Second Trump Administration Marked by Relentless, Direct Attacks on Rule of Law, Constitutional Rights

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Nancy Rodriguez, media@acslaw.org

Washington, DC – The American Constitution Society today released the following statement on the first year of the second Trump administration:

“The first year of the second Trump administration was one marked by relentless, direct attacks on the rule of law and our constitutional rights. Entire agencies have been dismantled, the independence of academia and the press undermined, masked agents abducting immigrants and U.S. citizens alike from the street, and corruption run rampant. It will take historians volumes to fully chronicle the breadth and depth of lawlessness that has been unleashed in just this first year of Trump’s second term. No sector of American society has been left unaffected.

This President believes he is above the law and, unfortunately, he is not alone. In 2024, the conservative bloc of the U.S. Supreme Court found for the first time that a U.S. President has absolute immunity from criminal prosecution for actions within his constitutional authority and at least presumptive immunity from prosecution for all other official acts. Since then, the Court's conservative majority has demonstrated an increasing willingness to upend precedent and greenlight lawlessness, particularly through unexplained ruling in cases on its shadow docket.

But it is important to note that many lower court judges, who hear exponentially more cases than the Supreme Court, have stood as a bulwark protecting the rule of law. And we have seen Americans from every walk of life, including lawyers and law students, stand up and push back on this unprecedented assault on our constitutional rights and freedoms. For 25 years, ACS has defended the rule of law and advanced a vision of our laws and the Constitution that improves people’s lives. We have spent the last year highlighting the damage being done by this administration and how our network can be a part of the fight to save our democracy. As we enter this second year, that work continues. Join us.”

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AMERICAN CONSTITUTION SOCIETY
The American Constitution Society is a 501(c)3 non-profit, non-partisan legal organization. Through a diverse nationwide network of progressive lawyers, law students, judges, scholars, advocates, and many others, our mission is to support and advocate for laws and legal systems that redress the founding failures of our Constitution, strengthen our democratic legitimacy, uphold the rule of law, and realize the promise of equality for all, including people of color, women, LGBTQ+ people, people with disabilities, and other historically excluded communities. For more information, visit us at www.acslaw.org