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WH Press Secretary Does Not Rule Out Arresting High Ranking Judges Including Supreme Court Justices

Karoline Leavitt suggested the White House could arrest Supreme Court justices.

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The Trump Justice Department crossed a line last week with the arrest of a Wisconsin judge. Per the Associated Press, Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan was arrested and accused of “escorting the man and his lawyer out of her courtroom through the jury door last week after learning that immigration authorities were seeking his arrest.” This has led to protests, as well as boycott threats from a different Wisconsin judge.

Could the Administration do the same thing to Supreme Court justices? The White House has not ruled it out.

According to The Daily Beast, Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy asked about that in a Monday press briefing.

“As you guys look at other judges, would you ever arrest somebody higher up on the judicial food chain, like a federal judge or even a Supreme Court justice?” Doocy asked.

“Anyone who is breaking the law or obstructing federal law enforcement officials is putting themselves at risk of being prosecuted, absolutely,” Leavitt said. However, she was clear that the idea is “a hypothetical.”

“Let’s be clear what this judge did,” Leavitt said from the White House podium. “She obstructed federal law enforcement who were looking for an illegal alien in her courthouse. She showed that illegal alien the door to evade law enforcement officials. That is a clear-cut case of obstruction.”

The exact scenario that occurred in Wisconsin would be unlikely to happen with a Supreme Court justice, who would almost certainly not be in a position to physically escort a defendant and his lawyer out of a courtroom. But the scarier notion is the idea that the Trump Administration would seek to use the Justice Department to punish Supreme Court justices merely for voting against its interests.

Trump has already called for at least one judge to be impeached, which drew a sharp rebuke from Chief Justice John Roberts.

Photo courtesy of the Political Tribune media library. 

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Stephen Silver

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Stephen Silver is an award-winning journalist, essayist and film critic, and contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. Stephen has authored thousands of articles that focus on politics, technology, and the economy.

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