Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson joined the national debate yesterday over attacks made by Donald Trump against judges who have ruled against him and his administration, calling them a threat to democracy in the United States.
Speaking to a judges’ conference in Puerto Rico, Justice Jackson warned, “The attacks are not random. They seem designed to intimidate those of us who serve in this critical capacity. The threats and harassment are attacks on our democracy, on our system of government. And they ultimately risk undermining our Constitution and the rule of law.”
While Jackson didn’t directly mention Trump by name, she left little doubt as to whom she was referring.
Referencing “the elephant in the room,” the justice urged her colleagues in the judiciary to “keep going, keep doing what is right for our country, and I do believe that history will vindicate your service.”
Jackson also revealed she had been subjected to such attacks herself.
“I do know that loneliness. It is very stressful to have to decide difficult cases in the spotlight and under pressure. It can sometimes take raw courage to remain steadfast in doing what the law requires.”
“Other judges have faced challenges like the ones we face today, and have prevailed.”
Trump and his Republican allies have suggested that judges who rule against them should be impeached and removed from office.
Stephen Miller, who serves as a top domestic policy adviser to Trump, has attacked what he calls “Communist” judges,” which is the very same language used by members of the Nazi party in Germany during Adolf Hitler’s rise to power.
An independent judiciary is one of the most important checks and balances in the U.S. Constitution. To see it under attack by Trump and his cronies is proof that their concept of democracy is nothing short of totalitarian rule. They won’t be happy until Trump is installed as the American Caesar and given unlimited power.
We cannot allow that to happen.
