Tyranny Begins: The Necessity To Face And Fight For The Truth – The Week In Review (3/6-3/12)
Behind The Headlines With Andrew Weissmann, Vol 3.2
Folks,
This week, one theme keeps surfacing: normalization of the unthinkable. The danger isn’t just the dismantling of institutions and norms or the blatant abuses of power as found by numerous federal trial courts. It's how we fight not accepting that as the "new normal."
In Reality Check, I reflect on this shift. When a 5-4 Supreme Court decision feels like a “win,” or when we sigh with relief over small victories amid blatant corruption, we risk losing perspective. The question isn’t just what’s happening, but how we’re reacting—and whether we’re unconsciously moving the goalposts.
In Questions Answered, I address the legal fallout of mass federal firings and the dismantling of civil service protections. These aren’t theoretical concerns—the issue is heading to the Supreme Court. And for those asking, “What can I do?” The answer is: plenty. Make your voice heard. Collective action still matters. For more, see my post on “What Can I Do?”
The frontal assault on defense counsel and academia underscores the broader strategy at play. These attacks are about division and fear, meant to silence opposition. The response? Solidarity. Institutions must stand together when one is under attack—because if they don’t, the threat spreads. Trump’s executive orders attacking major law firms is a key example of the need for solidarity. As Judge Beryl Howell observed, in enjoining all the challenged provisions of the executive order attacking the life blood of the law firm Perkins Coie, the executive order sent shock waves of horror in the legal community.
Finally, on the Main Justice podcast, we explored (among other things) the Khalil case involving the unceremonious arrest of a Columbia University student who is a lawful permanent resident. That case is unfolding amid growing political pressure on universities and the legal system.
The message this week is clear: awareness isn’t enough. If we accept this new normal, we risk losing our footing entirely. As I noted on our podcast, all this reminded me of a particular passage from the play A Man For All Seasons involving Sir Thomas More, who stood up for principle in the face of royal dictate, and put his life on the line in doing so.
A Man for All Seasons
William Roper: “So, now you give the Devil the benefit of law!”
Sir Thomas More: “Yes! What would you do? Cut a great road through the law to get after the Devil?”
William Roper: “Yes, I'd cut down every law in England to do that!”
Sir Thomas More: “Oh? And when the last law was down, and the Devil turned 'round on you, where would you hide, Roper, the laws all being flat? This country is planted thick with laws, from coast to coast, Man's laws, not God's! And if you cut them down, and you're just the man to do it, do you really think you could stand upright in the winds that would blow then? Yes, I'd give the Devil benefit of law, for my own safety's sake!”
― Robert Bolt, A Man for All Seasons: A Play in Two Acts
The point is that if laws are easily discarded when inconvenient, there is no check on power wielded by the ruthless and cruel. If the law is only followed when you like the result, and otherwise disobeyed, we are no longer a nation of laws, but have only the law of the jungle.
As John Locke observed, in words that resonate through the centuries, “wherever law ends, tyranny begins."
—Andrew
Here’s what we’ve covered on Substack this past week (3/6-3/12), including both public and paid (🔒) subscriber posts. If you missed anything, the links are below.
Vol 3.1.a
Vol 3.1.b:
🔒Vol 3.1.c:
🔒Vol 3.1.d:
🔒Vol 3.1.e:
Vol 3.1.f:
This Week’s Appearances:
UPCOMING NEXT WEEK:
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I read a fairly large number of substack letters, op-eds, and front page news and opinions offered in publications like the Atlantic. And I have to say, Andrew, that this column made my hair stay on end, and is the most clear and valiant call to action I have yet run into. And it is so true that all that stands between us and ‘the Devil’ is that flawed but glorious, painstakingly constructed at great sacrifice over the past several centuries, the Law. And now we must discover not only who we are, and if we will protect it come what may, but which of our remaining public institutions will stand with us. Thanks for your courage and clarity along the way.
The one word of action in this opinion is “solidarity.”
That was the rallying cry that overthrew the communist government of Poland through the strike led by the stalwart Lech Walesa.
We need a Walesa now to overthrow the Trumpian autocracy. But even more than a charismatic leader like Walesa, such as does not now appear among todays facile democrats, we need our free press, while it is still free, to issue the clarion call for federal workers to strike in solidarity with those of us who cherish their rights and liberties, their environment and their hard won and self-sustained entitlements to healthcare, education and life’s basic necessities.
SOLIDARITY - STRIKE