Summary

Federal Judge Amir Ali sharply criticized the Trump administration during a Tuesday hearing for failing to comply with his 12-day-old restraining order to unfreeze USAID contract funding.

“I don’t know why I can’t get a straight answer from you,” the judge demanded, asking if funds had been unfrozen. The government lawyer responded: “I’m not in a position to answer that.”

Ali ordered USAID to pay all invoices for work performed before February 13 by midnight tomorrow and required the administration to identify officials who can testify under oath about compliance disputes.

  • Madison420@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    Or what? The court issues a bench warrant and demands their presence which they can do to literally anyone who isn’t the president.

    The rest is on law enforcement to have enough balls to do as their profession demands.

      • Revan343@lemmy.ca
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        5 months ago

        Then it still comes down to whether the cops will actually do their job and arrest said person or not. If they will, then that person rots in prison for contempt of court, which isn’t something Trump can pardon

      • Madison420@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        That’s contempt and a president can’t pardon you for that. You’d be at risk for 179 days in county and huge fines that also cannot be pardoned and it goes to judicial tribunal for appeal.

          • Madison420@lemmy.world
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            5 months ago

            I don’t actually. I think the judiciary is quite capable of killing a presidency let alone a president.

            Appeals courts have exactly zero to do with contempt the only ones who can deal with that are other judges. Again it has nothing to do with the guy and everything to do with other branches of government fighting to keep their power so they aren’t expendable.

            And yet you’re knowingly basing crazy arguments of ignorance from empty words.

      • Madison420@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        They cannot. Us Marshalls don’t give a good goddamn about a pardon you can only get after the fact. Post facto pardons are a legal question that isn’t fully answered but most sources say it’s criminal conspiracy which no the president couldn’t be charged with but literally any and every state could charge whomever one by one at the state level.

        • TheRagingGeek@lemmy.world
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          5 months ago

          US Marshals report to the DOJ, which is part of the executive branch, all Trump needs to do is instruct the DOJ to stand down.

          • Madison420@lemmy.world
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            5 months ago

            A. Technically yes but in practice no. They’re enforcement specifically at the behest of the judiciary, they are wildly unconcerned about whatever bullshit any other LE agency is up to and for that matter the executive branch as a whole.

            B. They’re the least political enforcement agency, they’ll tell him to fuck himself because the oath to the constitution comes first.

            C. They literally swear to ignore politics and execute whatever executive process is before them.

            D. They’ve had armed standoffs with other three letter agencies specifically about not doing their job, after Ruby ridge they go out of their way to not be seen as biased or political.

    • Randomgal@lemmy.ca
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      5 months ago

      You know the president can literally just say: “Lol nope. Pardoned.” And that’s it, right? That’s the point, the law is meaningless if you installed a king as ruler.

      • Madison420@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        I don’t know that because that isn’t thing.

        Contempt is judicial and unpardonable, and preemptive pardons aren’t likely to be held as legitimate.

        A King could preemptively absolve someone of a crime that isn’t however how our government is ran and it’s super duper unlikely the judicial would rule in favor of removing all their power altogether.