‘Faster and smarter’: Legal analyst warns courts they can’t let Trump outplay them

MS NOW legal analyst Andrew Weissmann, a former Justice Department official, contends that the Trump administration keeps acting first and seeking approval never, and that judges are letting it get away with the strategy. He says courts must respond more quickly and strategically, particularly with the midterm elections close, or they will end up giving the administration cover.

He points to an Associated Press analysis from earlier this year finding that district court judges determined President Donald Trump's administration had violated or ignored federal court orders in at least 31 lawsuits, along with more than 250 separate immigration cases. Weissmann also cites a federal judge's ruling against the use of taxpayer money for ads promoting the president. By the time that order came down, nearly $22 million had been spent, and he says tens of millions of people had seen the ads. In his view, a belated ruling cannot undo harm that has already occurred.

Weissmann's larger fear involves the voting this fall. He questions whether the government might seize ballots, disrupt the chain of custody and make counting impossible, leaving a court to object only afterward. He says there must be a deterrent so judges are not outmaneuvered.

Summarized by PolitiKool from MS NOW’s reporting. Read the full story at MS NOW →