Action 74 Say NO to impeaching judges!
Background: The Judiciary is the last remaining guardrail standing between a rogue executive and we, the people. (see Action 73) But Trump is threatening to impeach judges when they rule against him. How are judges impeached? Any House member, or a Judicial Council (1), can request an impeachment inquiry. The process is similar to impeaching a President (2) First, there has to be a simple majority vote in the House of Representatives, then an impeachment trial in the Senate, with a vote of 2/3 of the Senators needed to convict and remove from office. Grounds for impeachment are in the Constitution: treason, bribery and “other high crimes and misdemeanors”, which might sound like a tent large enough for many elephants (and donkeys!).
In past centuries, judges have sometimes been targeted for impeachment for political reasons. Only in cases where the charges were serious and not purely political, has the impeachment made it to the Senate for a trial. In the entire history of our nation only a handful of judges have been actually removed from the bench.
Note: nowhere do the rules say that the President or the Attorney General can order impeachment of a Judge, and Justice Roberts has recently said that impeachment is not a remedy for a ruling that the executive doesn’t like. But Trump is trying to get his sycophantic House members to threaten judges with impeachment anyway. And his administration has been acting in flagrant disregard of court orders. Judges do have remedies if the Executive including the US Marshal Service (3,4) does not comply with a court order.
Action: Call our Congress and prepare them to vote NO on any impeachment of judges who rule against the Trump/Musk authoritarian takeover. Let’s try to inoculate them against the pandemic of rolling over and playing dead when it comes to standing up to Trump. Further, urge them to support judges who have to resort to forces outside of the US Marshal Service to assure compliance with judicial rulings.
Urgency: Let Congress know this issue is on your radar! If you read in the news about an instance where Trump is defying a court order, call them immediately. The courts are the last guardrail before we, the people, have to start serious mass resistance to save democracy.
Contacts:
Senator Susan Collins: Email: www.collins.senate.gov/contact/email-senator-collins/form
Phone: (202) 224-2523 (DC office), (207) 945-0417 (Bangor office)
Senator Angus King: Email www.king.senate.gov/contact
Phone: (202) 224-5344 (DC office), (207) 945-8000 (Bangor office)
Representative Jared Golden: Email: golden.house.gov/contact
Phone: (202) 224-3121 (DC office), (207) 249-7400 (Bangor office)
Representative Chellie Pingree: Email: https://pingree.house.gov/contact/
Phone: (202) 225-6116 (DC office), (207) 774-5019 (Portland office)
Extra Credit:
https://www.cafc.uscourts.gov/home/the-court/judges/judicial-council/
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judicial_council_(United_States)
https://www.democracydocket.com/opinion/if-the-marshals-go-rogue-courts-have-other-ways-to-enforce-their-orders/?utm_source=Democracy+Docket+Newsletters&utm_campaign=1a3cb11fab-20250314_DailyDocket_LF&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-9812d8a903-602567510&mc_cid=1a3cb11fab