Declaration of Independence

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. - That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.

Sunday, March 2, 2025

What Is A Constitutional Crisis?

The topic of discussion for this Constitution Monday concerns constitutional crises. Leftists tend to scream about constitutional crises because the Trump administration is moving extremely fast in an attempt to save the United States and bring peace to the world.

One of the tasks of the Trump administration is to cut federal government costs. The nation can wait no longer to bring the debt under control, or the United States of America will go bankrupt. Trump brought in Elon Musk and his team of geniuses who are finding much waste and possible fraud, and Leftists are screaming about constitutional crisis. Jacob Hess, staff writer for the Deseret News, discussed the situation. 

No one disagrees that the new White House administration is moving very quickly. But do steps being taken amount to a legitimate constitutional crisis, as many are now alleging?


“I think we should be careful in describing our situation as a constitutional crisis. It’s a term that we should save for a real emergency,” said Yuval Levin, director of Social, Cultural and Constitutional Studies at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), in a recent interview with Deseret News executive editor, Doug Wilks.


“It has to mean something, and I don’t think we’re in a place where we can say that.”

Levin explained, “A lot of our constitutional politics is a matter of action and reaction. We’ve seen a lot of actions from the president so far, and the question of what reactions are going to look like is still an open question. So, I think it’s much too soon to talk about a constitutional crisis. We have to see how the system responds to the pressures it’s under.”


When Levin was asked about whether he worried about the U.S. and its current resilience, the scholar acknowledged, “It makes sense to worry in a moment like this, when there’s a lot of pressure being put on the system.”


But he qualified: “I don’t think it makes sense to panic in this moment. We’re not in a place where the fundamentals of the system are being undermined. We’re in a place where the structure is being challenged, and that happens on a fairly regular basis in the American system of government.”


Levin’s views are aligned with other political science experts we’ve spoken with at Deseret News in recent weeks. …


What is it, then, that constitutes a true constitutional crisis? And what are the factors and relevant context to help us know if and when that’s taking place?


Those we spoke with pointed to the founders’ original design for a system allowing for vigorous push-and-pull between competing powers as backdrop for what we’re witnessing….


“I’d consider it ‘crisis,’” Curry said, “if over the long term power is overwhelmingly and broadly handed to one branch to such a degree that the other branches become meaningless or unimportant to governance.”


“A constitutional crisis is when there is extreme ambiguity and open conflict over the prerogatives of the three major branches of government designated by the U.S. Constitution,” said Self, adding that such a crisis could be recognized when institutional rules outlined in a constitution “no longer constrain” the most powerful actors, specifically the central executive. “We can think of this as whether there is the Rule of Law or not.” …

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