Seven federal judges from Minnesota recently sat for a New York Times interview about the Trump administration, and their comments were highlighted by Reason. The judges did not speak as a formal bloc, but their collective remarks centered on the strain the administration has placed on legal norms and judicial independence.
One judge put the stakes bluntly: "It's the rule of law. If you don't have it, you have either anarchy or you have authoritarianism. You have Russia or you have China or you have North Korea." The statement captures a broader anxiety among the judges that the administration's actions are pushing the country toward a dangerous threshold.
The judges' willingness to speak publicly, and in a group, is itself notable. Federal judges typically avoid political commentary, and their decision to engage with the Times suggests a deep concern about the direction of the legal system under the current administration. Reason's summary frames the interview as a warning about the fragility of legal constraints.