Liberal Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor Unfazed By Trump Administration’s Challenges To The Judiciary: ‘Court Decisions Stand’

The Supreme Court’s most senior liberal justice, Sonia Sotomayor, said that courts must use their power to persuade people to comply with rulings on contentious issues and suggested that there are limits to presidential power. In light of the debate over President Donald Trump’s commitment to following judicial rulings that have put some of his policies on hold, Sotomayor expressed that she trusts court orders will be honored.

Sotomayor attended an event at  Miami Dade College, where she made comments in the wake of the recent uproar among White House officials pushing back against recent court orders that have delayed the enactment of Trump’s agenda.

“Court decisions stand,” she said. “Whether one particular person chooses to abide by them or not, it doesn’t change the foundation that it’s still a court order that someone will respect at some point.”

U.S. District Judge John J. McConnell of Rhode Island ruled on Monday that the Trump administration failed to comply with a previous order temporarily halting a sweeping federal funding freeze, reminding the administration that “those who make private determinations of the law and refuse to obey an order generally risk criminal contempt.” The order was the first of its kind in Trump’s second term.

Vice President JD Vance shared criticism this week after taking to social media to question whether courts can block any of Trump’s agenda.

“Judges aren’t allowed to control the executive’s legitimate power,” Vance wrote.

Sotomayor insisted that she was speaking in general terms and did not make a direct reference to Trump when she discussed the state of democracy. She made clear that she has “faith” in the U.S. court system.

“We’ve had moments where it’s been tested but, by in large, we have been a country who has understood that the rule of law has helped us maintain our democracy,” she said. “But it’s also because the court has proceeded cautiously and has proceeded understanding that it has to proceed slowly.”

“Our founders were hellbent on ensuring that we didn’t have a monarchy,” she said, “and the first way they thought of that was to give Congress the power of the purse.”