Injustice for All is a weekly sequence about how the Trump administration is attempting to weaponize the justice system—and the people who find themselves combating again.
On April 30, the Supreme Court docket heard arguments in Oklahoma Statewide Constitution Faculty Board v. Drummond, a case about whether or not the state of Oklahoma should give the Catholic church tax {dollars} to run a public spiritual constitution college.
This must be a slam dunk.
Keep in mind studying in junior excessive that there is a separation between church and state, so tax {dollars} can’t be used for spiritual functions? Properly, that will have been true then, however it’s wanting much less and much less true now.
The Supreme Court docket’s conservative spiritual majority has been on a tear concerning inserting faith into public life—so long as it’s their faith. So that they’ve been whittling away on the separation of church and state, ruling in earlier circumstances for tax {dollars} to go to tuition help applications for spiritual colleges in Maine and that having a big-time Christian prayer jamboree led by a public highschool soccer coach is totally dandy and constitutional.
The oral arguments on April 30 looked bleak, with the conservative appointees signaling that they’re fairly open to disregarding an enormous chunk of the First Modification, pretending that they don’t know that constitution colleges are public colleges. However they know precisely what they’re actually doing: paving the best way for state-funded, state-run spiritual colleges.
Conflicts of curiosity aren’t any huge deal
Not content material to let multibillionaire Elon Musk be the face of blatant conflicts of curiosity on this administration, the Trump household trekked to Dubai to let everybody know that President Donald Trump is open for enterprise. Non-public scammy crypto enterprise, that is.
At a cryptocurrency convention in Dubai earlier this week, the founder of the Trump household crypto firm, World Liberty Monetary, announced that a state-backed Abu Dhabi funding agency would use Trump’s meme coin, $TRUMP, to make a $2 billion enterprise deal.
The New York Instances reported on the complicated particulars about what stablecoin and change are getting used … blah, blah, blah … should you’re the type who follows the glorified on line casino that is the crypto economic system. However right here’s the underside line for everybody else: This is just about precisely what it appears like—a international authorities directing thousands and thousands of {dollars} to the president’s personal firm.
This association is so dangerous that even the Instances needed to acknowledge it: “Just about each element of Mr. Witkoff’s announcement, made throughout a convention panel with Mr. Trump’s second-eldest son, contained a battle of curiosity.”
If solely we’d recognized this could occur. Oh, wait. We did.
Trump’s former legal lawyer continues to boost hell for everybody else
It’s one other week of Emil Bove behaving badly. Final week, we learned that extra profession Justice Division prosecutors left the workplace following Bove’s demand for New York Metropolis Mayor Eric Adams’ legal costs to be dismissed.
This week, we found that Bove was behind a recent push to analyze pupil protesters at Columbia College. After a February incident through which some college students pushed previous a safety guard, Bove ordered an investigation. He advised profession civil rights prosecutors on the DOJ to acquire a listing of members of Columbia University Apartheid Divest.
Sure, a listing. Of members. To research. DOJ officers needed to clarify that investigating individuals primarily based on their membership in a corporation sorta kinda runs afoul of the First Modification. He additionally needed to show the listing over to ICE, should you’re questioning if issues may worsen.
You’ll be able to’t simply stroll as much as brown individuals and say, “Give me your papers.”
That’s actually what U.S. District Judge Jennifer Thurston said on April 29. The American Civil Liberties Union sued after the Border Patrol carried out a three-day sweep in Kern County, California, that may solely be described as “papers, please.”
As a lot because the Trump administration would really like it to be in any other case, the Border Patrol is solely allowed to cease individuals if they’ve an inexpensive suspicion that they’re violating immigration legislation. And, no, that commonplace is not happy by simply rolling as much as any immigrant employees or day laborers and demanding proof of citizenship.
Thurston issued a preliminary injunction protecting a portion of California that bars Border Patrol from these techniques whereas the case proceeds.
For conservatives, it’s doxing for thee however not for me
A couple of months in the past, indicators with names, photos, and potential cellphone numbers of ICE and Homeland Safety brokers were posted throughout Los Angeles. The inclusion of cellphone numbers—assuming they’re actual—constitutes a federal crime, however it’s not the crime of the century.
However you wouldn’t know that from how ICE dealt with this. On Could 1, ICE despatched greater than a dozen autos to storm the streets of Irvine, California, to arrest Michael Chang, who they allege put up the fliers. As a substitute, they terrorized Chang’s mother and father, since he doesn’t even reside there anymore.
This is nothing however political theater, contemplating that ICE gave its drone footage directly to Fox News so the right-wing community may breathlessly report on immigration brokers principally jackboot-thugging their manner into Chang’s mother and father’ dwelling. The performing director of ICE showed up! To serve a warrant! For a random man who could or could not have put up some posters!
This is wealthy coming from an administration run by a man who loves when his personal supporters are doxing pro-Palestinian students or targeting the decide and jury in Trump’s legal case. However immediately they’re all very involved about how corrosive and scary it is when individuals are focused for doing their jobs.
