US judge finds administration wilfully defied court order in deportation flights

Rule of Law vs. Constitutional Crisis

• Many argue the administration’s defiance of the deportation order shows the US is effectively “lawless,” with courts unable to restrain executive power in practice.
• Others say it’s serious but not yet a full constitutional crisis: courts are still issuing orders and contempt findings; a true crisis would be systematic noncompliance or ignoring a clear Supreme Court ruling.
• Several see this as part of a longer slide: precedents like pardoning contempt of court are framed as proof the president can nullify judicial checks.

Courts, Contempt, and Pardons

• Lawyers in the thread highlight a key pressure point: if officials are held in criminal contempt and then pardoned, judicial authority is effectively gutted.
• Arpaio’s pardon is cited as a prior “proof of concept”; disagreement over whether that already constituted a constitutional crisis.
• Debate over presidential pardon power: some see it as a dangerous contradiction of separation of powers; others note its intended use as a humanitarian safety valve, albeit vulnerable to abuse.

Enforcement, the Military, and “Who Has the Guns”

• Skepticism that any order against senior officials would be enforced, since the executive controls federal law enforcement.
• Discussion turns to whether the military would obey unconstitutional orders against citizens; some believe the oath to the Constitution would hold, others fear politicization of the officer corps and “civil war 2.0” scenarios.

Public Response and Political Culture

• Multiple comments criticize US public complacency compared to mass protests and strikes in Europe or Ukraine’s Maidan, arguing that online outrage without sustained action changes little.
• Others counter that sizable protests are happening but lack organizing infrastructure for general strikes; current activism is seen as groundwork for that.

Immigrants’ Rights as Everyone’s Rights

• Strong concern that if habeas corpus and due process can be ignored for a documented migrant, the precedent can extend to citizens, corporations, and political opponents.
• Some note that support for harsh measures is high while targets are immigrants; warnings that “it won’t stop there” are common.

System Design and Structural Limits

• Discussion of the founding framework: one branch controls the military; no system can fully “design around” a mad or authoritarian executive.
• Some argue the aged US constitutional order hasn’t been updated like other countries’ and is now colliding with modern realities (instant communication, mass surveillance).