Summary
Top Republicans, including Speaker Mike Johnson and Rep. Jim Jordan, are backing Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s attacks on U.S. judges who blocked Trump orders and Musk-led federal agency cuts.
A judiciary subcommittee hearing explored curbing “judicial overreach,” while Musk, who donated $300M to Trump, has called for impeaching judges.
Critics warn these moves undermine judicial independence and risk violence. Judges facing threats include James Boasberg, targeted by Trump for halting deportations.
Legal experts and ex-GOP officials say the attacks serve political and fundraising goals, while endangering constitutional norms.
I’m not as worried about the violence against judges, which is a horrific development. I’m more worried about the violence that happens when people realize their political views can bring violence against them because of what’s being done to judges.
That’s going to be the end of peaceful protest, and the start of a LOT of political violence.
Political views have long been met with state sanctioned violence. The concern for me with the breakdown of the judicial system, we’re going to see an even wider disparity in equal application of the law, and larger backlogs.
The concern for me is that we’re going to stop having protests, and start having explosions of government buildings to send a message.
Looking in front the outside, that sounds like exactly what you need
Not that I’m disagreeing, but I also know where that ends. I should say, the range of endings. Aside from probably neither of us living long enough to see where it ends, the range of endings are almost universally bad for humanity in general, and the US in particular.