The Courts to the Rescue!(SMOKING GUN) (judges on Donald Trump)

• Author: Lueders, Bill

One of the few guardrails keeping Donald Trump and crew from careening into pure chaos has been that often-overlooked third branch of government: the courts. On multiple occasions, judges have stepped into the fray to rein in his administrations lawless inclinations. Here are a few examples from recent weeks. (*)

July 10: U.S District Court Judge Dolly Gee of California rejected the Trump Administration's attempts to evade restrictions on detaining immigrant children as "cynical," "ill-considered," and "wholly without merit." She later ordered the government to transfer immigrant minors out of a detention facility in Texas due to allegations of abuse and over-medication.

July 25: U.S. District Judge Peter Messitte of Maryland denied the U.S. Justice Department's effort to shut down a challenge brought by state attorneys general over Trump's continuing financial interest in a Washington, D.C., hotel frequented by foreign officials. He said the plaintiffs have "plausibly alleged" the President Js violating the Constitution.

August 1: The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in California found Trump's threats to withhold federal funding from "sanctuary cities" unconstitutional. "Absent Congressional authorization, the administration may not redistribute or withhold properly appropriated funds in order to effectuate its own policy goals," Chief Judge Sidney Thomas wrote for the majority.

August 9: U.S. District Judge Emmet G. Sullivan of the District of Columbia threatened to hold Attorney General Jeff Sessions in contempt unless he halted the deportation of a mother and her daughter who were sent back to El Salvador before their asylum requests were considered. "I'm not asking, I'm...