Criticizing court rulings is nothing new for the White House or lawmakers in Congress.
But this week, President Donald Trump and Elon Musk took it a step further — demanding impeachment and removal of judges who have been issuing rulings against the administration.
“IMPEACH. IMPEACH. IMPEACH,” read a Trump fundraising email sent out Wednesday, attacking a federal judge who is demanding answers about immigrant deportations backed by the president.
“This is a judicial coup,” Musk tweeted at about the same time, demanding that the Senate remove judges who have gone against Trump.
Those sentiments have already been percolating among Georgia Republicans in Congress.
“Activist judges are attempting to obstruct President Trump’s agenda,” declared U.S. Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Athens. “And it’s up to Congress to stop it.”
“Judges who refuse to enforce the rule of law must be held accountable,” added U.S. Rep. Mike Collins, R-Jackson.
“An unelected District Court judge is stopping a duly elected President from protecting our homeland,” said U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter, R-St. Simons, as he joined the impeachment push.
Even before the events of this week, it wasn’t hard to notice how GOP lawmakers have turned up the heat on judges who have the audacity to rule against Trump.
Just walk over to the Capitol Hill office of U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., who has fashioned a “WANTED” poster in the hallway, featuring the pictures of various federal judges targeted by the GOP.
Democrats said it was all part of a broader GOP assault on the judiciary.
“Trump is clearly trying to intimidate judges for doing their jobs,” said U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Maryland.
It should be noted that impeachment proceedings in Congress against federal judges are rare. In fact, the multiple impeachment resolutions filed this year by GOP lawmakers are the first against any federal judge in 15 years.
The sudden interest in impeachment did not go unnoticed across the street at the U.S. Supreme Court, leading to a highly unusual public rebuke from the chief justice of the United States.
“For more than two centuries, it has been established that impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision,” Chief Justice John Roberts said in a written statement. “The normal appellate review process exists for that purpose.”
Sooner or later, that appeals process could take these same cases to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The beauty of our system of checks and balances is not only cheering the verdict you like — but also accepting the verdict that goes against you.
Jamie Dupree has covered national politics and Congress from Washington, D.C., since the Reagan administration. His column appears weekly in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. For more, check out his Capitol Hill newsletter at http://jamiedupree.substack.com
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