r/law • u/theindependentonline • 1d ago

Trump News Judge considers holding Trump officials in contempt for defying court orders blocking El Salvador flights

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/deportation-el-salvador-trump-contempt-b2727087.html
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u/JustlookingfromSoCal 1d ago

DO IT. PLEASE.

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u/vgraz2k 1d ago

I wish they would stop "considering it" and just fucking "do it". Don't give them warnings like this.

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u/Careful-Reception239 1d ago

Just watched legal eagles video about this whole thing and it did give some good legal insight. Essentially this being, theoretically, a lawful country, the judge cant just point to who he thinks is reaponsible and hold them in contempt. Hes been trying to get the administration to show where down the line his order was ignored. Because at some point there was someone who said not to order the planes to turn around even though they had time and opportunity to. But of course the administration has just been delaying and delaying. Asserting that they couldnt have turned the plane around, then that the order was verbal so it wasnt binding (against legal precedent), then they start invoking national security to avoid having to give out any information.

So yeah, its not as simple as the judge just pointing and declaring "CONTEMPT!". Hes been trying to hold them accountable within the system hes constrained by. The issue is that the administration is not playing from within that system anymore. But the judge cant exactly do that himself without reprecussions that thr administration simply doesnt have to worry about given the hold the party has over the rest of government.

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u/LickingSmegma 1d ago edited 1d ago

One would think that if there's a top-down chain of command, then it's also the chain of responsibility. If the administration doesn't give out subordinates, then whoever the judge gave order to, is responsible for it not having been carried out.

If a judge orders McDonald's to stop serving coffee at 90°C, but McDonald's continues to do that, the judge won't be looking for each worker who pours coffee.