Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Top Stories

A court must decide: Does the law still apply to everyone, the president included?

President Donald Trump

Allowing President Trump's stonewalling to continue "without the potential of a judicial backstop would gut Congress' ability to effectively check executive overreach and lawbreaking," writes former Rep. Tom Coleman.

Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Coleman was a Republican member of the House from Missouri from 1976 to 1993. He is a retired lobbyist and an advisor to the Protect Democracy Project, an anti-authoritarian watchdog group.

It is a bedrock American principle that no one, not even the president of the United States, is above the law. The president, like all Americans, must pay taxes, must give evidence when sought by a court or Congress, and must follow the law. If this principle is to survive, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals must reverse a ruling that Congress cannot sue to enforce subpoenas of executive branch officials.

In the wake of the report from special counsel Robert Mueller, last April the House Judiciary Committee subpoenaed former White House counsel Don McGahn to provide testimony about President Trump's efforts to obstruct the investigation of Russia's meddling in the 2016 election. The White House informed the committee that the president ordered McGahn not to appear, asserting that certain presidential aides are "absolutely immune" from being forced to testify — a privilege no other president has ever claimed. As a result, the committee sued to enforce its subpoena.

In February, a three-judge panel of the D.C. Circuit punted on the central question, ruling 2-1 their court does not have the power to settle this dispute between the congressional and executive branches. If that is allowed to stand, Congress' ability to conduct legitimate oversight will be severely limited and Trump will be further emboldened to ignore our constitutional system of checks and balances.


Fortunately, the full appeals court has agreed to review that ruling, starting with oral arguments April 28. I joined a bipartisan group of 96 former members of Congress and executive branch officials on a brief urging the full court to reverse the three judges. We all understand Trump's unprecedented stonewalling goes well beyond the sort of normal back-and-forth between branches during oversight discussions that we witnessed when we were in office. Allowing his behavior to continue without the potential of a judicial backstop would gut Congress' ability to effectively check executive overreach and lawbreaking.

There is one silver lining in the court's initial decision: Two of the three judges expressed deep skepticism about Trump's claim of "absolute immunity," which he's using to keep aides and former aides from testifying to Congress. The court's rejection of this argument is so important because, sadly, there are many examples of Trump's team trying to exceed the constitutional limits placed on the presidency.

In case after case, Trump has argued he cannot be held accountable. In three cases now before the Supreme Court he has argued that, not only can Congress not investigate him, neither can state nor federal law enforcement officials. The obvious question: Who can investigate presidential wrongdoing? The answer, according to the president: Nobody! Under his view, a president can break the law with impunity. Trump's attorneys even told a judge that the president could shoot someone dead and escape all legal consequences while in office.

These are dangerous arguments on their own, but the president and his lawyers are also concealing their true meaning by engaging in a dangerous shell game to evade accountability. For example, while the administration was telling federal courts — including the D.C. Circuit in the McGhan case — that they have no authority to enforce congressional subpoenas, the president's lawyers were simultaneously telling Congress it could not impeach Trump for obstruction of Congress because it should have relied on the courts to force the administration to turn over information.

One of the president's Senate impeachment trial lawyers, Alan Dershowitz, even claimed that "abuse of power and obstruction of Congress are outside the range of impeachable offenses." So according to the president, he can ignore congressional subpoenas even in the context of an impeachment proceeding and courts can do nothing about it, and he can't be impeached for it. Stripped down to its essence, this argument would mean that no one — not law enforcement, not courts, not Congress — may investigate him or hold him accountable for abuse of power.

The president's argument is radical and wrong. Our Founders did not create a presidency beyond the law, above any checks and balances, and answerable to no one but himself. Quite the opposite.

James Madison, frequently described as the "Father of our Constitution," would no doubt be joining our legal crusade if he were alive today. Our fourth president — like me, a former House member — recognized the human temptation to gather power. He anticipated Trump's arguments when he wrote in Federalist 48 that "the accumulation of all powers legislative, executive, and judiciary, in the same hands ... may justly be pronounced the very definition of tyranny."

The American answer to tyranny, of course, required our Founders to revolt against an unaccountable king. They wrote our Constitution to assure that they, and we, would live in a democracy. Our nation's history illustrates the president's claims to monarchical immunity are hollow and weak.

Americans who cherish our democratic system, and the checks and balances that sustain it, are depending on the courts to reject the president's repeated attempts to subvert the Constitution and the principle that — no matter your station in life — how high your office, how deep your pockets or how many lawyers you may have, the law applies to everyone.

Read More

Support for International Students’ Mental Health Fails As Federal Visa Revocations Rise

holding hands

Support for International Students’ Mental Health Fails As Federal Visa Revocations Rise

The University of Washington’s international student population is raising concerns about the lack of mental health support provided to them by International Student Services, particularly in the context of visa revocations.

“I've personally sacrificed so much to get to UW,” first-year Kaira Wullur said. “I know my parents have also sacrificed so much. It is super draining to think that what I've been working towards could be stripped away from people who don't even know who I am.”

Keep ReadingShow less
Iran Warns ‘The Battle Begins’—What Role Will Trump Have the U.S. Play?

artistic animated picture of Donald Trump

Iran Warns ‘The Battle Begins’—What Role Will Trump Have the U.S. Play?

The sixth day of escalating tensions between Iran and Israel saw a stark warning from Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who declared on social media: “The battle begins.” This came shortly after President Donald Trump referred to Khamenei as an “easy target” and stated that America’s “patience is wearing thin,” demanding Iran’s “unconditional surrender.”

The president cut short his trip at the Group of Seven summit in Canada, citing the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran.

Keep ReadingShow less
Beyond the Game: Pioneering Women’s Healthcare in Collegiate Athletics

Olympic Trials

Beyond the Game: Pioneering Women’s Healthcare in Collegiate Athletics

For decades, collegiate sports have served as a powerful platform for achievement, community, and identity. But amid the victories and records, a quieter struggle persists—one rooted in systemic neglect of women's unique health needs. While gender disparities have garnered increasing attention across society, the gap in sports medicine remains pronounced. Less than 2%of federally allocated research funding targets reproductive health and related issues, leaving many female athletes without the tailored support necessary to thrive.

Recognizing this gap, the University of Washington has begun pioneering initiatives to address women’s healthcare needs in collegiate athletics, emphasizing a holistic, research-informed approach. These efforts aim not only to improve individual athlete outcomes but also to set a precedent for other institutions seeking to foster gender equity in sports medicine.

Keep ReadingShow less
Navigating the Medical Maze: It’s Hard Enough With Full Health Coverage

A doctor treating a patient in a hospital.

Getty Images, Bevan Goldswain

Navigating the Medical Maze: It’s Hard Enough With Full Health Coverage

The woman on the phone from the Mayo Clinic was growing exasperated as she ran through how to sweep up my medical records.

“So, you got the CT scan in Storm Lake? And the hormone therapy in Spencer? And the MRI at Mercy and biopsy someplace else in Sioux City? And a PET scan at June Nylen Cancer Center in Sioux City? And what at Iowa City? And California? Where?”

Keep ReadingShow less