The Supreme Court Is Handing Trump the Keys to Authoritarianism

Back in March, Trump gave that marathon/the longest speech to Congress. Afterward, he grabbed Chief Justice John Roberts’s hand, shook it hard, and said, “Won’t forget.” At the time, people weren’t sure what he meant. But now we can see it: Roberts and the conservative majority on the Court have been giving Trump win after win, and it’s changing the country rapidly.

Here’s what’s happening....

In just the past couple of months, the Court has given Trump eighteen victories in a row. And they’re not even going through full hearings or explanations. They’re doing it through what’s called the shadow docket—quick, behind-closed-doors rulings where the public doesn’t get to see the reasoning.

And these rulings aren’t small. They’re already hitting people’s lives. Federal workers can now be fired on a whim. Transgender people are being pushed out of the military. Over a million immigrants who had protections are losing them. Families are even being deported to war zones—places judges had already ruled were too dangerous. But the Court let Trump do it anyway.

Even Justice Sotomayor, one of the few liberals left on the Court, has warned that the Court is “rewarding lawlessness.” And Judge Michael Luttig, a conservative, said flat out: Roberts is “presiding over the end of the rule of law in America.”

Roberts wants to act like he’s neutral, just an umpire calling balls and strikes, but his whole career tells another story. He’s been against civil rights, unions, and protections for everyday people since his early days under Reagan. Last year he wrote the decision that gave Trump absolute immunity, which basically says the president is above the law. That wasn’t neutral. That was giving Trump a totally blank check.

Now, the Court has gone even further. They’ve let Trump fire regulators without cause, tear apart federal agencies, and ignore lower court judges. Think about that: if lower courts make rulings, and Trump just ignores them, and the Supreme Court lets him, then the rule of law is already gone.

This is the moment we’re in. The Court is not protecting the Constitution. It’s enabling authoritarianism. And if they won’t defend democracy, then it’s up to us—regular people, movements, and communities—to step up and do it ourselves.

Trump told Roberts, “Won’t forget.” And neither should we.