Former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer weighs in on political climate
Former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer weighs in on political climate
Updated: 9:07 PM PDT May 23, 2025
TO EXERCISE ITS FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS. THIS WEEK, FORMER SUPREME COURT JUSTICE STEPHEN BREYER WAS THE FEATURED GUEST AT THE SACRAMENTO SPEAKERS SERIES. WITH THE CURRENT TENSION BETWEEN THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION AND THE JUDICIAL BRANCH OF THE GOVERNMENT, SOME LEGAL AND POLITICAL EXPERTS ARE WARNING WERE TEETERING ON THE EDGE OF A CONSTITUTIONAL CRISIS, AND OTHERS BELIEVE WE’RE ALREADY THERE. SO A PERFECT TIME TO ASK A JUSTICE TO WEIGH IN ON THIS. BEFORE I MODERATED THE SPEAKER’S SERIES EVENT, I LED A CONVERSATION WITH THE SMALLER GATHERING OF MIDDLE SCHOOL AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS. THERE’S BEEN A LOT OF COVERAGE OF RECENT CASES WHERE JUDGES HAVE ORDERED THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION TO TAKE ACTIONS THAT HAVE NOT HAPPENED, AND THAT’S AT THE HEART OF THE CONCERN OVER THE CONSTITUTIONAL BALANCE OF POWERS. BUT WHEN I ASKED JUSTICE BREYER ABOUT THIS ISSUE, HE DIDN’T SEEM CONCERNED. I DON’T KNOW OF AN INSTANCE WHEN THEY HAVEN’T FOLLOWED IT. MAYBE THERE ARE SOME, AND IF THERE ARE SOME, YOU CAN GO BACK INTO COURT AND YOU CAN SAY, JUDGE, THEY’RE NOT FOLLOWING YOUR CASE, IN WHICH CASE THEY’LL HAVE A HEARING AS TO WHETHER THEY ARE FOLLOWING IT OR NOT FOLLOWING IT. AND THEN THEY CAN ALWAYS SAY THERE’S SOMETHING CALLED CIVIL CONTEMPT OF COURT, CRIMINAL CONTEMPT OF COURT. THERE ARE VARIOUS REMEDIES COURTS HAVE. SO I THINK THE ONE PROBABLY THAT’S MOST IN THE NEWS RIGHT NOW IS KILMER ABREGO. GARCIA, WHO WAS ACCIDENTALLY DEPORTED, THE SUPREME COURT SAID THE GOVERNMENT HAS TO DO WHAT THEY CAN TO BRING HIM BACK. AND YOU DIDN’T SAY THAT. IT SAID, WHAT’S THE WORD? IT WAS TO FACILITATE OR FACILITATE BRINGING HIM BACK. AND I SUPPOSE THERE’S SOME PEOPLE WHO THINK THEY ARE FACILITATING IT OR DID FACILITATE IT AS MUCH AS THEY COULD, AND OTHERS WHO FEEL THEY’RE NOT. SO WHAT DO WE HAVE JUDGES FOR? WE HAVE THEM FOR DECIDING WHO’S RIGHT WHEN THEY DISAGREE. AT WHAT POINT WOULD YOU FEEL THAT WE WERE AT A CONSTITUTIONAL CRISIS? WHAT WOULD THAT LOOK LIKE? IT WOULD LOOK LIKE WHAT HAPPENED TO THE CHEROKEE INDIANS IN THE 1830S? PRESIDENT JACKSON CORRECT. PRESIDENT JACKSON, WHAT HAPPENED? AND I HOPE THEY THE STUDENTS ALL KNOW THIS. IT’S VERY INTERESTING, VERY IMPORTANT. AND FROM THERE, HE TALKED ABOUT THAT CASE WHERE PRESIDENT ANDREW JACKSON CLEARLY DID IGNORE A SUPREME COURT RULING. IT’S CONSIDERED A DARK PERIOD OF AMERICAN HISTORY. AND IF YOU’RE INTERESTED IN HEARING MORE OF THAT PART OF THE CONVERSATION, WE’LL BE POSTING HI
Former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer weighs in on political climate
Updated: 9:07 PM PDT May 23, 2025
As the featured guest at the Sacramento Speakers Series, retired United States Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer sat down with KCRA 3 and a group of Sacramento middle school and high school students before the event. Given the current tension between the Trump administration and the judicial branch of the government, some legal and political experts are warning that we are teetering on the edge of a constitutional crisis. Some believe we are already there. It was a perfect time to ask a Supreme Court Justice to weigh in. Although he didn’t seem concerned about the current cases involving the Trump Administration, he did point to a time in our nation’s history that he says defined a constitutional crisis. See that exchange in the video below: See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
As the featured guest at the Sacramento Speakers Series, retired United States Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer sat down with KCRA 3 and a group of Sacramento middle school and high school students before the event.
Given the current tension between the Trump administration and the judicial branch of the government, some legal and political experts are warning that we are teetering on the edge of a constitutional crisis. Some believe we are already there. It was a perfect time to ask a Supreme Court Justice to weigh in.
Although he didn’t seem concerned about the current cases involving the Trump Administration, he did point to a time in our nation’s history that he says defined a constitutional crisis.
See that exchange in the video below:
See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel