Judges Who Drew the Line

November 27, 2025

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A Thanksgiving Roll Call for the Rule of Law

This Thanksgiving, it’s worth savoring the rare but vital moments when judges stepped in and reminded presidents — loudly or quietly — that Democracy still has rules. Some rulings were headline-makers. Others were quiet guardrails that kept the system from skidding off the road.

Here’s a broader roll call of the judges who told a president “no” when the country needed it.

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JUDGE JIA M. COBB – Blocking Troops in D.C.

From the D.C. District Court, she ruled Trump’s deployment of out-of-state National Guard troops was likely unlawful, violating both statutory limits and D.C.’s right to self-governance.

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JUDGE CHARLES R. BREYER – Fighting Federalization of the Guard

In California, Breyer pushed back firmly against attempts to seize control of state Guard units for domestic policing. He walked through the statutes and said, essentially: You don’t get to rewrite the law just because you want to send troops somewhere.

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JUDGE CAMERON McGOWAN CURRIE – Ending the Comey & Letitia James Prosecutions

Currie dismissed both cases after finding the Trump-era “interim U.S. attorney” was illegally appointed. If the prosecutor had no lawful authority to bring charges, the prosecutions collapse. She pulled the plug.

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JUDGE AMY BERMAN JACKSON – Smacking Down Executive Privilege Overreach

She ruled that presidents don’t get a magical force field to block witnesses from testifying or producing documents, even when Trump insisted they had “absolute immunity.” She famously described that claim as having “no basis in law.”

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JUDGE DABNEY FRIEDRICH – Refusing to Twist the Insurrection Statute

A Trump appointee who surprised everyone, Friedrich held that the obstruction statute used in Jan. 6 prosecutions was valid and constitutional — rejecting attempts to reinterpret it into oblivion. She backed Congress’s right to have its proceedings protected, politics be damned.

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CHIEF JUDGE BERYL HOWELL – Enforcing Subpoenas Against the Executive Branch

Howell repeatedly ruled that neither Trump nor his DOJ could withhold witnesses and documents from Congress. Her rulings kept alive the principle that oversight actually means something.

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JUDGE JAMES BOASBERG – Protecting Inspectors General

When Trump tried to block the release of whistleblower materials, Boasberg ruled that the law didn’t permit political interference. Inspectors General are watchdogs — not pets of the White House.

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Why This List Matters

These judges didn’t agree on everything. Different courts. Different philosophies. Different cases. But on the core question — Does a president get to rewrite the rules when it suits him? — they answered with the same quiet, stubborn, absolutely essential word:

No.

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