We’ve had the rule of law in this country since 1776, when the colonies declared independence from King George III of England. Our democracy has been deeply flawed in many ways since then. But we’ve never gone as backward, and downward, as we have since inauguration day 2025.

We’re right at the point of authoritarianism now.

For eight straight weeks, the Trump Administration has issued illegal orders and engaged in illegal actions, across a wide range of matters, with terrible consequences. Entire government agencies with responsibility for protecting lives and helping the economy have been paralyzed; officials charged with preventing waste, fraud, and abuse, or possessing the needed expertise to preserve health and safety, have been locked out; the civil rights of fellow citizens have been torn away in vicious attacks; people have been detained without due process.

Courts across the country have declared many of these measures to be in violation of the law. Donald Trump, JD Vance, Elon Musk, Attorney General Pam Bondi, border czar Tom Homan, policy chief Stephen Miller, and others in the administration have responded by repeatedly attacking the judges and calling for their impeachment.

On Saturday, it got even worse. The Trump administration appeared to ignore orders of the Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia regarding deportations of Venezuelans. The Justice Department today refused to answer the judge’s questions. The White House and Justice Department are attacking him.

Also this weekend, a U.S. District Judge in Boston demanded to know whether the Trump administration had deliberately disobeyed his order to give him notice before deporting a doctor and Brown University professor who had been detained at the airport after visiting relatives in Lebanon. The judge had temporarily blocked the doctor’s explusion, but U.S. Customs and Border Protection put her on a plane out of the country anyway.

The President of the United States has extensive powers, including with respect to immigration and foreign affairs.  But the President must follow and execute the laws made by Congress. The President must ensure that individuals facing adverse actions are afforded due process.  And the President must obey orders of a court.

Without law, we have a king. And in this case we have a vengeful, corrupt, bigoted king with no respect for our country’s values or its people.

The courts must continue to apply the law, fairly and impartially. If the Trump administration disobeys judicial orders, the courts must hold the administration in contempt.

Chief Justice John Roberts must show leadership, speaking out in support of attacked judges and steering the reasonable justices of the Supreme Court to decisions that back up those judges, applying the law rather than bowing to Trump.

If the administration then defies the Supreme Court, it will be time for the courage of principled U.S. marshals, F.B.I. personnel, I.C.E. personnel, members of the military, and others to refuse to execute illegal orders, to refuse to end our democracy by carrying out the wishes of a twisted would-be dictator. And citizens must take to the streets with loud, sustained protests.

UPDATE 03-18-25 12:10 pm:

Statement just issued from the U.S. Supreme Court: