Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) on Monday issued a dire warning about the direction of the country as Donald Trump and his allies have suggested the courts have no authority to block the president’s policies, signaling they could be open to defying unfavorable court rulings.
In an interview with CNN’s “The Source,” Murphy echoed concerns voiced by legal scholars, hinting at a looming constitutional crisis.
“This isn’t hyperbole to say that we are staring the death of democracy in the eyes right now. The centerpiece of our democracy is that we observe court rulings,” he said. “No one is above the law, and whether we like it or not, the courts interpret the law.”
Murphy suggested that if Trump and his allies were to defy the courts when their decisions don’t suit the administration’s goals, chaos would ensue.
“If the president isn’t bound by our laws and the Constitution, then why would anybody else be bound by our laws and the Constitution?” Murphy asked. “This is a really dire moment.”
Many of Trump’s extreme plans already have faced setbacks in the courts.
A judge over the weekend temporarily blocked the so-called Department of Government Efficiency led by billionaire Elon Musk from accessing data from the Treasury Department. Shortly after, Vice President JD Vance shared a post on X, formerly Twitter, saying “judges aren’t allowed to control the executive’s legitimate power,” prompting sharp criticism.
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Another judge on Monday said the Trump administration is violating a court order prohibiting it from freezing federal funds in accordance with the Office of Management and Budget memo authorizing a broad freeze last month, calling on the president’s team to immediately comply with his original order.
Meanwhile, Trump projects that he is unstoppable, vowing to continue with his aggressive push to reshape the federal government despite the pushback, claiming his team has identified “Billions of Dollars of FRAUD, WASTE, AND ABUSE.”
“Certain activists and highly political judges want us to slow down, or stop,” he wrote Tuesday on his Truth Social platform. “Losing this momentum will be very detrimental to finding the TRUTH, which is turning out to be a disaster for those involved in running our Government. Much left to find. No Excuses!!!”