Trump, Vance, Musk criticise US Courts as judges oppose policies

United States President, Donald Trump and his top allies including Vice President JD Vance, and Elon Musk, the Billionaire leader of the new US cost-cutting agency, DOGE, have escalated their criticism of the judiciary, denouncing judges who have obstructed key elements of the Trump’s second term agenda. 

According to them, courts are exceeding their authority by interfering with executive decisions, framing the rulings as judicial overreach.

In recent developments, courts have thwarted Trump’s initiatives to abolish birthright citizenship, withhold federal grants, and restructure agencies such as USAID and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. 

Over the weekend, his administration faced another judicial setback when a federal judge temporarily barred Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from accessing the Treasury Department’s extensive federal payment system, which holds sensitive financial data on millions of Americans.

Musk swiftly condemned the ruling, accusing the judge of corruption and demanding immediate impeachment. 

Vice President JD Vance, a persistent critic of judicial oversight on executive authority, reinforced his stance that courts should not dictate presidential actions. Reflecting on previous remarks from an interview with ABC News, Vance reiterated his belief that a president has the right to disregard court rulings he deems illegitimate.

“If a judge tried to tell a general how to conduct a military operation, that would be illegal. If a judge tried to command the attorney general in how to use her discretion as a prosecutor, that’s also illegal. Judges aren’t allowed to control the executive’s legitimate power,” Vance said over the weekend.

On Monday, a federal judge ruled that the administration had violated a prior court order by freezing federal spending. The judge instructed the government to immediately reinstate the halted funds. When asked about Vance’s comments and legal battles, Trump defended his administration’s position.

“When a president can’t look for fraud, waste, and abuse, we don’t have a country anymore,” Trump told reporters on Sunday. “So we’re very disappointed with judges who make such rulings. But we have a long way to go.”

“No judge should, frankly, be allowed to make that kind of decision,” Trump added. “It’s a disgrace.”

Trump’s clash with the judiciary aligns with his administration’s broader push to expand presidential authority, advocating a view that places executive power solely under his control. 

However, legal experts suggest his team is deliberately setting up legal challenges that could escalate to the Supreme Court, testing the boundaries of that interpretation.

Democrats, however, warn that Trump is attempting to erode constitutional checks and balances, particularly Congress’ role in overseeing federal agencies. According to a Connecticut Senator, Chris Murphy, during an appearance on ABC’s This Week, the administration’s stance is a “constitutional crisis”, drawing comparisons to Watergate.

“The president is attempting to seize control of power, and for corrupt purposes,” Murphy said.

California Sen. Adam Schiff, responding directly to Vance’s remarks on X, wrote, “JD, we both went to law school. But we don’t have to be lawyers to know that ignoring court decisions we don’t like puts us on a dangerous path to lawlessness.”

Despite Democratic criticism, most Republicans are backing Trump. Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton labelled the judge who blocked DOGE’s access to Treasury data an “outlaw.” House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan defended Musk’s efforts, asserting on CNN that he was simply “carrying out the will” of the president.

(ABC)

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