President Donald Trump and his allies are barreling toward a historic "clash" with the Supreme Court – including with conservative justices he personally appointed – unlike anything seen in nearly 100 years, a legal expert told The Washington Post.
“It seems like almost 100 years since you’ve had a clash approaching this level between the president and the court,” said Jeffrey Fisher, a law professor and co-director of Stanford University’s Supreme Court Litigation Clinic. “You’d have to go back to the New Deal to have any kind of an analogue.”
The Supreme Court is expected to soon rule on three major cases involving Trump’s agenda – whether the constitutional right of birthright citizenship can be eliminated, whether Trump can fire the heads of independent federal agencies, and whether Trump can reshape the Federal Reserve. The justices – including those appointed by Trump – have “signaled they will rule against Trump” on at least two of those cases.
The “growing conflict” between Trump and his allies and conservative justices was made evident during a gathering last year organized by Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch, who was nominated by Trump, the Post reported. During the event, Mike Davis, a conservative lawyer who helped Gorsuch “secure his first federal judgeship,” was “notably absent.”
The Post learned why Davis – whom Gorsuch had previously issued the friendly nickname of “the general” – was absent for the justice’s gathering.
“The relationship soured last year as the Supreme Court began to rule on some of Trump’s policies, according to two people with direct knowledge of the matter, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive issue,” the Post’s report reads.
“One recounted how Gorsuch became upset when Davis lashed out at Justice Amy Coney Barrett, calling her a ‘rattled law professor’ for siding with the court’s liberals in a pair of rulings against Trump. The other said Davis was angered by Gorsuch’s vote to block Trump’s use of a wartime authority to deport Venezuelans.”