In late February, I wrote about the risks to democracy when a president comes after judges. The context then was federal judges. Calls were coming from people like Utah Senator Mike Lee and Elon Musk to impeach federal judges who stood in the way of DOGE. El Salvadoran strongman-president Nayib Bukele advised that getting “corrupt" judges out of the way were essential.

The federal judiciary is doing a remarkable job of standing up to unconstitutional conduct by the Trump administration. We know the administration doesn’t like it. Because it’s hard to defend the clearly unconstitutional they are resorting to political chicanery, trying to convince Americans that since Trump won the election he should be able to do anything he wants to do; no judge should be able to gainsay him.

In other words, Trump is rejecting the compromise at our heart of system, where three coequal branches of government share power in order to prevent the emergence of a tyrant.

On Friday, we saw the arrest of a state court judge in Wisconsin. She was arrested at her courthouse and charged with interfering with an immigration arrest. The message is clear: If they can arrest judges, no one is safe.

I will have a lot to say about the case later on today, but in advance, I want to refer you to the previous post; one that is now sadly predictive of where we are. It’s titled, “When They Come for the Judges.” I wrote I am reminded again, as we are likely to be endlessly over the course of the next few months, of the words of the German pastor and theologian Martin Niemöller, who wrote:

“First, they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.”

The words reflected his early complicity in Nazi Germany and later change of heart. It seems like an extreme example. But they are coming for the judges. And not just the judges. Already they have come for federal employees, transgender people, immigrants, lawyers, the press, epidemiologists, scientists, and more. The time for all of us to speak up and join forces to protect each other is now, before it is too late.

Read the full post here.

The good news today is that many Americans understand the risk of ignoring an attack like this and are already aware and protesting.

We’re in this together,

-Joyce Vance