Why the Constitution can’t save us without the courage of the people
Let’s begin with the good news.
Yes, the courts have ruled against Trump and his allies—again and again. Judges across the country have blocked illegal executive orders, stopped voter suppression schemes, struck down unconstitutional immigration policies, and ruled in favor of the rule of law.
Now the bad news?
None of it is stopping him.
The Rulings Keep Coming. So Does the Lawbreaking.
Trump’s inner circle—reincarnated for his second term with even fewer restraints—has made one thing painfully clear: they do not care what the courts say. They do not respect the rule of law. They view every check and balance as an obstacle to be crushed, evaded, or rebranded as “deep state interference.”
And now, they’re rewriting the rules.
The Republican bill that just passed Congress includes a direct attack on judicial independence—limiting the power of federal judges to block executive overreach. Let that sink in: the same party that cheered “constitutional conservatism” now wants to handcuff the judiciary when it challenges their Dear Leader.
This isn’t law and order. It’s authoritarian creep… And it’s working.
One Ruling Away From Irrelevance
Courts can issue rulings. They can declare actions illegal, unconstitutional, or even tyrannical.
But here’s the catch: those rulings only work if someone enforces them.
In a functioning democracy, presidents obey court orders. In a MAGA dictatorship? They ignore them.
• A judge blocks an immigration crackdown? Trump calls the judge a traitor.
• A court rules against voter suppression? MAGA states rewrite the laws.
• A Supreme Court ruling protects civil rights? MAGA governors find “workarounds.”
When the executive branch refuses to comply—and the legislative branch is complicit—the courts are reduced to paper tigers. Toothless. Symbolic. Quoting the Constitution while democracy burns.
They Told Us What They’d Do. We Didn’t Listen.
Remember Project 2025? It’s not a conspiracy theory. It’s a published plan. A blueprint for dismantling federal agencies, purging civil servants, and consolidating presidential power beyond anything we’ve seen in U.S. history.
And it’s not being implemented in the shadows. It’s being cheered at rallies. Funded by billionaires. Endorsed on primetime television.
They want to gut the Department of Justice. Replace apolitical prosecutors with MAGA loyalists. Turn the IRS, the EPA, even the CDC into tools of Trumpist control.
The courts can’t stop this alone. Because this is not just legal strategy—it’s ideological warfare.
The Constitution Is Not a Force Field
We love to believe that America is protected by sacred parchment. That the Constitution will save us from tyranny.
But that’s not how this works.
The Constitution is only as strong as the people who uphold it.
And right now, millions of Americans are watching the foundation crack—and saying nothing. Because their gas is cheaper. Or because their favorite influencer told them it’s all a hoax. Or because they still believe this is just “politics as usual.”
It isn’t.
This is not Left vs. Right. This is democracy vs. authoritarianism.
And the courts? They are only one line of defense.
We The People Must Be the Firewall
If the courts are going to stand for us, we have to stand with them.
That means Protesting, Organizing and Resisting when rights are trampled.
Because Trump and his enablers don’t fear court rulings. They fear a public that refuses to obey unlawful power. They fear an uprising of conscience. They fear a democracy that refuses to die quietly.
Final Thought: The Verdict Is Ours
The courts will keep fighting. But if we wait for a judge to save democracy—if we sit back while the system is dismantled one branch at a time—then we’ve already lost.
Because no document, no robe, and no courtroom can stop fascism if the people don’t rise up and say: Not here. Not now. Not ever.
This is the case of the century. And we, the people, are the jury.
Art by John Cole The Times Tribune
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