‘President Donald Trump is using the law for partisan purposes, targeting his adversaries while sparing his friends and donors from investigation, prosecution, and possible punishment.’
These are the words of a US District Court Judge who served in the Department of Justice for more than 50 years after being appointed by Republican President Ronald Reagan.
Mark L. Wolf wrote a damning essay about why he’s chosen to resign from the job he ‘loves’ at this moment in time, referencing what he calls an ‘existential threat to democracy’.
Trump’s decisions since re-entering office in January of this year have been under intense scrutiny.
Earlier this year, a US federal judge said the Trump administration violated ‘direct orders’ to turn around planes carrying deportees to El Salvador, in what the Judge called ‘wilful disobedience’ of the Constitution.
As judges strive to maintain checks and balances and fulfil their duties, some are finding it difficult to continue their jobs under such heightened stakes.
That’s why Wolf wrote about why he’s stepping down in The Atlantic.
‘The White House’s assault on the rule of law is so deeply disturbing to me that I feel compelled to speak out. Silence, for me, is now intolerable,’ he explained.
‘I took pride in becoming part of a federal judiciary that works to make our country’s ideal of equal justice under law a reality. A judiciary that helps protect our democracy,’ he added.
‘That has the authority and responsibility to hold elected officials to the limits of the power delegated to them by the people. That strives to ensure that the rights of minority groups, no matter how they are viewed by others, are not violated.
‘That can serve as a check on corruption to prevent public officials from unlawfully enriching themselves.’
Reflecting on his career, Wolf said he decided all of his cases based on facts and the law – without regard to politics, popularity, or personal preference.
‘That is how justice is supposed to be administered—equally for everyone, without fear or favour. This is the opposite of what is happening now,’ he said.
Trump has previously hit out at individual judges, calling them ‘corrupt’ and ‘incompetent’, even asking his Attorney General to seek indictments against three of his ‘enemies’ without a proper basis, Wolf explained.
He concluded: ‘I resigned to speak out, support litigation, and work with other individuals and organisations dedicated to protecting the rule of law and American democracy.
‘I also intend to advocate for the judges who cannot speak publicly for themselves.’
Wolf’s resignation essay came just a month after recent polls revealed Trump voters could be losing confidence in their ‘perfect’ president.
At the start of September, 17% of Trump voters believed the country was on the wrong track. That number jumped to 22% by the end of the month.
The AP-NORC polling found the amount of Conservatives believing the US was heading in the wrong direction jumped from 29% in June to 51% in September.
In July, less than six months into Trump’s second term, polls revealed his overall job approval had slid to just 37% approval, according to Gallup.
Trump’s press conference with Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, where they linked paracetamol and vaccinations with a ‘horrible crisis’ of autism and its ‘meteoric rise’ in the US, sparked outrage in both parties.
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