Intellectual Pro Subcommittee on Courts

Judicial Transparency and Ethics Intellectual Pro Subcommittee on Courts

The Federal judiciary of the United States is the envy of the world. Dedicated to upholding the rule of law, the court system provides a forum for private parties to resolve their disputes peacefully and enable society to punish those who violate the law. It also safeguards our treasured liberties and ensures that the government stays within constitutional boundaries. There are three branches of government. The first branch has a key responsibility to make laws. Those laws, consistent with the Constitution, include the oversight of the other two branches. Neither the executive branch nor Congress should interfere in the deliberative process of the courts, however, when it comes to the taxation of the American people; when it comes to transparency; when it comes to the ethics of the judiciary, the executive branch and Congress have an obligation. It cannot be ignored that the judiciary is under a sustained attack right now, and it is coming from the Oval Office. The President of the United States, Donald J. Trump, whose Muslim ban has been thwarted by the courts, has launched an unprecedented and dangerous campaign to threaten and attempt to delegitimize the judiciary and any judge who would dare enforce limits on his power. It is not uncommon for Presidents of both parties to speak out against court decisions with which they disagree, but never before have we seen such a brazen attempt by a President to erode public confidence in the courts as fair and neutral arbiters of the law.