This morning I will be testifying before the House Judiciary Committee at 10 am. (I hope to post other stories after I return from Congress this afternoon) The hearing is entitled “Enforcing the President’s Constitutional Duty to Faithfully Execute the Laws” and will explore the options for Congress in resisting the encroachment of executive power. I was critical of such encroachment under Professor George W. Bush and I believe that danger has grown under President Barack Obama. UPDATE: Here is the video link to the testimony.
Once again, it is often hard to divorce the policies objectives of this Administration from the means used to achieve those objectives. However, I believe we are witnessing a dangerous and destabilizing shift in our tripartite system of government. I hold this view despite my agreement with many of these policies.
Below is my testimony for the Committee:
Jonathan Turley
You’re one person for whom I hold out a bit of hope.
Stop reading Huffpost, The Nation, Daily Kos, etc.
Dana Milbank gave a different account of the oral arguments. And, he’s one of your guys.
Veronica. Even if you served in the US military…
Really… From I read the four democratic appointees sided with the EPA and Kennedy is the swing vote. Let’s hope he prefers to breath clean air……
On the subject of immigration, just want to say that I am an immigrant, legal, and had to wait in line to get a visa, and I am not automatically on the side of those who stole their way in & because they were clever enough to make it, they somehow should have the right to stay permanently.
You cannot do that in any other country unless you prove you fit their existing laws. !!!
I think that unless the border is closed (both Mexico AND Canada) all that will happen is there will be another 11 million illegals in 20 yrs. time.
NO alternatives I’m afraid, if you cannot send them all back – there will never BE a permanent solution to this problem.
Not being mean to those wanting a better life, but those are the facts – if I overstayed a visa, I would expect to be thrown out unless there were a special pardon !!
The Supreme Court, including Kagan, Breyer, and Sotomayer ripped the Solicitor General a new one on King Barry’s EPA rules. The Emperor is indeed naked.
Laser, BRAVO!
And if this legislation is crafted to respond to executive nonenforcement of Federal Law and placed on the desk of the current occupant of the White House for signature … signature from the very person this legislation would specifically target … who seriously expects to acquire his signature on this legislation? There are no current Constitutional remedies the Legislative and/or Judicial branches and/or citizens can take to prevent the escalating lawlessness?
Professor Turley,
The problems with Legislative and Judicial branches of our government are far more egregious than the Executive.
We have a Congress where a minority within a minority have a government shutdown as its main priority. Our Supreme Court consists of politicians wearing black robes who give the appearance of impropriety. There are Justices who publicly speak about controversial issues that will soon be litigated before them.
We need the Republicans to get back to the business of governing instead of finding ways to destroy our system of checks and balances.
swarthmore, The US does not tear families apart. It is the families themselves who decide it is better to live in the US apart from their families rather than be with their loved ones. I read the ACLU article and they object to the idea of requiring illegals to follow our traffic laws and any other laws that they find inconvenient. I used to have some respect for the ACLU, but their contempt for laws they disagree with has voided that. As Prof.Turley pointed out in his testimony, one has to be concerned with process as well as laws. The ACLU has forfeited that respect.
I imagine that a lot of the people responsible for this are just mad that he won’t be wasting our time and money on drug laws in two particular states.
We are the reason that our government becomes dysfunctional.
Our instinct is to align on one side of the fence and throw stones at those on the purported other; as we forget that the true adversary is the manure being shoveled upon U.S.
raff adds a tenor to the “Duop” harmony.
The President of the United States is sworn to faithfully uphold the laws of the United States. He does not get to pick and choose. The Framers of the Constitution specifically listed the branches of government in order of importance. Legislative (Law making branch); Executive (execute laws as written) & Judicial (does the law pass Constitutional muster).
While I agree in the substance of what Professor Turley is suggesting, isn’t it interesting that a hearing like this was not done during the Bush years? This hearing is a political hearing that would not be needed if Congress had not tried to block and filibuster almost everything President Obama has attempted to do. How about a hearing on Filibuster abuse? How about a hearing on how Citizens United can be overturned via Amendment? As Swarthmore mom asked, why isn’t there a hearing why the Speaker won’t have a vote on immigration reform?
rafflaw wrote: “This hearing is a political hearing that would not be needed if Congress had not tried to block and filibuster almost everything President Obama has attempted to do. How about a hearing on Filibuster abuse? How about a hearing on how Citizens United can be overturned via Amendment? As Swarthmore mom asked, why isn’t there a hearing why the Speaker won’t have a vote on immigration reform?”
Hmmm. Sounds like you don’t like democracy. I assume that these reasons you offer are the same reasons Obama uses to rationalize his unconstitutional actions.
Veronica, the solution for the failure of one branch of government to follow it’s constitutional duty is not to have another branch breach its constitutional obligations. The answer is to require the first branch to shape up and do its duty. As Mr. Turley points out, it doesn’t matter what one thinks of the specif policies involved, what matters is the process of governance.
https://www.aclu.org/blog/immigrants-rights/goodlattes-safe-harass-act-doubles-down-enforcement-and-cost-taxpayers It is getting to the the point that the states and local governments no longer want to spend the money to tear families apart.
They need to watch Mr. Turley’s testimony w/ an open mind. Wait, never mind.
And the duopoly women are as predictable as the sunset. It’s 5:45p this evening in San Diego. They have their own version of “duop” music. The refrain is always “Yeah but those other guys..”