Vance is a graduate of Yale Law School. His statement regarding the power of the Judicial Branch of the government is unacceptable. He has sworn an oath to the Constitution of the United States of America. Nowhere within the document does it state that the Executive branch has a superior position over the Judicial branch or the legislative branch. What he is suggesting is proof that the present administration has no respect of the constitution. In effect, his comments can be interpreted as an act of sedition per Title 18, Section 2384 of the US Code. The force necessary to qualify is in the manner in which the Executive Branch and the republican members of Congress act to ensure that they grab and maintain control of the US Government.
Here’s the oath taken by Mr. Vance: I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.
It most definitely requires him to support and defend. It does not give the VP or President the right to decide the legitimacy of the laws enacted by Congress, the judgements rendered by the Courts, or for that matter, which provisions of the Constitution.
So help me God, this man is telling us he is NOT inclined to support, defend, bear true faith and allegiance. His very words are expressed with reservations and purpose evasion, and with no sense of obligation to faithfully discharge his duties. In other words, he should be removed from office.
Interesting question -- but when you look at the number of law school grads who've been admitted to the bar and have been practicing for years, you can't help noticing how many of them bend, twist, and ignore the Constitution at will to serve the interests of Big Money. They are definitely lawyers. So is JD Vance. (He's also a crappy writer, but that doesn't require a degree.)
Very thoughtful and well explained piece Harry. I sincerely think this is a COUP happening in front of our eyes. It's beyond constitutional crisis... maga, donald, musk, etc. have zero respect for the constitution. Humbly suggesting: demos every day, from your street to your state capitol and - I do not who or what group/organization/person could "call for and set a date" - but onward to a huge day in all states and, of course, in D.C. In every state! Not everybody can get to D.C. ... And unions and civil rights organizations, etc. - who I would hope have a "security team" to literally protect folks who are marching peacefully! There will be right wing thugs/idiots out to set fires and get TV moments. Just reflecting on hundreds of demos I've been in in Europe. Organize and get into the streets. Can't wait for the slow wheels of justice and non enforcement. Public opinion and action needs to be there out and loud and proud and in huge numbers. Respectfully yours.
I agree Linda, we should stand up to these thugs, they are perpetrating a coup right in front of us and the democratic party are rolling over and playing dead. Israel had massive protests day after day, that's what I want to be a part of. It's beyond time for us to act!
Linda, there are quite a few organizations planning events and demonstrations. Check out Jessica Craven here on Substack who keeps us updated on ways to get involved with the resistance. She highly recommends the group "Indivisible" that's been around for awhile but there are many others and new ones coming on board all the time.
To get involved in demonstrations and other actions, go to https://www.mobilize.us/indivisible/ At the top left of the page, click on Join the Movement for links to local or regional actions and protests. The home page for Indivisible is https://www.indivisible.org
I had to read Ayn Rand as an early teen. Here's the hairball about her philosophy. ***** Objectivist epistemology, as outlined by Ayn Rand, asserts that knowledge is obtained through direct observation of reality using reason, where the mind actively identifies and integrates facts from the external world, essentially claiming that reality exists independently of our perception and that our goal is to accurately grasp that reality through rational analysis; to "fight" against this viewpoint, one could argue that subjective experiences, social constructs, and the limitations of human perception influence our understanding of reality, making absolute objectivity unattainable and potentially harmful by ignoring diverse perspectives.
Dog whistles...What the hell? Haven't we (on the left) come to understand what dog whistles mean by now? It's assholes, communicating to other assholes in their"secret codes" so they believe and so they can sneak around, conspire against us literate folk? These fuckers have been "dog whistling" to their tribe my entire life. AND we get it. I sure as hell do. Our tribe centers around our own "Dog Whistle"...It is called the Constitution. It is called the Oath, it is called informed. It is called true patriotism. It is called Progressivism. We're right, they are wrong and they are assholes.. Our country has 77 plus million of recognizable assholes now and I have no idea how to get their heads out of their asses. Vance is a bulbous cretinous creep. He isn't even someone that his god-awful boss likes. What the hell are we going to do? Are we the characters in the 1930s Germany that were paralyzed into preventing nazi-ism from taking hold?
When will the Senate & Congress STAND UP & DO SOMETHING to OUST the CONVICTED FELON and his CRONIES who are DESTROYING AMERICA? What's happening to this country is Ludacris! & should NOT be tolerated!
I'm trying to be hopeful that by some miracle they will wake up and realize that they are part of the destruction of our country. At least in my dreams, they do!
I'm not hopeful; I'm sure this country is doomed! Our democracy will take generations to recover from the damage that these lunatics have done in Congress/Senate, and let's not forget the imbecile in office. It will never occur in our lifetimes either.
We must stop spending our money and sink the economy to get their attention! Call every person in Congress/ Senate and then VOTE THEM OUT! It will still take generations to recover from the Orange Imbecile fascist dictatorship.
Thank you for the detailed explanation and historic context.
I may like mysteries and cliffhangers, but this its too close to home - literally.
I do not want to live in an autocracy, and most businesses need reliability and the rule of law to function, as well. There is a reason Russia's economy is not very large, smaller than the the state of California, despite its vast size and that is due to the unpredictable nature of trying to do business there with the whims of a dictator and risk of arrest if one does not comply with whatever he may decide.
I see a lot of our economy evaporating to other places due to Trump. They can't even rely on trade agreements.
Canada should offer a deal to move there, I'm sure a lot of people and businesses would go there as a way to get back some sense of normalcy.
Since Trump is pretending and using the nonsense excuse that what he is doing will be good for the economy, it won't, I was simply pointing out it would not be, and why. Yes, there are lots of reasons to flee an impending autocracy. There is a reason some have been willing to die and endure suffering in an attempt to get their freedom back and it is not just about economics.
Thank you, Harry, for once again breaking it all down for those of us who aren't attorneys. My dad spent his career as an attorney and also was a municipal judge and county prosecutor. He's been gone for almost 30 years. Wish I could discuss all this with him now, but mostly I'm glad he's not here to see what's happening to the country he fought for in WWII and the rule of law he believed in always.
Most everything the judge has blocked is on it's face illegal and unconstitutional. But can you imagine being a trans female exiled to an all-male prison? What sick mind came up with that one? Probably the same one that decided trans females got their male plumbing surgically removed so they could ogle women in public restrooms!
He's right, judges can’t "tell a general how to conduct a military operation" or "command the attorney general in how to use her discretion as a prosecutor." They can and should, when a need arises, be telling a general, the AG, or VP whether their actions are legal. And follow up on that
HL: "...of course, the Republican Congress’s repeated rollovers are a large reason why we are already at the threshold, if not firmly in the territory, of constitutional crisis."
The Republicans own this problem of governance. The church-going, extremely Christian evangelist Johnson has seen his future and, curiously, it is in following the whims and dictates of a thrice married, serial philandering, multiple bankrupt with a tendency to avoid the truth.
There's no question we're over the threshold. The only question is whether we can step back out. With 2 mentally unstable billionaires running the show and nothing but capitulation from the Party, odds aren't high.
NEVER accept an academic pursuit to be an education! Vance may have attended a Yale Law School but he cannot claim to be educated. He received a scholarship and may have sat thru classes. Question: Did Vance learn anything? Obviously Vance may just be a “Road” Scholar?
Vance is a graduate of Yale Law School. His statement regarding the power of the Judicial Branch of the government is unacceptable. He has sworn an oath to the Constitution of the United States of America. Nowhere within the document does it state that the Executive branch has a superior position over the Judicial branch or the legislative branch. What he is suggesting is proof that the present administration has no respect of the constitution. In effect, his comments can be interpreted as an act of sedition per Title 18, Section 2384 of the US Code. The force necessary to qualify is in the manner in which the Executive Branch and the republican members of Congress act to ensure that they grab and maintain control of the US Government.
Here’s the oath taken by Mr. Vance: I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.
It most definitely requires him to support and defend. It does not give the VP or President the right to decide the legitimacy of the laws enacted by Congress, the judgements rendered by the Courts, or for that matter, which provisions of the Constitution.
So help me God, this man is telling us he is NOT inclined to support, defend, bear true faith and allegiance. His very words are expressed with reservations and purpose evasion, and with no sense of obligation to faithfully discharge his duties. In other words, he should be removed from office.
He should be removed as the traitor he is. But his fellow traitors won't ever do that.
Pants on fire!
He should be disbarred if he thinks what he said is true.
He should be disbarred if he doesn't think what he said is true.
He went to law school, but is he a lawyer?
Interesting question -- but when you look at the number of law school grads who've been admitted to the bar and have been practicing for years, you can't help noticing how many of them bend, twist, and ignore the Constitution at will to serve the interests of Big Money. They are definitely lawyers. So is JD Vance. (He's also a crappy writer, but that doesn't require a degree.)
good question.
Judges are amongst the bravest public servants. We are all FBI agents now. Judges and civilians will defend democracy from fascism! https://democracydefender2025.substack.com/p/we-are-all-fbi-agents-now
My thoughts exactly. Well, except for Aileen Cannon.
Vance is a little mixed up and confused! Duh?
Maybe he missed that class on equal branches of government? And their powers? Sad.
He didn’t miss anything. Ignorance of the law is not excusable. If you violate a law, you cannot use I didn’t know about it as an excuse.
He is very far from ignorant of the law. He knows the law very well and is full-on ignoring the law.
Yeah, I'd love to see what the ABA has to say about that specifically. They should demand their bar admittance for that nonsense.
Sedition. I like it!
as far as the sycophants go, trump IS the Constitution.
He’s a criminal clown. Another grifter learning from the pro, the diaper Shitter.
Very thoughtful and well explained piece Harry. I sincerely think this is a COUP happening in front of our eyes. It's beyond constitutional crisis... maga, donald, musk, etc. have zero respect for the constitution. Humbly suggesting: demos every day, from your street to your state capitol and - I do not who or what group/organization/person could "call for and set a date" - but onward to a huge day in all states and, of course, in D.C. In every state! Not everybody can get to D.C. ... And unions and civil rights organizations, etc. - who I would hope have a "security team" to literally protect folks who are marching peacefully! There will be right wing thugs/idiots out to set fires and get TV moments. Just reflecting on hundreds of demos I've been in in Europe. Organize and get into the streets. Can't wait for the slow wheels of justice and non enforcement. Public opinion and action needs to be there out and loud and proud and in huge numbers. Respectfully yours.
I agree Linda, we should stand up to these thugs, they are perpetrating a coup right in front of us and the democratic party are rolling over and playing dead. Israel had massive protests day after day, that's what I want to be a part of. It's beyond time for us to act!
Linda, there are quite a few organizations planning events and demonstrations. Check out Jessica Craven here on Substack who keeps us updated on ways to get involved with the resistance. She highly recommends the group "Indivisible" that's been around for awhile but there are many others and new ones coming on board all the time.
Another source of information and scheduled actions is at https://www.mobilize.us/indivisible/
To get involved in demonstrations and other actions, go to https://www.mobilize.us/indivisible/ At the top left of the page, click on Join the Movement for links to local or regional actions and protests. The home page for Indivisible is https://www.indivisible.org
Disbar Vance.
Even if they took his law license away, it wouldn't change the danger we are in from him and his buddies. You don't need to be a lawyer to be the VP.
That said?
I had to read Ayn Rand as an early teen. Here's the hairball about her philosophy. ***** Objectivist epistemology, as outlined by Ayn Rand, asserts that knowledge is obtained through direct observation of reality using reason, where the mind actively identifies and integrates facts from the external world, essentially claiming that reality exists independently of our perception and that our goal is to accurately grasp that reality through rational analysis; to "fight" against this viewpoint, one could argue that subjective experiences, social constructs, and the limitations of human perception influence our understanding of reality, making absolute objectivity unattainable and potentially harmful by ignoring diverse perspectives.
I'm not speaking to his political office, just that if ABA wants to defend the sanctity of their profession they should disbar Vance
He would still be VP, regardless.😟
True, but he doesn't deserve to be a lawyer.
You're not wrong.
Dog whistles...What the hell? Haven't we (on the left) come to understand what dog whistles mean by now? It's assholes, communicating to other assholes in their"secret codes" so they believe and so they can sneak around, conspire against us literate folk? These fuckers have been "dog whistling" to their tribe my entire life. AND we get it. I sure as hell do. Our tribe centers around our own "Dog Whistle"...It is called the Constitution. It is called the Oath, it is called informed. It is called true patriotism. It is called Progressivism. We're right, they are wrong and they are assholes.. Our country has 77 plus million of recognizable assholes now and I have no idea how to get their heads out of their asses. Vance is a bulbous cretinous creep. He isn't even someone that his god-awful boss likes. What the hell are we going to do? Are we the characters in the 1930s Germany that were paralyzed into preventing nazi-ism from taking hold?
The Germans, including many Jews, didn't believe it could happen, until it was too late. I fear we may have crossed that line as well.
Yep! The line is crossed.
When will the Senate & Congress STAND UP & DO SOMETHING to OUST the CONVICTED FELON and his CRONIES who are DESTROYING AMERICA? What's happening to this country is Ludacris! & should NOT be tolerated!
That would be never!
I'm trying to be hopeful that by some miracle they will wake up and realize that they are part of the destruction of our country. At least in my dreams, they do!
OMG dream on Shira. They control everything and have the majority of the money and power. We are doomed.
I'm not hopeful; I'm sure this country is doomed! Our democracy will take generations to recover from the damage that these lunatics have done in Congress/Senate, and let's not forget the imbecile in office. It will never occur in our lifetimes either.
Absolutely agree. How can we stop this?
We must stop spending our money and sink the economy to get their attention! Call every person in Congress/ Senate and then VOTE THEM OUT! It will still take generations to recover from the Orange Imbecile fascist dictatorship.
Thank you for the detailed explanation and historic context.
I may like mysteries and cliffhangers, but this its too close to home - literally.
I do not want to live in an autocracy, and most businesses need reliability and the rule of law to function, as well. There is a reason Russia's economy is not very large, smaller than the the state of California, despite its vast size and that is due to the unpredictable nature of trying to do business there with the whims of a dictator and risk of arrest if one does not comply with whatever he may decide.
I see a lot of our economy evaporating to other places due to Trump. They can't even rely on trade agreements.
Canada should offer a deal to move there, I'm sure a lot of people and businesses would go there as a way to get back some sense of normalcy.
Just recently heard that Canadians are boycotting anything coming in from the United States. But they might be open to US companies relocating there.
And you , my friend, have no idea what it’s like to Live in a totalitarian dictatorship. It’s not all
About business, that’s the least of it . It’s about not having free will to do anything! That’s bigger than anything except love and hunger.
Since Trump is pretending and using the nonsense excuse that what he is doing will be good for the economy, it won't, I was simply pointing out it would not be, and why. Yes, there are lots of reasons to flee an impending autocracy. There is a reason some have been willing to die and endure suffering in an attempt to get their freedom back and it is not just about economics.
Thank you, Harry, for once again breaking it all down for those of us who aren't attorneys. My dad spent his career as an attorney and also was a municipal judge and county prosecutor. He's been gone for almost 30 years. Wish I could discuss all this with him now, but mostly I'm glad he's not here to see what's happening to the country he fought for in WWII and the rule of law he believed in always.
Vance is the king of circular argument.
Making the illogical appear logical is the GOP in a nutshell - also known as propaganda. Plausible sounding nonsense for anyone who wants a serving.
JD Vance a loyalist of Tyrant Trump is spreading and supporting Fascism https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2025/02/donald-trump-orban-playbook-putin-musk.html
Most everything the judge has blocked is on it's face illegal and unconstitutional. But can you imagine being a trans female exiled to an all-male prison? What sick mind came up with that one? Probably the same one that decided trans females got their male plumbing surgically removed so they could ogle women in public restrooms!
He's right, judges can’t "tell a general how to conduct a military operation" or "command the attorney general in how to use her discretion as a prosecutor." They can and should, when a need arises, be telling a general, the AG, or VP whether their actions are legal. And follow up on that
HL: "...of course, the Republican Congress’s repeated rollovers are a large reason why we are already at the threshold, if not firmly in the territory, of constitutional crisis."
The Republicans own this problem of governance. The church-going, extremely Christian evangelist Johnson has seen his future and, curiously, it is in following the whims and dictates of a thrice married, serial philandering, multiple bankrupt with a tendency to avoid the truth.
Drain the Republican Congress and senate in 2026!!!
There's no question we're over the threshold. The only question is whether we can step back out. With 2 mentally unstable billionaires running the show and nothing but capitulation from the Party, odds aren't high.
Bingo. Very scary for our republic
Nixon’s looking great compared to this inside out administration!
NEVER accept an academic pursuit to be an education! Vance may have attended a Yale Law School but he cannot claim to be educated. He received a scholarship and may have sat thru classes. Question: Did Vance learn anything? Obviously Vance may just be a “Road” Scholar?
No Rhodes Scholarship in his life!
“Tripartite” - denigrating, defiling this concept is approaching treason, ¿no? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Separation_of_powers?wprov=sfti1#John_Locke's_legislative,_executive,_and_federative_powers