Efforts by the Trump administration’s Justice Department to dismiss an indictment against New York Mayor Eric Adams have fueled charges that the courts are weaponized. The department’s troubles may have spread beyond the Adams case.
Possible widespread firings of FBI agents, seen by some as a way to reform the agency, are also raising concerns about its ability to keep the public safe and to be politically independent.
The U.S. justice system is meant to treat every defendant equally. But when that defendant is both a former president and a presidential candidate, courts are showing the flexibility that accompanies foundational principles.
The U.S. has never prosecuted a leader for criminal wrongdoing. But other countries have. Their experiences show it is a serious test of a democracy, but it’s a test that many democracies have passed.
The FBI took an unprecedented step of searching a former president’s residence. To Trump supporters, it smacked of political retribution. To opponents, the search – which a judge signed off on – shows that no one is above the law.
While campaigning for president, Joe Biden promised to tackle immigration issues with more compassion than his opponent. But that has proved easier said than done. What makes it difficult to put compassion into action on the border?
With the Trump campaign filing a flurry of legal challenges in multiple states, the election is “clearly moving from the political to the legal,” says legal commentator Jonathan Turley.
At a time of deep U.S. political polarization, the Supreme Court ended its term with two decisions that emphasized unifying basic principles: the importance of the rule of law, and the fact that it applies to everyone, including presidents.
Presiding over an impeachment trial, Chief Justice John Roberts will seek to embody the judicial independence he often promotes. But the remainder of the Supreme Court term may be a tougher test.
Should judicial appointments be a political tug of war? The impact of the transformation of the American judiciary under President Donald Trump is likely to play out for decades, legal scholars say.