Federal Judge Resigns

Mark L. Wolf, appointed by Ronald Reagan, has resigned his federal judgeship because of Donald Trump’s lawlessness. He writes his reasons in The Atlantic. I think that’s a gift link – let me know if it isn’t.

Wolf was a senior judge – which means semi-retired – and his successor has been appointed. So he was in an ideal position to resign on principle.

Others who have held positions of authority, including former federal judges and ambassadors, have been opposing this government’s efforts to undermine the principled, impartial administration of justice and distort the free and fair functioning of American democracy. They have urged me to work with them. As much as I have treasured being a judge, I can now think of nothing more important than joining them, and doing everything in my power to combat today’s existential threat to democracy and the rule of law.

Judges still sitting on the bench cannot ethically speak out about that existential threat. And, except for the Supreme Court, they’re doing a good job of standing up for the principles of law.

I also intend to advocate for the judges who cannot speak publicly for themselves.

He lists Trump’s lawless actions, among them

It has been reported that at a lavish April 2024 dinner at Mar-a-Lago, after executives from major oil companies complained about how the Biden administration’s environmental regulations were hurting their businesses, Trump said that if they raised $1 billion for his campaign he would promptly reverse those rules and policies. The executives raised the money, and Trump delivered on his promise. The law may be unclear concerning whether Trump himself could have been charged with conspiracy to bribe a public official or honest-services fraud. In addition, Trump himself may have immunity from prosecution if similar payments for his benefit continued after he became president. However, the companies that made the payments, and the individuals acting for them, could possibly be prosecuted. There is no public indication that this matter has been investigated by Trump’s Department of Justice.

He’s not an amateur.

Some of the cases over which I presided as judge involved corruption and were highly publicized. Most notable was the prosecution of the notorious Boston mobsters James “Whitey” Bulger and Stephen “the Rifleman” Flemmi. Both, it turned out, were also FBI informants. Agents in the bureau, I discovered, were involved in crimes and egregious misconduct, including murders committed by Bulger and Flemmi. I wrote a 661-page decision detailing my findings. This led to orders that the government pay more than $100 million to the families of people murdered by informants whom the FBI had improperly protected. Their FBI handler was convicted twice and sentenced to serve a total of 50 years in prison.

There’s lots more.

We will see more like this, and there will be actions that we will not see but will make a difference. There are many ways to oppose the regime. Choose yours.