In a republic built on the notion of self-governance, there is no greater insult to the American people than when unelected judges twist the law to oppose the clear will of the citizenry. And yet, in the same week, we’ve been handed not one, but two jaw-dropping examples of just that.
In Wisconsin, a state judge—yes, a judge—allegedly obstructed federal authorities from apprehending an illegal alien. According to reporting from Fox News, Judge Brittany Grayson not only tipped off the suspect that ICE was waiting outside her courtroom, but then proceeded to allow the alien to exit through a side door, effectively assisting in his escape from lawful custody. Now the FBI has arrested her.
Let that sink in: a judge sworn to uphold the law is under arrest for breaking it to protect someone who already broke it just by being here illegally.
Meanwhile, down the legal road in the federal system, another judge has blocked a Trump executive order aimed at encouraging states to require voter ID—a measure that enjoys overwhelming support from the American people, across party lines, racial lines, economic lines. Why? Because it’s common sense. In today’s America, you need ID to buy cold medicine, board a plane, or adopt a dog—but some judges think it’s “discriminatory” to require one to vote for who controls the nuclear codes.
This is lawfare. But worse, it’s rogue lawfare—an organized effort by ideological jurists to delay, derail, and delegitimize the restoration of common sense through a duly-elected administration. They know they can't win on the merits. So they weaponize the robe. They manipulate the process. They jam the gears.
They are not judging. They are engineering outcomes. They are not interpreting the law. They are replacing it with their personal politics.
And while their rulings might appear neutral on paper, their effects are laser-guided: paralyzing Trump’s efforts to return sanity to our borders, our ballots, and our system of justice.
The left has long accused conservatives of being “anti-democracy.” But what could be more anti-democratic than judges nullifying the plainly expressed will of voters?
Take voter ID. Poll after poll shows that Americans—yes, even majorities of Democrats and minorities—support it. It’s a foundational safeguard. But what do rogue judges say? No. Not because the Constitution forbids it (it doesn’t), but because they don’t like the outcome it would bring: fewer fraudulent votes, tighter ballot security, and more accountability. In other words, fairer elections—and they can’t afford that.
On the immigration front, we have literal judicial obstruction of justice. There’s a word for when someone helps a fugitive escape law enforcement: it’s called aiding and abetting. And the fact that the person wearing the robe did it from the bench should make it more serious, not less.
But for some reason, these judges feel emboldened. Why? Because for years they’ve been treated as untouchable. Immune to consequences. Shrouded in the myth that they are impartial, above reproach, and beyond scrutiny.
No more.
Judges who act lawlessly must face accountability just like anyone else. And Americans who see their rights and laws undermined by judicial activists must wake up to the power they still have.
Here are two things you can do today:
1. Demand your state legislature exercise its power to remove rogue judges.
Most state constitutions provide a process for removing judges—either by impeachment, judicial review boards, or recall elections. Judges are not gods. They are public servants. And when they aid fugitives or block widely supported voter integrity measures, they must be stripped of the bench they have abused. Call your state reps. Demand oversight. Put names to paper.
2. Support the expansion of judicial reform under the next Trump administration.
President Trump must appoint constitutionalist judges at every level—and Congress must support structural reforms, including term limits for federal judges, the breakup of activist circuits, and stronger mechanisms to fast-track appeals when rogue judges defy precedent. Push your representatives to make this part of the conservative legislative agenda.
This is no longer a matter of judicial philosophy. It’s a matter of republic survival. A nation cannot endure when its laws are selectively enforced, and its courts are corrupted by activism.
The robe has become a disguise. A cover for insurgency. And when judges abandon their sworn duty to uphold the law and instead use their power to sabotage it—they become enemies, not arbiters.
The American people make the law. The American people choose their leaders. And the American people are waking up to the reality that some in the judiciary have become agents of chaos.
The robe no longer hides the weapon.
It is the weapon.
And it’s time we disarmed it.
For Townhall.com, I’m Kevin McCullough.
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