Transcript: Trump’s Own Tweet on Portland Backfires in Big Court Loss

Sargent: Just to wrap this up, the judge also issued a strong denunciation of Trump that I’d like to quote: “This is a nation of constitutional law, not martial law.” AG, that’s what’s at stake here, I think. Do you expect this to go to the Supreme Court and how do you predict the Supreme Court will handle the underlying issues?

Rayfield: You know, the optimist in me says, hey, there’s nothing to see here, and the Supreme Court will sit there and say, hey, the lower-court judge got it right. And I really do believe the lower court judge got it right. She’s very thoughtful, was in the weeds, understands what’s at stake.

I think the Supreme Court—even if it makes it to them—will understand what’s at stake here in America. And again, sometimes even having the Supreme Court rule in our favor might be what this country needs to see to really know that even this conservative court—even a judge appointed by Trump—sees it differently.

We shouldn’t need that in society right now, but because we’re so polarized, because we have politicians on both sides who continue to push the polarization, it’s tough for people to know really who to trust. So to have some of these validators—to have a judge who’s more conservative, appointed by Trump, rule in favor and talk, not just philosophically but practically, about what our democracy means—is incredibly important right now in these times. I just wish more people would listen.