Attacks on courts belie the facts
Trump's continued and most recent attacks on the judiciary are a perfect example of why he is a menace to our country. A common corrosive tactic of authoritarian dictators is to recklessly and falsely undermine our government institutions. Trump recently wrote: "the 9th Circuit is a complete and total disaster. It is out of control, has a horrible reputation, is overturned more than any circuit in the country, 79 percent."
It's too easy for anybody reading Trump's wild claims to think and believe he's right, our judicial system must be terrible. However the fact of the matter is just the opposite. Overall, they do an excellent job. Last year, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals terminated/disposed of 11,753 cases. Only a mere 12 of these cases were reversed by the Supreme Court, which means the Supreme Court reversed only 1/10 of 1 percent of the 9th Circuit's cases. Similarly, for the 12 month period ending Sept. 20, 2018, our U.S. Court of Appeals terminated 50,428 cases nationwide. Only 52 of these, a staggering low 1/10 of 1 percent were reversed by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Our judicial system is far from perfect, but it is a fundamental cornerstone and shining light of our great nation. Trump should be soundly condemned for disparaging one of our greatest institutions. The sooner Trump is removed from office, the better. Then we can also begin to recover from the damage he is causing to the presidency and our nation as a whole.
John Clark
Fox River Grove