Summary
Three federal judges dealt legal setbacks to Trump’s early second-term controversial policies in a 90-minute span.
In DC, Judge AliKhan indefinitely blocked a federal funding freeze, calling it “irrational, imprudent and precipitated a nationwide crisis.”
Also in DC, Judge Amir Ali ordered the administration to pay pay foreign aid-related money owed to government contractors and nonprofit groups.
In Seattle, Judge Whitehead halted Trump’s executive order suspending refugee admissions, arguing it “amounts to an effective nullification of congressional will.”
Andrew Jackson’s statement that he would have refused to have the executive branch enforce the Supreme Court’s ruling was dangerous, but it ended up not mattering in practice. The losing party in that case was the State of Georgia, and Georgia ended up complying with the court orders.
If Trump starts ordering the executive branch to disobey court orders, it may set up a crisis, and it might be one that he doesn’t win. His own loyalists appointed to the heads of the departments and agencies might listen to him, but the actual rank and file of who needs to implement the orders could end up in open revolt. After all, even the military has it ingrained that one only needs to obey lawful orders, not unlawful ones.
The governor’s ball a few days ago saw a whole group of military soldiers singing a Les Mis song instead of whatever it was they planned. I doubt the military would comply with unconstitutional orders; despite the fact that the president is commander-in-chief, they still swore an oath to uphold the Constitution.