Thoughts for the Day, February 11, 2025: Who is going enforce rulings by federal court judges?
Orchid of the Day: The University of Michigan men’s basketball team for their 77-75 victory over Purdue tonight. The victory moves the Wolverines into first place in the B1G one half game over MSU and Purdue. The victory also continues Michigan’s perfect record at home this year.
Michigan played with high intensity throughout the game and kept their turnovers at a manageable level. M’s eleven turnovers tonight were half of the amount in their first game against Purdue three weeks ago.
Hopefully, MSU will win their game tonight against Indiana. If they do, MSU and Michigan will be tied atop the B1G standings. That will be a pretty sight to see.
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Who is going to stand up to Trump when he decides to ignore a judicial ruling? Don’t count on our Republican members of congress.
Yesterday I mentioned that I wrote my Republican congressman Jack Bergman, expressing my concern that Trump/Musk are running roughshod over the constitution. Trump/Musk are strengthening the executive branch and weakening the legislative branch of our government by ignoring the constitution and the laws of the country. I indicated that I felt Congressman Bergman was not honoring his oath of office by allowing Trump/Musk to run roughshod over the Constitution and laws passed by congress. I asked Congressman Bergman what he was going to do about it.
Never in my email, did I mention any of the executive orders that Trump has issued. I never mentioned anything about the agencies they have shut down. Keep this in mind when you review the following response I received.
Dear Mr. Biggs:
Thank you for contacting me regarding President Donald Trump. It is an honor to serve the people of Northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula, and I appreciate your thoughts on this important matter.
On January 20th of this year, President Donald J. Trump was inaugurated as our 47th President of the United States. The American public made a statement, placing our trust in President Trump to promote policies that eliminate wasteful spending of your tax dollars, protect American citizens, and instill an America first agenda. As your Congressman, when push comes to shove, I remain committed to ensuring that Michigan's First Congressional District will always be at the top of my priorities and will keep your concerns in mind should any legislation come before me in the House of Representatives.
Again, thank you for contacting me with your thoughts. I am here to help in any way possible, so please do not hesitate to call if I may ever be of service. You can also visit my website at
http://bergman.house.gov
to learn more about the many services with which my office is happy to assist. I look forward to hearing from you again soon.
Kindly Regards, Jack Bergman, Member of Congress.
And then there is this from Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson when he was asked a similar question by a reporter.
“I’ve been asked so many times, ‘Aren’t you uncomfortable with this?’ No, I’m not,” Mr. Johnson, Republican of Louisiana, told reporters at the Capitol, adding: “There’s a presupposition in America that the commander in chief is going to be a good steward of taxpayer dollars
For the next two years, neither the Republican controlled Senate or the Republican controlled House will do anything to prevent Trump from running roughshod over the Constitution or the Rule of Law in our country.
Our only hope is the federal courts, who have the ability to rule against Trump/Musk but they have little ability to enforce their rulings if Trump/Musk and the legislature refuse to accept the courts’ ruling.
We are in the early stages of a constitutional crisis. Based on the responses from Congressmen Bergman and Johnson, they will support Trump/Musk over the Constitution and the Rule of Law.
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It is all going to come down to the federal courts’ ability to enforce the law
From the NY Times. The ruling by Judge John J. McConnell Jr. in Rhode Island federal court ordered administration officials to comply with what the judge called “the plain text” of a ruling he issued on Jan. 29.
That order, he wrote, was “clear and unambiguous, and there are no impediments to the Defendants’ compliance.”
Shortly after Monday’s ruling, Trump administration lawyers appealed the judge’s initial order to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, asking the appellate court to pause Judge McConnell’s order to keep federal funds flowing while their case was being considered. The White House responded with more defiance.
“Each executive order will hold up in court because every action of the Trump-Vance administration is completely lawful,” said Harrison Fields, a White House spokesman. “Any legal challenge against it is nothing more than an attempt to undermine the will of the American people.”
The legal actions on Monday marked a step toward what could evolve quickly into a high-stakes showdown between the executive and judicial branches, a day after Vice President JD Vance claimed in a social media post that “judges aren’t allowed to control the executive’s legitimate power.”
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Ditto
From multiple media sources. This happened after I finished my blog last night. As I indicated in my blog last night, this directive by NIH to limit the indirect cost payment to cover overhead at 15% of the direct cost of the grant will have major impacts and on the amount of research done in our country.
Per multiple media outlets, a federal judge on Monday temporarily blocked the National Institutes of Health from cutting research funding in 22 states that filed suit earlier in the day arguing that the plan would eviscerate studies into treatments for cancer, Alzheimer’s, heart disease and a host of other ailments.
The funding cuts, announced late Friday, were to take effect on Monday. But the attorneys general of Massachusetts and 21 other states sued. They argued that the Trump administration’s plan to slash $4 billion in overhead costs — known as “indirect costs” — violated a 79-year-old law that governs how administrative agencies establish and administer regulations.
“Without relief from N.I.H.’s action, these institutions’ cutting-edge work to cure and treat human disease will grind to a halt,” the lawsuit said.
By Monday evening, the relief had been granted. Judge Angel Kelley of the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts issued a temporary restraining order asking the 22 states to file a status report in 24 hours and again every two weeks to confirm the regular disbursement of the funds. The judge set a hearing for Feb. 21.
This ruling only applies to the research funding in the 22 states that were involved in the filing of the suit. It is interesting that “Red” states were not involved in the suit. Thus, universities in “Red” states must comply with the NIH 15% indirect cost limitation.
It is also interesting that the judge asked the 22 states who filed the suit to file a status report in 24 hours and again every two weeks to confirm the regular disbursement of the funds.
This confirms to me that this court is concerned about the Trump/Musk presidency’s willingness to comply with court orders.
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From the American Bar Association
Excerpts from a letter from the American Bar Association expressing concerns about what they are seeing so far in the Trump/Musk presidency.
The American Bar Association supports the rule of law. That means holding governments, including our own, accountable under law. We stand for a legal process that is orderly and fair. We have consistently urged the administrations of both parties to adhere to the rule of law. We stand in that familiar place again today. And we do not stand alone. Our courts stand for the rule of law as well.
Just last week, in rejecting citizenship challenges, the U.S. District Judge John Coughenour said that the rule of law is, according to this administration, something to navigate around or simply ignore. “Nevertheless,” he said, “in this courtroom and under my watch, the rule of law is a bright beacon which I intend to follow.” He is correct. The rule of law is a bright beacon for our country.
In the last 21 days, more than a dozen lawsuits have been filed alleging that the administration’s actions violate the rule of law and are contrary to the Constitution or laws of the United States. The list grows longer every day.
These actions have forced affected parties to seek relief in the courts, which stand as a bulwark against these violations. We support our courts who are treating these cases with the urgency they require. Americans know there is a right way and a wrong way to proceed. What is being done is not the right way to pursue the change that is sought in our system of government.
These actions do not make America stronger. They make us weaker. Many Americans are rightly concerned about how leaders who are elected, confirmed or appointed are proceeding to make changes. The goals of eliminating departments and entire functions do not justify the means when the means are not in accordance with the law. Americans expect better. Even among those who want change, no one wants their neighbor or their family to be treated this way. Yet that is exactly what is happening.
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Quote of the Day: U.S. District Judge John Coughenour said that the rule of law is, according to this administration, something to navigate around or simply ignore. “Nevertheless,” he said, “in this courtroom and under my watch, the rule of law is a bright beacon which I intend to follow.” He is correct. The rule of law is a bright beacon for our country.
Second Quote of the Day: “Of the 53 Republican Senators only the two Republican women have any balls.” A subscriber.
Orchid of the Day: U of M men’s basketball team for moving into first place with their victory over Purdue tonight.
Onion of the Day: Google. I can assure Google that I when I woke up this morning I was looking out over the Gulf of Mexico, just like I did last week, last year, and for the nearly forty years I have been coming to Gulf Shores, Alabama
Lyrics of the Day: Right now, she's probably up singing some White-trash version of Shania karaoke.
Right now, she's probably sayin', "I'm drunk" And he's a-thinkin' that he's gonna get lucky
Right now, he's probably dabbin' on Three dollars worth of that bathroom Polo. Oh, and he don't know
If you think you know the answer, send me your answer in the comments section of the blog.
Answer to Lyrics of the Day for February 10, 2025: “Paradise by the Dashboard Light by Meat Loaf. See my Video of the Day
“Question of the Day: Are we in the beginning of a constitutional crisis?
Video of the Day:
Meat Loaf - Paradise By The Dashboard Light (1st Time Performed On TV)
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