Attorney General William Tong released a joint statement signed by 17 state attorneys general regarding Vice President Vance’s comments on judicial review made on February 9, 2025.
“The Vice President’s statement is as wrong as it is reckless," complained the coalition of AGs. "As chief law enforcement officers representing the people of 17 states, we unequivocally reject the Vice President’s attempt to spread this dangerous lie."
“Judges do not ‘control’ executive power. Judges stop the unlawful and unconstitutional exercise of power," the AGs continued. "As Chief Justice Marshall said in Marbury v. Madison over 200 years ago, ours is ‘a government of laws, and not of men,’ and that ‘it is emphatically the province and duty of the judicial department to say what the law is.’ For those who value the original intent of the founders and our legal traditions, nothing is more firmly rooted in our legal history, tradition, and the original intent of the founders than the power of judges to stop the executive from breaking the law."
“Americans understand the principle of checks and balances. The judiciary is a check on unlawful action by the executive and legislative branches of government. Generals, prosecutors, and all public officials are subject to checks and balances. No one is above the law," wrote the AGs... who were seemingly absent during the Biden family crime spree.
But wait, there's more!
The unhappy group of AGs promised to "carefully scrutinize each and every action taken by this administration" and engage in more lawfare if and when they see fit.
“That is why we have already filed motions in courts across this country to seek temporary restraining orders and injunctions blocking the unlawful and unconstitutional executive orders and actions, including those to ban birthright citizenship; indiscriminately freeze federal funding; cap vital medical research dollars; and grant unauthorized disclosure of Americans’ private records and data," said the coalition, intent on disrupting the Trump Administration as much as possible.
The coalition boasted that judges had "granted their motions and issued restraining orders" and promised to continue to "stand their ground" against the Trump Admin.
The statement was led by Connecticut Attorney General William Tong and also signed by the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Maine, Minnesota, New Jersey, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington.
Vance's original tweet is below.
If a judge tried to tell a general how to conduct a military operation, that would be illegal.
— JD Vance (@JDVance) February 9, 2025
If a judge tried to command the attorney general in how to use her discretion as a prosecutor, that's also illegal.
Judges aren't allowed to control the executive's legitimate power.
The replies show overwhelming support for Vance's comment which came after Judge Paul Engelmayer, a US district court judge, issued an injunction stopping DOGE from accessing the Treasury Department’s central payment system in order to find waste and corruption.
It's worth noting that Judge Engelmayer is married to Emily Mandelstam and her NGO, "The New York Association for New Americans," was a recipient of USAID.
In response to learning this connection, Rep. Eli Crane from Arizona, announced he would be drafting articles of impeachment for US District Judge Paul Engelmayer.
"Partisan judges abusing their positions is a threat to democracy," wrote Rep. Crane.
Judge Paul Engelmayer's wife Emily Mandestam works for an open borders NGO called "The New York Association For New Americans"
— Retro Coast (@RetroCoast) February 11, 2025
It gets funding from USAID- the same reform that Judge Engelmayer BLOCKED.https://t.co/TuWjWXHU0r
