Few conservatives are likely surprised to see that progressives and their collaborators have worked in concert to stop President Trump from trying to clean up the waste and fraud in government. Of course, activist judges are trying to stop his “unlawful” behavior, but their partisan backgrounds and history shine a light on their true agendas.

To date, three dozen lawsuits have been filed by blue state attorneys general, by unions, and by those directly affected by Trump’s executive orders.

So, who are these judges? If you read the mainstream press, there are some hints to their motives. Of eleven judges identified, eight of them were nominated by Democrat presidents. Most of them have taken action against Trump’s pauses to federal funding; others have ruled against Trump’s seeking to end birthright citizenship; still others have stopped the transfer of a transgender woman to a male prison facility. But perhaps most telling are the actions of several of the judges prior to their judgeships.

For example, consider Judge Angel Kelley, U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, nominated by Joe Biden:

Kelley has a history of judicial activism, and this is hardly a secret. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) said in 2021 that Kelley ‘has made it a personal mission to bring about change through her role on the bench.’

Or there is the background of Chief Judge John J. McConnell Jr., of the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island, nominated by Barack Obama. He demonstrated that he more than just supported Democrats:

While he was in private practice as an attorney until 2009, McConnell donated hundreds of thousands to Democratic campaigns and political action committees, including 2008 presidential campaigns of Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden and Barack Obama, according to Federal Election Commission records. He also donated over $8,000 to Democratic Rhode Island Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse’s 2006 senate campaign.

He not only worked at the ACLU, but he was on the board of directors for the Rhode Island branch of Planned Parenthood for four years.

And then we can read about the history of Senior Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, nominated by Bill Clinton. She blocked access to DOGE for Treasury Department payment records. Her past actions appeared to be especially punitive in her court:

The judge is known for having sentenced seven pro-life activists to federal prison in a particularly cruel fashion. The husband of activist Paula ‘Paulette’ Harlow, 77, whom Kollar-Kotelly sentenced to prison, was thoroughly rebuked by the judge when he emphasized that his wife was dying and plead for mercy and leniency. In response, Kollar-Kotelly suggested that Harlow ‘make every effort to stay alive’ as part of the ‘tenets of your religion.’

Another advantage for those who are suing the Trump administration is the selection of jurisdictions:

Some Republicans dismiss early court blows to Trump’s agenda, arguing that the plaintiffs are mostly picking favorable jurisdictions to file challenges. This is true, and it was a tactic also used by conservative groups that challenged Biden administration policies, notably on abortion. But in a way, the Trump administration is making a similar bet in confidently relying on conservative Supreme Court justices to approve even more presidential power.

A major impediment that Trump might encounter is the issue of time. A great deal of time will need to be spent for the appeals. All of these cases may create a logjam in the courts regarding other cases that need to be heard. And Trump will need to hope that the SCOTUS is prepared to hear cases that are especially controversial, such as birthright citizenship.

President Trump was asked how he would respond to court rulings against the administration:

President Trump said Tuesday he would abide by court rulings if they blocked parts of his agenda amid uproar over comments from some allies about defying the legal system.

‘I always abide by the courts and then I’ll have to appeal it,’ Trump said when asked if he would comply with court orders if they blocked his agenda. ‘But then what he’s done is he’s slowed down momentum. And it gives crooked people more time to cover up the books.’

‘The answer is I always abide by the courts, always abide by them. And we’ll appeal,’ Trump added. ‘But appeals take a long time.’

Trump did scoff at the idea that a court could prevent federal agency leaders from going over their books to find potential fraud or discrepancies.

‘I can’t imagine that could be held up by the court,’ he said. ‘Any court that would say that the president or his representatives — like secretary of the Treasury, secretary of State, whatever — doesn’t have the right to go over their books and make sure everything’s honest, I mean how can you have a country?’

Trump’s efforts to put this country on the right track are inspiring, and I respect his refusal to be stopped by leftist roadblocks; he, along with most of us, is just not willing to live in a corrupt, rogue, and irresponsible country run by reckless bureaucrats.

Not anymore.

Image: Free image, Pixabay license.