‘There are judges in Jerusalem,’ Menachem Begin is reputed to have proclaimed, following a court ruling which he believed vindicated one of his policy positions.
The phrase has been appropriated by critics of judicial reform and others keen to see Bagatz, the Israeli supreme court, remain a bulwark against illiberal overreach by the government. ‘There are judges in Jerusalem’ is a reassuring reminder that, whatever the designs of politicians, the law remains the supreme rule of the land.
There are judges in Washington DC, too. The Supreme Court of the United States has denied the Trump administration’s application for vacatur of a temporary restraining order preventing the State Department from implementing the USAID cuts announced by Donald Trump. In February, a coalition of NGOs and businesses filed suit claiming the proposed funding withdrawals were unlawful and sought relief enjoining the State Department from enforcing the president’s orders until the matter could be litigated.
The US District Court for the District of Columbia issued a temporary restraining order, halting any funding cuts, then followed this up with a second order directing the administration to hand over $2 billion in funding to aid agencies and development projects within 36 hours.
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