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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
Comment
Amrit Singh and David Cole

The courts separate democracy from autocracy. Will Trump defy them?

trump sits at desk near jd vance and other officials
‘No responsible government official – much less the No 2 official in the executive branch – should even suggest that defying the courts is appropriate.’ Photograph: Abaca/Rex/Shutterstock

Will the Trump administration defy the courts?

JD Vance’s tweet last weekend that “judges aren’t allowed to control the executive’s legitimate power” has sparked widespread concern that the Trump administration might become the first in US history to do so. At least at this stage, it is not clear that it will come to that, notwithstanding the president’s proclivity for asserting limitless executive power. But as other countries’ experiences show, if he were to adopt the position of the US vice-president, Trump would be crossing perhaps the most fundamental line demarcating constitutional democracy from autocracy.

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