU was wrong. But he didn’t. Instead his lawyers said he had the power to deport away under a law passed back in 1798.
Wanting time to hear more evidence the judge ordered Trump to ‘pause’ – not stop but pause – the deportations.
Enraged, Trump called the judge a radical left lunatic, roared he should be ‘IMPEACHED!!!’
A Trump congressman immediately introduced a bill to impeach him.
Trying to cool the flames Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts stepped in, pointed out an old fact: Trump had every right to appeal the judge’s ruling but impeaching the judge because he didn’t like his ruling wasn’t proper.
Trump ignored Roberts. Disobeyed the judge’s order. Deported away. So now the case is no longer about deportations; it’s about Trump disobeying the law. It’s not about what he set out to do – it’s how he did it.
That’s a fight like we’ve never seen before: The President on one side. The Supreme Court on the other. Slugging it out over disobeying a court order.
Now stop for a moment and ask yourself: What happens if Trump loses then tells the Supreme Court: You didn’t get elected…you’re not President…go fly a kite.
The ‘Separation of Powers Doctrine’ has been around a long time, as long as the Constitution. It says courts get to decide the law, what’s legal and illegal. And presidents enforce the law. If a president can get away with ignoring a court ruling that doctrine flies out the window. Are we better off without it? That doesn’t sound promising – but that’s where this case is heading.
*****
Telling stories, in his memoir Carter Wrenn follows The Trail of the Serpent twisting and turning through politics from Reagan to Trump. Order his book from Amazon.