Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

NYT Accidentally Confesses There’s A Left-Wing Judicial Coup Against Trump
The Federalist ^ | February 18, 2026 | Shawn Fleetwood

Posted on 02/20/2026 5:58:46 AM PST by Twotone

CNN legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin has never been one to show good judgement. When he’s not getting caught conducting “personal business” on a staff Zoom call, he’s accidentally admitting that there’s an ongoing leftist-led judicial coup designed to stymie President Trump’s agenda.

The serial self-pleasurer let the proverbial cat out of the bag in his Monday opinion column for The New York Times. Titled, “The Plan for a Radically Different Supreme Court Is Here,” the article purports to roll out a blueprint for countering conservative appointments of originalist judges to the bench but inadvertently discloses the existence of leftists’ efforts to weaponize the judicial system against Trump.

The admission comes in the piece’s opening paragraphs, in which Toobin discusses the American Constitution Society and its new president, Phil Brest. The ACS has often been described as the less successful and left-wing alternative to the conservative Federalist Society, which has become an influential force in getting originalists appointed to the Supreme Court and other federal judgeships.

Toobin notes how Brest — who worked in the Biden White House’s counsel office — “helped the president nominate and win confirmation of 235 federal judges, which is more than Mr. Trump’s total in his first term.” In the very next sentence, however, the CNN legal analyst let it slip that these judicial appointments have become the left’s primary tool in grinding Trump and his voters’ agenda to a halt.

“Those [Biden] judges — and others appointed by Democratic presidents — have proved that the most effective resistance to Mr. Trump has come not from Democratic politicians but rather from federal judges,” wrote Toobin, who subsequently listed off a series of overreaching orders issued by “these judges, many of them Biden appointees,” against the 47th president.

Toobin goes on to lament how the ACS has not boasted the same level of success as groups like The Federalist Society and has failed to advance an alternative style of judicial interpretation to originalism, which emphasizes the interpretation of the Constitution as written at the time of its adoption. Once again, the CNN legal analyst openly admits that — contrary to the article’s headline — the ACS doesn’t actually have a different philosophy or “plan” in mind, and that the group’s only strategy at the moment is appointing activist judges who will abuse their authority to stonewall Republican presidents.

“For now, under Mr. Brest, the A.C.S. seems headed for an approach that looks like the one that Democratic politicians have so far adopted: aimed more at opposition to Mr. Trump’s record rather than on a specific, alternative vision for the Constitution. In his opening message to the group, Mr. Brest described the A.C.S. as building ‘a bulwark against overreach by the Trump administration and the Roberts court,'” Toobin wrote. “Mr. Brest has pledged that A.C.S. will continue its Biden-era focus on judicial appointments … As for what those judges will stand for — as opposed to what they stand against — Mr. Brest has no clear answer.”

What Toobin’s article encapsulates is the left’s ongoing struggle session about how best to lie to the American people about the kinds of legal minds they want to appoint to the bench and their blatant disregard for proper separation of powers.

The entire reason for the modern originalist movement’s foundation and ultimate success is because of past Supreme Courts’ embrace of living constitutionalism, a style of judicial interpretation in which judges treat the Constitution as a “living” document that magically evolves with the times. It is through this philosophy that judges take it upon themselves to act as legislators and effectively rewrite America’s founding document as they see fit.

Whereas living constitutionalism takes away the people and their elected representatives’ lawmaking power and hands it to unelected lawyers in black robes, originalism delivers the opposite — a maintaining of separation of powers in which Americans hold the exclusive power to amend the Constitution.

In many cases, the current Supreme Court has adopted the latter approach instead of the former and has rolled back much of the activism of past Supreme Courts. With this avenue of power no longer available to them and the legislative and executive branches under Republican control, leftists have turned to their last available option: the lower courts.

As admitted by Toobin, Democrat-appointed district judges have become a critical feature of the left’s evolving lawfare against Trump and those who support him. In response to leftist-backed lawsuits, these judges have spent the past year issuing overreaching injunctions and temporary restraining orders blocking every aspect of the president’s agenda — with some even going as far as attempting to unilaterally halt enactment of policies passed by Congress.

While the Supreme Court has limited some of these actions, loopholes in the high court’s 2025 ruling on lower courts’ abuse of nationwide injunctions have continued to be exploited by rogue judges. The GOP Congress and Trump have also declined to take necessary action to stop this weaponization of the judicial system.

The Times and Toobin may think the latter’s article is shining a light on a new and exciting counter to the successful originalist movement. In reality, it’s just further affirmation of the left’s willingness to wreck America’s constitutional system in their quest for unfettered power.


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: judges; leftists; nokings; noqueens

Click here: to donate by Credit Card

Or here: to donate by PayPal

Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794

Thank you very much and God bless you.


1 posted on 02/20/2026 5:58:46 AM PST by Twotone
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: Twotone
CNN legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin has never been one to show good judgement.

But he IS a master debater, from what I've heard.

2 posted on 02/20/2026 6:00:33 AM PST by Sicon ("All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others." - G. Orwell)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Twotone

Paging Roberts to the red curtesy phone.

Really, no Obama Judges?


3 posted on 02/20/2026 6:01:18 AM PST by Skwor
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Twotone

The “American Constitution Society.”

The Left are experts at hijacking the meaning and use of everyday words.

When a democrats swears to support and defend the Constitution, rest assured he will lie about other matters.


4 posted on 02/20/2026 6:05:37 AM PST by Jacquerie (ArticleVBlog.com)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Twotone

Bkmk


5 posted on 02/20/2026 6:19:32 AM PST by sauropod
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Twotone

SEDITIOUS TRAITORS!


6 posted on 02/20/2026 6:37:38 AM PST by Democrat = party of treason
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Twotone

One more “conspiracy” shown to be actually true.

Funny how the Democrats always come up as the villains in these things.


7 posted on 02/20/2026 6:48:26 AM PST by MikelTackNailer (The future isn't like I remembered it to be.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Twotone

Trump is good, but we need Pinochet.


8 posted on 02/20/2026 6:48:39 AM PST by Salman (Trump is good, but we need Pinochet. )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Salman

9 posted on 02/20/2026 6:59:49 AM PST by Albion Wilde (Yesterday only comes one time. —Sorrells Pickard)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: Salman

10 posted on 02/20/2026 7:31:15 AM PST by lowbridge ("Let’s check with Senator Schumer before we run it" - NY Times Editor)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: lowbridge

There’s going to come a point in time when people start saying:

“It’s all political.”

Then come the helicopters over the Atlantic.


11 posted on 02/20/2026 8:29:49 AM PST by an amused spectator (principled conservatism is Lefty subterfuge)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: an amused spectator

…which are agreeable


12 posted on 02/20/2026 8:31:23 AM PST by combat_boots
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: Sicon

With one hand tied behind his back or otherwise engaged.


13 posted on 02/20/2026 8:50:14 AM PST by Freedumb
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Sicon

That’s Jeffrey “Loobin’” Toobin...


14 posted on 02/20/2026 9:50:09 AM PST by OrangeHoof ("Our property is protected by two pitbulls. They love visitors, especially with marinara or garlic.")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson