GOP Senator Warns Trump DOJ Nominees to Uphold the Rule of Law: ‘Don’t Ever, Ever’ Say You Won’t Follow a Court Order

Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) warned some of President Donald Trump’s judicial nominees to obey court rulings whether they agree with them or not.

Kennedy cautioned during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing that once the courts no longer have “legitimacy,” the judiciary would collapse.

During Wednesday’s Senate hearing, senior Justice Department nominees were grilled by Democrats to whether they believed it was ever okay for a president to ignore or defy a ruling from a federal judge, NBC News reported.

Trump and his closest allies have questioned in recent whether the executive branch should simply ignore district court judges they do not agree with.

People such as Vice President JD Vance have argued rogue judges have the ability to leave the president powerless.

As Democrats pressed Trump’s nominees on the issue, they found an unlikely ally in Kennedy. The Louisiana Republican warned that all federal rulings as he accused Democrats of ignoring rulings they did not agree with during the term of former President Joe Biden.

“You’re all adults,” the senator said. “You’re all officers of the court.” He then offered each of the nominees some advice:

I may be wrong but I doubt it. Don’t ever, ever take the position that you’re not going to follow the order of a federal court. Ever. Now, you can disagree with it within the bounds of legal ethics, you can criticize it, you can appeal it, or you can resign. For four years. I have watched people in this town. Not all – not everybody, but many try to undermine the legitimacy of the federal judiciary. And it triggered each and every time my gag reflex.

I’ve watched them try to pack the Supreme Court. I have watched an esteemed member of this body on the steps of the Supreme Court threaten Justices Gorsuch and Justice Kavanaugh. I’ve seen that. I’ve seen this body – some in good faith, but some in bad faith – try to impose an unconstitutional violative the separation of powers doctrine ethics code on the Supreme Court. Just to try to undermine their legitimacy. Now, all our judiciary has – an equal branch of government has  – is its legitimacy. It doesn’t have an army. Don’t ever say you’re not going to follow the order of a court. You may not agree with it. But that’s my advice. And I think you ought to take it.

Among the nominees to come before the committee was Aaron Reitz, who has been nominated as assistant attorney general.

Watch above via C-SPAN.