Trump Administration Feels Free to Disobey Court Orders Thanks To One Word From the Roberts Court
Federal Judge Blasts Trump’s “Willful and Bad Faith Refusal to Comply” — But SCOTUS is Allowing it
Washington, DC — On Tuesday, the federal judge presiding over Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia’s case released an order in response to the Trump Administration’s blatant refusal to comply with her instructions to bring him home, calling it a “willful and bad faith refusal to comply with discovery obligations.” In the weeks since the Supreme Court ruled unanimously that the Trump administration must provide information on how they are planning to return Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia to the United States, the White House has done little to comply — still, they insist that the SCOTUS order has been satisfied. That belief lies in the use of one word in the Supreme Court order — “facilitate” — which White House officials have stated provides them with enough leeway to play games in court while Abrego Garcia remains in a Salvadoran prison.
“Trump has been ignoring and defying court orders, from lower courts to the Supreme Court, because he believes he has permission to do so — and John Roberts is validating that belief,” said United for Democracy Senior Advisor Meagan Hatcher-Mays. “The Roberts Court issued a ruling that provides Trump with a loophole large enough to execute his right-wing agenda of abducting and removing lawful residents to an El Salvadoran prison while still ostensibly complying with the Court order to ‘facilitate’ Abrego Garcia’s return. This is by design. Chief Justice John Roberts himself wants to be able to claim that Trump is in compliance with his order because he is a coward who wants to pretend that he and the MAGA justices are on the right side of history without having to publicly acknowledge that Donald Trump has thrown us all into a roiling constitutional crisis. With their refusal to rein Trump in, the Roberts Court has once again given him blanket permission to implement his agenda in defiance of the rule of law.”
The Supreme Court ruled that the Trump administration must “facilitate” Abrego Garcia’s return — but did not direct the government to “effectuate” it, as a lower court had. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt made clear that the administration was aware of this difference in wording, telling reporters that "The Supreme Court made their ruling last night very clear that it's the administration's responsibility to facilitate the return, not to effectuate the return." The administration’s refusal to bring Abrego Garcia home, or to even provide information on how it plans to do so, is yet another example of collaboration between Trump and the Roberts Court.
###
About United for Democracy
United for Democracy is a diverse and growing coalition of more than 100 grassroots organizations, labor unions, and advocates for reproductive rights, gun violence prevention, the environment, workers rights and more, all representing tens of millions of Americans. The new nationwide campaign launched to educate Americans about the impact today’s Supreme Court is having on their lives, freedoms, and democracy — and call on Congress to rein in its unchecked powers.