{"id":958,"date":"2026-01-13T14:55:46","date_gmt":"2026-01-13T14:55:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sterlingcooper.info\/blog\/?p=958"},"modified":"2026-01-13T14:55:46","modified_gmt":"2026-01-13T14:55:46","slug":"judge-blasts-federal-imperial-judges-who-think-they-are-above-the-president-and-congress","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sterlingcooper.info\/blog\/judge-blasts-federal-imperial-judges-who-think-they-are-above-the-president-and-congress\/","title":{"rendered":"JUDGE BLASTS FEDERAL &#8220;IMPERIAL&#8221; JUDGES WHO THINK THEY ARE ABOVE THE PRESIDENT AND CONGRESS"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"row justify-content-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-11 col-lg-10 col-xl-8\">\n<header class=\"article-header mb-30 mb-sm-60 text-center\">\n<h1 class=\"title-lg\">Judge Ho Takes A Sledgehammer To Judicial Supremacy And Its \u2018Elite\u2019 Enablers<\/h1>\n<\/header>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row justify-content-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-11 col-md-10\">\n<figure class=\"article-thumbnail mb-30 mb-sm-60\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"img-fluid w-100 wp-post-image\" src=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/James-Ho-1200x675.png\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/James-Ho-1200x675.png 1200w, https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/James-Ho-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/James-Ho-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/James-Ho-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/James-Ho-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/James-Ho.png 1600w\" alt=\"James Ho speaking at a lecture.\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-thumbnail-caption d-flex align-items-center justify-content-md-end label-xs mt-15\"><i class=\"mdi mdi-camera me-10\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i> <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Image Credit<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=O6Bg_47o4N4\">The Federalist Society\/YouTube<\/a><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<div id=\"stickypbModal2418\">\n<div><\/div>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1639588969819-0\"><iframe id=\"google_ads_iframe_\/1011927,45516661\/TFC_BTFLeaderboard_1\" width=\"0\" height=\"0\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row justify-content-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-11 col-lg-10 col-xl-8 col-xxl-7\">\n<div class=\"article-excerpt body-lg bdr-btm-black pb-30 pb-md-45 mb-30 mb-sm-45\">\n<p>\u2018If the American people can\u2019t expect the judiciary to stay in its lane, then federal judges shouldn\u2019t expect the American people to follow them.\u2019<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body body-md mt-30 mt-sm-60\">\n<div class=\"article-share text-center article-share-offset\">\n<ul class=\"article-share-list list-unstyled m-0 p-0\">\n<li class=\"article-share-facebook m-0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/01\/13\/judge-ho-takes-a-sledgehammer-to-judicial-supremacy-and-its-elite-enablers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u00a0<\/a>Years before becoming a judge on the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, James Ho clerked for the renowned Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. So, it should come as little surprise that after witnessing Thomas\u2019 mastery of words up close, Ho would go on to display his own writing prowess in his judicial works.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-content\">\n<p>Receiving little attention outside legal circles, Ho <a href=\"https:\/\/journals.law.harvard.edu\/jlpp\/not-enough-respect-for-the-judiciary-or-too-much-judge-james-c-ho\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">authored<\/a> an <a href=\"https:\/\/journals.law.harvard.edu\/jlpp\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/90\/2026\/01\/Not-Enough-Respect-Ho-final.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">article<\/a> for the Harvard Journal of Law &amp; Public Policy last week criticizing what he views to be an increasing \u201carrogance\u201d among many federal judges \u2014 an arrogance he argues is downstream from judicial supremacy. As The Federalist previously <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/05\/09\/john-roberts-is-the-judicial-supremacist-the-founders-warned-us-about\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">described<\/a>, judicial supremacy is the belief that the executive and legislative branches are subordinate to the Supreme Court and the judicial branch, meaning judges \u2014 rather than the people\u2019s elected representatives \u2014 are the ultimate authority on law and policy.<\/p>\n<div id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-1271698720\" class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2-long d-flex justify-content-center\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1379703300879-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><iframe id=\"google_ads_iframe_\/1011927,45516661\/TFC_300_by_250_top_1\" width=\"0\" height=\"0\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Ho started his article by highlighting how many of the federal judges now <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/10\/13\/if-anyones-causing-a-judicial-crisis-its-rogue-lower-court-judges\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">supposedly concerned<\/a> about \u201cjudicial independence\u201d after President Trump\u2019s return to office were silent as left-wing \u201ccultural elites bombarded certain Justices and judges with absurd ethical complaints.\u201d Their silence persisted, Ho added, even \u201c[a]s the [Biden] Justice Department refused to prosecute individuals for harassing certain Justices at their own homes\u201d after the leak of SCOTUS\u2019s 2022 <em>Dobbs<\/em> draft decision, and \u201c[a]s elite law schools allowed students to disrupt events to protest certain judicial decisions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt wasn\u2019t until this year \u2014 following the inauguration of a new President \u2014 that the Federal Judges Association suddenly found its voice, and suddenly discovered a crisis over judicial independence,\u201d Ho wrote. \u201cAfter years of silence, it\u2019s obvious that these concerns are not sincere, but strategic. What they\u2019re really championing is not judicial independence, but judicial supremacy. What we\u2019re really seeing in the judiciary is not principle, but arrogance.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ho contended that much of this arrogance \u2014 which he argued entails an elitist mindset among \u201c[t]oo many judges\u201d \u2014 stems from judicial supremacy and a backward system that teaches rising legal minds \u201cto venerate (if not worship) judges.\u201d He then dispelled the notion of America having three \u201cco-equal\u201d branches of government, noting that while the judiciary \u201chas an important role in our constitutional republic,\u201d \u201cit\u2019s a limited one.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJudges don\u2019t write the law. Judges don\u2019t execute the law. And that\u2019s for one simple reason. As Americans, we believe that we can govern ourselves,\u201d Ho wrote. \u201cOur Constitution begins \u2018We the <em>people<\/em>\u2019 \u2014 not we the few with life tenure. Our Founders didn\u2019t fight a Revolutionary War to replace one king in royal garb with hundreds of kings in judicial robes. Judges are supposed to apply the law to whatever disputes are brought before us \u2014 and leave <em>everything else <\/em>to the other branches of government.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Citing The Federalist Papers, the Trump appointee further underscored that the framers viewed the judiciary as the \u201c<em>least powerful<\/em> branch,\u201d as it lacks the \u201csword\u201d and \u201cpurse\u201d possessed by the other two branches. Only by issuing rulings \u201cbased on what the law is \u2014 and not on our personal views on what the law should be,\u201d he reasoned, can the judiciary \u201c<em>earn<\/em> the respect of the other branches.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ho subsequently directed his focus toward the hypocritical views of \u201ccultural elites\u201d suddenly concerned about \u201cjudicial independence\u201d under Trump. He specifically criticized them for \u201cprais[ing] and protect[ing] judges who do their bidding \u2014 and condemn[ing] and cancel[ing] those who don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe double standards are everywhere. And they aren\u2019t inadvertent. They\u2019re intentional. Because the elites don\u2019t want neutrality. They want conformity,\u201d Ho wrote. \u201cIf you don\u2019t conform, they\u2019ll call you corrupt, unethical, racist, sexist. They\u2019ll say and do whatever it takes to get you to bend the knee. And even if you still won\u2019t conform, they\u2019ll attack you anyway, because they know that others will get the message and comply. The double standards don\u2019t trouble the elites, because to them, this isn\u2019t a debate \u2014 it\u2019s a war.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ho further chastised (left-wing) members of the ruling class for \u201cfundamentally misunderstand[ing]\u201d how the judicial system is supposed to operate and noted how many Americans support <em>real<\/em> judicial independence because they believe judges should be \u201c<em>impartial<\/em>\u201d \u2014 not \u201c<em>imperial<\/em>.\u201d He surmised that judges abusing their authority and abandoning impartiality will result in a loss of trust among the people, which he said would be \u201cfatal to the rule of law\u201d and \u201centirely our fault.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ho\u2019s commentary also touched on originalism, which involves interpreting the Constitution as originally written at the time it was adopted. He highlighted three key areas he views as \u201cthreats\u201d toward the philosophy, namely the \u201cinsubordination in the district courts\u201d; \u201cfair-weather originalism,\u201d which is when \u201cyou\u2019re an originalist only when elites won\u2019t be upset with you\u201d and \u201cwhen it\u2019s easy\u201d; and the temptation among judges to \u201cavoid the kinds of issues that most energize and anger cultural elites \u2014 cases about abortion, transgender ideology, religious liberty, and illegal immigration.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>While Ho concluded his article by voicing optimism about the future of the judiciary and judges faithfully interpreting the Constitution in the year ahead. Citing his more than a decade-long experience in the judicial selection process, he also suggested several \u201cprinciples\u201d to look for in potential future judges and reaffirmed the proper role of the judiciary in American life.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy hope is that judicial supremacy will ultimately prove to be self-defeating \u2014 that the harder its proponents push, the more likely they\u2019ll fail,\u201d Ho wrote. \u201cIf the American people can\u2019t expect the judiciary to stay in its lane, then federal judges shouldn\u2019t expect the American people to follow them.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"stickypbModal2397\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Judge Ho Takes A Sledgehammer To Judicial Supremacy And Its \u2018Elite\u2019 Enablers Image CreditThe Federalist Society\/YouTube \u2018If the American people can\u2019t expect the judiciary to stay in its lane, then federal judges shouldn\u2019t expect the American people to follow them.\u2019 \u00a0Years before becoming a judge on the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, James Ho clerked [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-958","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sterlingcooper.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/958","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sterlingcooper.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sterlingcooper.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sterlingcooper.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sterlingcooper.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=958"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.sterlingcooper.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/958\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":959,"href":"https:\/\/www.sterlingcooper.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/958\/revisions\/959"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sterlingcooper.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=958"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sterlingcooper.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=958"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sterlingcooper.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=958"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}