Do you remember the “homework assignment” assigned to the DOJ by Judge Jerry Smith of the U.S. Court of Appeals of the Fifth Circuit?
Smith: Does the Department of Justice recognize that federal courts have the authority in appropriate circumstances to strike federal statutes because of one or more constitutional infirmities?
[DOJ lawyer Dana] Kaersvang: Yes, your honor. Of course, there would need to be a severability analysis, but yes.
Smith: I’m referring to statements by the president in the past few days to the effect…that it is somehow inappropriate for what he termed “unelected” judges to strike acts of Congress that have enjoyed — he was referring, of course, to Obamacare — what he termed broad consensus in majorities in both houses of Congress.
That has troubled a number of people who have read it as somehow a challenge to the federal courts or to their authority or to the appropriateness of the concept of judicial review. And that’s not a small matter. So I want to be sure that you’re telling us that the attorney general and the Department of Justice do recognize the authority of the federal courts through unelected judges to strike acts of Congress or portions thereof in appropriate cases.
Kaersvang: Marbury v. Madison is the law, your honor, but it would not make sense in this circumstance to strike down this statute, because there’s no –
Smith: I would like to have from you by noon on Thursday…a letter stating what is the position of the attorney general and the Department of Justice, in regard to the recent statements by the president, stating specifically and in detail in reference to those statements what the authority is of the federal courts in this regard in terms of judicial review. That letter needs to be at least three pages single spaced, no less, and it needs to be specific. It needs to make specific reference to the president’s statements and again to the position of the attorney general and the Department of Justice.
Recommended
The DOJ has turned in its response to the judge. FOX News’ Shannon Bream reveals:
https://twitter.com/#!/ShannonBream/status/187948590692446208
https://twitter.com/#!/ShannonBream/status/187948784603500544
https://twitter.com/#!/ShannonBream/status/187948807231778816
https://twitter.com/#!/ShannonBream/status/187949051994583041
https://twitter.com/#!/ShannonBream/status/187949103399976960
https://twitter.com/#!/ShannonBream/status/187949774614437888
https://twitter.com/#!/ShannonBream/status/187949801990668288
https://twitter.com/#!/ShannonBream/status/187950551516987393
https://twitter.com/#!/ShannonBream/status/187950861408940032
https://twitter.com/#!/ShannonBream/status/187951179223928833
You can view the DOJ’s full response here.
The 2 1/4-page memo went over like a lead balloon. The DOJ simultaneously tried to do a walkback from President Obama’s statements the other day and save face on Obama’s behalf, and it just made them all look incompetent.
https://twitter.com/#!/jeffemanuel/status/187953993589338112
https://twitter.com/#!/jeffemanuel/status/187954217506447360
https://twitter.com/#!/DrMetzler/status/187954851521630209
https://twitter.com/#!/johnnydollar01/status/187949544074518528
https://twitter.com/#!/michellemalkin/status/187951604035616770
https://twitter.com/#!/RBPundit/status/187960947992821760
https://twitter.com/#!/freddoso/status/187951999705296896
https://twitter.com/#!/DanFosterNRO/status/187953944734081024
https://twitter.com/#!/JulieRichards7/status/187958452209987585
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Iowahawk’s take on it?
https://twitter.com/#!/iowahawkblog/status/187955915994042368
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