Letter: Court criticism the kind of thing a ‘so-called president’ would do

Federal judge James Robart recently issued an opinion temporarily staying an executive order denying entry to citizens of several mostly Muslim countries. In issuing the order, the judge applied it to the entire country. In criticizing the decision, Donald John Trump Sr. made the following statement via Twitter:

“Just cannot believe a judge would put our country in such peril. If something happens, blame him and court system. People pouring in. Bad!”

This comes after a previous statement referring to Robart as a “so-called judge.” To personally attack a judge for a decision (as opposed to criticizing the decision itself) is bad enough, but to criticize the court system as a whole is beyond the pale.

Before assuming office, every president takes an oath, prescribed by the Constitution, to “preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”

How can the oath of office be squared with Donald John Trump Sr.’s advice to “blame the court system?” Such a criticism amounts to an indictment of the court system itself, whether or not “something happens.” It’s the kind of thing a so-called president might do.

This story was originally published February 19, 2017 at 4:28 AM with the headline "Letter: Court criticism the kind of thing a ‘so-called president’ would do."