Re: Why Do We Obey An Obscure Judge's Ruling?
Posted: Mon Mar 12, 2018 4:39 pm
I agree. Those who refuse to obey to up hold our law should be put in jail and removed from office. They are blatantly breaking the law by not complying.
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I first heard of the concept in Coach Muldrew's 8th grade American History class. I believe it has its roots in Federalist #51 and #78 but the first three articles of the Constitution spell out the roles of the three branches. Federal courts, save for the Supreme Court, are creatures of Congress.philbo wrote:3 coequal branches... and where does that fiction emanate from? (Please say constitution, please say constitution...)warnmar10 wrote:How do you square that vision with the concept of "three coequal branches" of government? Is one coequal branch more equal than the other two?
The myth that the constitution created 3 Co-Equal branches of government is so pervasive that has become an article of faith among many Americans. It's repeated often, and wrongly that this is what the constitution created. Yet, no where does the constitution mention Co-Equal branches or Checks and Balances. If anything, close study of the constitution will reveal that while 3 branches are created by the constitution, the Legislative branch was intended to be the most dominant. There was even fear among the states against passage of the constitution that too much power was granted to the legislative branch and not enough to the idea of Co-Equal branches. Proof of the legislative branches power can be found in their exclusive ability to confirm Supreme Court justices, court of appeals judges, and district court judges. Further, only the legislative branch can remove someone from either the executive or legislative branches. This includes judges in district or supreme courts, agency heads, and even the president. Neither of the other 2 branches can touch a member of the legislative branch. The legislative branch was established to be the most powerful, so powerful in fact that it's power was divided into 2 houses, with only one of those originally elected directly by the people. With all due respect for coaches everywhere teaching history, the thought that there are 3 co-equal branches of government created by the constitution is at best an oversimplification of a difficult concept, and at worst, a myth repeated to make a difficult topic more easy for bored 8th graders to recite on their tests.warnmar10 wrote:I first heard of the concept in Coach Muldrew's 8th grade American History class. I believe it has its roots in Federalist #51 and #78 but the first three articles of the Constitution spell out the roles of the three branches. Federal courts, save for the Supreme Court, are creatures of Congress.philbo wrote:3 coequal branches... and where does that fiction emanate from? (Please say constitution, please say constitution...)warnmar10 wrote:How do you square that vision with the concept of "three coequal branches" of government? Is one coequal branch more equal than the other two?
So where is it written that courts are to reign supreme over Congress and the Executive?
https://founders.archives.gov/documents ... 01-02-1540You seem ... to consider the judges as the ultimate arbiters of all constitutional questions: a very dangerous doctrine indeed and one which would place us under the despotism of an Oligarchy. Our judges are as honest as other men, and not more so. They have, with others, the same passions for party, for power, and the privileges of their corps. ... and their power the more dangerous as they are in office for life, and not responsible, as the other functionaries are, to the elective control. The constitution has erected no such single tribunal knowing that, to whatever hands confided, with the corruptions of time & party it’s members would become despots...
A well reasoned and detailed explanation, but it leaves out something......philbo wrote:The myth that the constitution created 3 Co-Equal branches of government is so pervasive that has become an article of faith among many Americans. It's repeated often, and wrongly that this is what the constitution created. Yet, no where does the constitution mention Co-Equal branches or Checks and Balances. If anything, close study of the constitution will reveal that while 3 branches are created by the constitution, the Legislative branch was intended to be the most dominant. There was even fear among the states against passage of the constitution that too much power was granted to the legislative branch and not enough to the idea of Co-Equal branches. Proof of the legislative branches power can be found in their exclusive ability to confirm Supreme Court justices, court of appeals judges, and district court judges. Further, only the legislative branch can remove someone from either the executive or legislative branches. This includes judges in district or supreme courts, agency heads, and even the president. Neither of the other 2 branches can touch a member of the legislative branch. The legislative branch was established to be the most powerful, so powerful in fact that it's power was divided into 2 houses, with only one of those originally elected directly by the people. With all due respect for coaches everywhere teaching history, the thought that there are 3 co-equal branches of government created by the constitution is at best an oversimplification of a difficult concept, and at worst, a myth repeated to make a difficult topic more easy for bored 8th graders to recite on their tests.warnmar10 wrote:I first heard of the concept in Coach Muldrew's 8th grade American History class. I believe it has its roots in Federalist #51 and #78 but the first three articles of the Constitution spell out the roles of the three branches. Federal courts, save for the Supreme Court, are creatures of Congress.philbo wrote:3 coequal branches... and where does that fiction emanate from? (Please say constitution, please say constitution...)warnmar10 wrote:How do you square that vision with the concept of "three coequal branches" of government? Is one coequal branch more equal than the other two?
So where is it written that courts are to reign supreme over Congress and the Executive?
Federalist 51 speaks of the importance of separating power among the branches. It does a spectacular job of exploring the dangers of factionalism, the possible tyranny of the minority as well as the possible tyranny of the majority that must be guarded against. No where will one find talk of co-equal branches.
Federalist 78 may be the best reference for this thread. It is here that Hamilton addressed what he referred to as the weakest of the 3 branches. The judicial branch posses only the power to judge, not to act, and even its judgments or decisions depend upon the executive branch to carry them out.
This power of Judicial Review is developed at great length by Hamilton in this paper. The courts he felt are the arbiters between the legislative branch and the people; the courts are to interpret the laws and prevent the legislative branch from exceeding the powers granted to it. The courts must not only place the Constitution higher than the laws passed by Congress, they must also place the intentions of the people ahead of the intentions of their representatives. This is not a matter of which branch is superior: it is simply to acknowledge that the people are superior to both. Hamilton in this paper pronounces judicial review as being part of the Constitution. Judicial review is seen by the Federalists as another barrier against too much democracy... just as direct election of the president and the senate were seen as dangerous... hence the indirect election of senators until the 17th amendment and the persistence of the electoral college in the election of the president. This concept of judicial review is championed in this paper. Again, no mention of co-equal branches, but rather a clear foundation on that legal concept of judicial review... something common in the state courts of the times, and taken for granted by a majority of those at the constitutional convention.
In 1803 the Supreme Court explicitly carved out this concept of judicial review and claimed it among the powers of the legislative branch in the case Marbury v. Madison. The reason judicial review has withstood the test of time is due in large part to the writings of Hamilton in Fed 78.
So why do we obey an obscure judge's ruling? Because the power to interpret the laws and judge their constitutionality are the two special functions of the courts, powers not given to either the executive or judicial branch. Continued stability demands an independent judiciary. Hamilton admits that individual oppression may now and then proceed from the courts, but he is emphatic in adding that the general liberty of the people can never be endangered from that quarter. Those countries lacking a strong, independent judiciary inevitably fall to despotism, or anarchy. It is not and has never been about co-equal branches, but about safe guarding the individual liberties that form this democracy from all forms of oppression. Sometimes that means you have to work within the system, and appeal those decisions you feel are in conflict with the constitution. It's seldom fast, but it has worked more often than not in our history.
Essentially, what Jefferson is saying here is that the federal judiciary is every bit as capable of becoming venal, politically toxic, and acting unconstitutionally as are elected politicians. But unlike politicians, they serve for life. That gives them decades to pour their toxins into the nation’s political bloodstream - if they are so inclined. In other words, they have the actual power to destroy the country, and to do it perhaps more quickly and thoroughly than either the legislative or executive branches, and to do it with very little accountability. After all, what’s the worst that could happen? Impeachment? Not bloody likely, for any offense less than having been caught “mid stroke” on film, having their way with minor children in a flophouse somewhere......and even then, it being Washington DC, that judge would still have his supporters telling you to look the other way. Let’s say that the House actually grew the stones to impeach a sitting federal judge....would the Senate likely convict him? No, it would be extremely rare. They would have to admit that they had made a mistake during their “advise and consent” proceedings. Plus, some of those senators surely have SCOTUS as the next item on their checklist if not POTUS. They’re not going to poison the well for themselves by convicting a federal judge. So the truth of the matter is that the odds of impeaching a federal judge for derailing a president’s mandate for purely political reasons is nonexistent. Out of the hundreds, perhaps thousands of federal judges who have been appointed since the founding, only 15 have ever been impeached.thatguyoverthere wrote:An interesting perspective from Thomas Jefferson:
Letter from Thomas Jefferson to William Jarvis, 1820:https://founders.archives.gov/documents ... 01-02-1540You seem ... to consider the judges as the ultimate arbiters of all constitutional questions: a very dangerous doctrine indeed and one which would place us under the despotism of an Oligarchy. Our judges are as honest as other men, and not more so. They have, with others, the same passions for party, for power, and the privileges of their corps. ... and their power the more dangerous as they are in office for life, and not responsible, as the other functionaries are, to the elective control. The constitution has erected no such single tribunal knowing that, to whatever hands confided, with the corruptions of time & party it’s members would become despots...
cirus wrote:I don't think we'll ever talk or vote our way out of this mess. It'll have to be solved the old fashion way.
Hamilton and the other founding fathers would have agreed that individuals can always be tempted by power and be corrupted. The whole design of the constitution was to limit the damage such individuals could do, regardless of which branch they are in. The fact that you could only find 15 instances out of the more than 3,000 judges in over 200 years speaks to the recognition that removal of a judge for anything other than a very serious breach of office is to be avoided. Removal of anyone for office for merely partisan politics is the basest form of factionalism.The Annoyed Man wrote: Essentially, what Jefferson is saying here is that the federal judiciary is every bit as capable of becoming venal, politically toxic, and acting unconstitutionally as are elected politicians. But unlike politicians, they serve for life.
This question has already been answered. In 1832 SCOTUS held a Georgia state law unconstitutional - Worcester v. Georgia is the case. The paper tiger of the courts was exposed when President Jackson refused to uphold the courts decision and purportedly said "John Marshall has made his decision; now let him enforce it," A truly proud moment in our history that evolved into the Trail of Tears. One example of ignoring the rule of law.The Annoyed Man wrote:But I’ll ask you this: you mentioned repeatedly above the function of “judicial review” ..... as in, it is their job to review the constitutionality of a thing and issue a ruling on it. What happens if a president simply defies the ruling and proceeds with his agenda?
At the point the grand experiment is over. The Rule of Law will be replaced by a despot, because if he will not protect the constitution, or worse asks that we give up a little of our freedom for the illusion of safety, then the illusion of a government is gone and what we have left is a dictatorship. At that point, armed insurrection will occur.The Annoyed Man wrote:So what happens if Trump (for instance) ignores the federal judge’s DACA ruling and presses forward with his original decision, orders the agencies under his powers to execute his agenda ...... and Congress refuses to impeach him for defying the judge?