Norm, you say “no president has ever pardoned someone for an alleged crime related to a matter in which he publicly and willfully played a role.” I disagree. Trump crossed that line with his pardons of the January 6 insurrectionists. And I fully expect he will do so again if members of his administration are charged with contempt for implementing his executive orders in the face of court orders telling them to stand down.
Trump would not give a second thought to using pardon power to evade contempt for his subordinates. He pardoned violent insurrectionists. He would pardon a contempt citation in a split second.
It seems like it would be more effective for the court to hold some of these folks in CIVIL contempt and put them in jail until they comply with the court's orders. I do not think the pardon power would apply in that case. Kristi Noem posed in front of a jail; why not inside one?
Can (will) Trump's pardons be questioned? It seems like only criminals are being pardoned while innocent civilians are being persecuted by the DOJ's AG, the FBI, and ICE, and their probable faux ICE thugs.
Violations pile up far faster than prosecutions can occur.
Accepting the appointment as a special prosecutor exposes you, your family, your professional associates and your future to threats and repercussions.
This is pie in the sky. The DOJ is now an agency of Trump's crimes. Criminal contempt citations will not lead to convictions and punishments. Their deterrent value is nil.
It doesn't require a crystal ball to see how this would play out: Exactly the same way efforts to bring Trump to justice in the recent past have played out. It will take so long that there ends up being no point to it. And then at least a 50-50 chance the Extreme Court will support him anyway.
OF COURSE he will use his pardon power. He will always use whatever power is available to him. So it looks to me like "criminal contempt" will NOT make sure justice is done. It looks to me like "we the people" are flat out of luck when a president decides to go rampaging through the justice system. Convince me otherwise!
Jail time and a fine is needed for a criminal contempt finding. There needs to be accountability and a "message " sent to this regime about the rule of law
I agree that Trump holds the Power of the Pardon..which he very well might deploy. However, that does force SCOTUS and Congress to also play their hand. (Abstaining from action is a choice that will not go unobserved by the public.) Proceeding forward with Criminal or Civil Contempt charges - regardless of outcome - strengthens those of us who still want to believe in a legal system that is striving to hold MAGA accountable.
As the article states "Donald Trump will openly defy court orders". As long as that continues I don't see that there's anything to be done besides keeping judges busy.
Norm, you say “no president has ever pardoned someone for an alleged crime related to a matter in which he publicly and willfully played a role.” I disagree. Trump crossed that line with his pardons of the January 6 insurrectionists. And I fully expect he will do so again if members of his administration are charged with contempt for implementing his executive orders in the face of court orders telling them to stand down.
Trump would not give a second thought to using pardon power to evade contempt for his subordinates. He pardoned violent insurrectionists. He would pardon a contempt citation in a split second.
It seems like it would be more effective for the court to hold some of these folks in CIVIL contempt and put them in jail until they comply with the court's orders. I do not think the pardon power would apply in that case. Kristi Noem posed in front of a jail; why not inside one?
Can (will) Trump's pardons be questioned? It seems like only criminals are being pardoned while innocent civilians are being persecuted by the DOJ's AG, the FBI, and ICE, and their probable faux ICE thugs.
Violations pile up far faster than prosecutions can occur.
Accepting the appointment as a special prosecutor exposes you, your family, your professional associates and your future to threats and repercussions.
This is pie in the sky. The DOJ is now an agency of Trump's crimes. Criminal contempt citations will not lead to convictions and punishments. Their deterrent value is nil.
"Public concern continues to grow that Donald Trump will openly defy court orders."
He's already openly defying court orders. My concern is growing that the judicial will eventually just shrug.
We will see pardons galore.
It doesn't require a crystal ball to see how this would play out: Exactly the same way efforts to bring Trump to justice in the recent past have played out. It will take so long that there ends up being no point to it. And then at least a 50-50 chance the Extreme Court will support him anyway.
This process will take more than the four years this administration has left (barring suspension of the election).
OF COURSE he will use his pardon power. He will always use whatever power is available to him. So it looks to me like "criminal contempt" will NOT make sure justice is done. It looks to me like "we the people" are flat out of luck when a president decides to go rampaging through the justice system. Convince me otherwise!
This explanation is helpful. Thank you!!
Jail time and a fine is needed for a criminal contempt finding. There needs to be accountability and a "message " sent to this regime about the rule of law
I agree that Trump holds the Power of the Pardon..which he very well might deploy. However, that does force SCOTUS and Congress to also play their hand. (Abstaining from action is a choice that will not go unobserved by the public.) Proceeding forward with Criminal or Civil Contempt charges - regardless of outcome - strengthens those of us who still want to believe in a legal system that is striving to hold MAGA accountable.
Our present regime will simply ignore or blatantly nullify any contempt proceeding.
As the article states "Donald Trump will openly defy court orders". As long as that continues I don't see that there's anything to be done besides keeping judges busy.
The Supreme Court needs to rescind his get out of jail card