The judiciary possesses tools to enforce presidential compliance, but their effectiveness hinges on public vigilance. The Trump administration faced criticism after federal agents secretly deported individuals to a harsh prison in El Salvador, disregarding constitutional protections. The Supreme Court ruled this operation unlawful, yet both the administration and El Salvador deny responsibility for returning wrongfully removed individuals. This situation raises fundamental questions about the power of courts to enforce their rulings against the president, highlighting the fragile balance of authority in the constitutional order.
Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson, a distinguished appellate judge appointed by Ronald Reagan, wrote of the government's position: "This should be shocking not only to judges, but to the intuitive sense of liberty that Americans far removed from courthouses still hold dear."
The Trump administration continues along a path of stubborn resistance rather than accommodation, part of a broader pattern that is not confined to the deportation cases.
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