MARCH 20 — The Constitution of the United States divides the federal government into three co-equal branches – Legislative, Judicial, And Executive – ensuring that there is separation of powers.

The Legislative branch (Congress – Senate/House of Representatives) makes laws, the Executive branch (President/VP) enforces laws, and the Judicial branch (Supreme Court) interprets laws. In a system of checks and balances, each branch of government has specific powers that can limit the other branches in the following ways, among others:

• The president can veto legislation created by Congress. He or she also nominates heads of federal agencies and high court appointees.
• Congress confirms or rejects the president’s nominees. It can also remove the president from office in exceptional circumstances.
• The Justices of the Supreme Court, despite being nominated by the president (Executive branch) and confirmed  by the Senate (Legislative branch) can declare laws or executive orders unconstitutional.

So, it is dumbfounding that US President Donald Trump should lash out in “unusually personal terms against the six Supreme Court justices who handed him one of the biggest setbacks of his second term in office by striking down the administration’s global tariffs”. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cd9g0e7zd8wo

Calling the justices as “fools”, “lapdogs”, “disloyal to our constitution” and a “disgrace to our nation”, Trump’s tirade was “probably the most vicious public … that a US president ever leveled against the country’s highest court”.

Read the transcript of Trump’s response to the Supreme Court’s tariff ruling here: https://globalnews.ca/news/11676133/donald-trump-tariffs-supreme-court-reaction-transcript/

When Trump continued with another long tirade against the country’s Judicial branch on Sunday (March 15) Chief Justice John Roberts has had to warn on Tuesday (March 17) that personal attacks on Supreme Court justices are “dangerous”.

Roberts once “sparred” with Trump during the latter’s first term in 2019, after the president denounced an “Obama judge” for rejecting one of his policies. Roberts issued a statement in response, saying, “We do not have Obama judges or Trump judges, Bush judges or Clinton judges,” but rather “an extraordinary group of dedicated judges doing their level best to do equal right to those appearing before them.”

The dedicated judges are but the co-equal branch of the government.

And you can’t but respect your equals.

Respect begets respect.

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail.