Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett joined New York Times columnist Ross Douthat Thursday on his podcast, Interesting Times.
Douthat and Justice Barrett covered a wide range of topics, including how Barrett sees the job and whether or not she has any ambition to be an icon like her predecessor on the court, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Barrett made clear she has no interest in being a cultural icon and sees her work as being “solitary.”
The conversation eventually turned to the Trump administration’s assault on the judicial system and the Supreme Court’s apparent embrace of the “unitary executive theory,” which cedes more and more power to the president at the expense of the other two branches of government.
“This will be the last question: One issue related to those kinds of short-term costs and long-term costs is the question of the Supreme Court’s own position in the balance of powers between the branches and its ability to get the other branches to heed its rulings,” Douthat said, winding down the interview. He added:
The Supreme Court does not command the power of the purse, doesn’t command the military, doesn’t have police powers. What it has, in a sense, is prestige, public support, a historic constitutional role.
And we’re in a moment — and we don’t have to make this specific to the Trump White House — when it’s very easy to imagine, from either the left or the right, some present or future president deciding to test the court, Andrew Jackson-style, saying: Interesting ruling, Justice Barrett. Good luck enforcing it.
How do you think about that potential challenge, as a member of the court?
Barrett replied, “Well, I think that you are absolutely right that just as the court must take account of the consequences on the institutional dynamics, say, between a current president and a future president, the balance of power between the executive branch and the legislative branch, that of course, those same kinds of institutional concerns for the long run are ones that play a part in the court’s separation of powers decisions and always have, because they also are reflected in concerns of the constitutional structure.”
Douthat pressed the question again, “OK, let me try that again: If a president defied the Supreme Court, what would you do?”
Barrett replied, “Well, as you say, the court lacks the power of the purse. We lack the power of the sword. And so, we interpret the Constitution, we draw on precedents, we have these questions of structure, and we make the most with the tools that we have.”
Watch above.
The post Amy Coney Barrett Pressed On What the Supreme Court Would Do If Trump Defied It first appeared on Mediaite.
Amy Coney Barrett Pressed On What the Supreme Court Would Do If Trump Defied It THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2025-10-17 03:40:51 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law