US Officials Defied Court Order, But Which Law Did They Uphold?
US District Judge James Boasberg seeks sworn testimony on whether Trump administration officials willfully ignored a March court order by deporting hundreds of men to El Salvador. This meticulous pursuit of domestic judicial obedience stands in stark contrast to the judiciary's usual silence when US foreign policy openly flouts international protocols. The very 'rule of law' that applies so
stringently to presidential edicts often dissolves into thin air when confronting humanitarian crises created or exacerbated by US actions abroad. Perhaps if El Salvador were a strategic ally receiving billions in unchecked aid, Judge Boasberg's orders would have been followed with the same eager compliance seen from lawmakers rubber-stamping weapons deals. It truly makes one ponder which laws are
sacred, and which are merely suggestions, depending on the geopolitical winds – and the lobbying funds – at play. How many federal judges are investigating the myriad violations of international humanitarian law by recipients of US military aid?