The Resistance Starts To Infect Our Courts

The Chief Justice, remember, was so irked when President Trump laced into “Obama judges” that he issued a rebuke. “We do not have Obama judges or Trump judges, Bush judges or Clinton judges,” he said. “What we have is an extraordinary group of dedicated judges doing their level best to do equal right to those appearing before them.”

Mr. Trump would have none of it. “Sorry Chief Justice John Roberts, but you do indeed have ‘Obama judges,’” Mr. Trump retorted. Obama judges, he added, “have a much different point of view than the people who are charged with the safety of our country.” The New York Times quoted one law professor, Josh Blackman, as warning the Chief’s statement could “backfire.”

So welcome to the 9th Circuit. The latest is that the judges who heretofore had held sway in the nation’s largest — and most liberal — circuit are now complaining to the press. The judge who says Mr. Trump has “flipped” the 9th Circuit is Milan D. Smith, Jr. He was moved to talk by the fact that Mr. Trump won confirmation of ten new judges to the Ninth Circuit.

Linkjage

Oh, the resistance is in the judiciary alright.

Roberts freaked over Trump's impugning of the judiciary's objectivity, yet Both Gingsberg and Sotomayer have made fairly politically charged statements against the Trump administration.

I get why Roberts wants, above all else, to maintain the image of the judiciary, but ignoring the realities of things isn't smart either. Obama's executive actions weren't met with nearly this level of pushback. Roberts needs to admonish some of his own justices as much as he needs to admonish Trump (and yes Trump does go pretty hard at the judiciary, but so have many other politicians including most Dem candidates this year).

As that article mentions, the judges association calling an "emergency meeting" over the sentencing was a clearly political move and message that was right to be rebuked by the judges, but it shows what's going on pretty clearly. Where was their emergency meeting when AG Holder publicly called himself Obama's wingman?

There is a strongly political, activist element to the bench and they are probably losing their minds that Trump is putting in so many judges who don't agree with them. Can't say I'm too upset with that outcome.