Week 15

Presidential executive orders are usually instructions to people in the executive branch of government on how to handle particular issues or situations. They may be policy-oriented, and some, like policies toward the use of nuclear weapons, have been long-standing.

They are not royal edicts to the country, nor are they a way to get around the reality that Congress appropriates and the executive, um, executes. In other words, Donald Trump is being told what to do by the budgets that Congress passes.

This week, the courts started to make clear just how limited executive orders are. Of course this is unacceptable to Trump and his evil ministers, so they have appealed. But the rulings from the judges are getting more explicit and also generally worth reading. Because Trump would like power over the entire federal government and, as he has said, the world, this is a conflict eventually with the Supreme Court to be brought under his thumb. Will John Roberts like that? Stay tuned.

Follow the court-watchers for the details of the lawsuits, now up to 225, including 7 closed.  Chris Geidner (LawDork, Bluesky), Roger Parloff (Lawfare, Bluesky), and the Just Security tracker.

As usual, keep it to things that have actually happened, not hypotheticals. What is actually happening is bad enough.

Caring for yourself and loved ones is resistance too. Post your pets. Yes, my upcoming life changes are positive! I played the Allemande from Bach’s French Suite #5 in a recital and did pretty well last Sunday!

Here’s what the Trump administration did this week, in no particular order

• EO giving DHS and DOJ 90 days to develop a plan to nationalize local police.
• Announced a military parade for 14 June, the Generalissimo’s birthday.
• Brought suit to put the federal judiciary under Trump’s control.

Continuing

• Trump’s losses in the courts. I don’t think he’s had a single win for at least two weeks.

Pushback

• The S&P 500 ended Tuesday with its biggest loss in the first 100 days of a new presidential term since Nixon’s in 1973.
• Mohsen Modawi was released from ICE custody.
• Republicans are objecting to Musk cuts in the budget. The budget is going to be a continuing issue because some Republicans don’t want cuts and others want more.
• For the first time, a judge ruled that Trump’s use of the Alien Enemies Act to deport people with tattoos or anyone Stephen Miller doesn’t like is illegal.
• Maine won its case against Trump’s withholding funds because he didn’t like that trans athletes were being treated the same as others.
• Perkins Coie won its case with one of those rulings very worth reading.

193 more weeks to go. What are you doing?

Previous weeks: Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, Week 5, Week 6, Week 7, Week 8. Week 9, Week 10

Week 11, Week 12, Week 13, Week 14