John Whitehead
Home Invasions on the Rise: Constitution-Free Policing in Trump’s America
“One of the most essential branches of English liberty is the freedom of one’s house. A man’s house is his castle.”—James Otis, Revolutionary War activist, on the Writs of Assistance, 1761 What the Founders rebelled against—armed government agents invading…
Constitutional Attorneys Urge Action After Masked, Plainclothes ICE Agents at Courthouse Spark ‘Kidnapping’ Fears
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — A chilling incident at the Albemarle County Courthouse has ignited alarm, prompting The Rutherford Institute to urge the Charlottesville City Council and Albemarle County Board of Supervisors to take immediate steps to safeguard constitutional rights…
How a President Becomes a Dictator: By Executive Order
“We are fast approaching the stage of the ultimate inversion: the stage where the government is free to do anything it pleases, while the citizens may act only by permission; which is the stage of the darkest periods…
Executive Orders, AI Tyranny, & 42 National Emergencies: Is the Constitution Dead? (Video)
In this interview with Collapse Life, civil liberties attorney John Whitehead reminds us just how we are sleepwalking our way to autocracy – on a road paved with 42 active national emergencies, unchecked executive power, and a $500 billion AI…
Legal Coalition Challenges Trump’s Use Of Executive Orders To Retaliate Against More Law Firms & Erode Checks & Balances
WASHINGTON, D.C. — A broad coalition of legal and civil liberties organizations is once again challenging President Trump’s use of executive orders to retaliate against law firms that he perceives as political opponents, suppress opposition and chill lawful…
Refugee. Dissident. Enemy of the State. Would ICE Have Crucified Jesus?
“Homegrowns are next. The homegrowns. You gotta build about five more places [like the CECOT prison]. It’s not big enough.”—President Trump on his desire to send American citizens to a megaprison in El Salvador, beyond the reach of U.S.…
Wrong Address, Wrong Target, Real Terror: U.S. Supreme Court Agrees to Hear FBI Raid Case
WASHINGTON, DC — The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case that could determine whether FBI agents can be held accountable for a botched SWAT raid that terrorized an innocent family in the middle of the…
A Financial Coup: How the Deep State Is Using Manufactured Crises to Seize Power
“This is economic sabotage. Whether through malice or incompetence or, more likely, both Trump is isolating the United States on the world stage, tanking the markets, worsening inflation, and burdening working families with the cost of his 18th-century cosplay.…
Legal Coalition Challenges President Trump’s Weaponization Of Executive Orders to Chill Speech, Suppress Dissent, & Erode Checks & Balances
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Denouncing the Trump Administration’s ongoing attempts to suppress dissent and chill lawful First Amendment activity, The Rutherford Institute has joined a broad coalition of eleven legal and civil liberties organizations to challenge President Trump’s use…
The United States of Tyranny: America Is Becoming a Constitution-Free Zone
“If tyranny and oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy.”—James Madison It’s no joke: America is becoming a Constitution-free zone. Little by little, our rights are being whittled down…
Making Our Rights Disappear: The Authoritarian War on Due Process
“If Trump can disappear them, he can disappear you. The Trump regime is already targeting immigrants who are here legally simply because they expressed opinions that Trump disagreed with. What makes you think he’ll stop there? With no…
Warning: Deporting Non-Citizen Protesters Sets a Dangerous Precedent of Punishment and Retaliation for All Americans
NEWARK, NJ — At a time when non-citizens are being targeted and deported for engaging in lawful, nonviolent political speech protected under the First Amendment, The Rutherford Institute is warning American citizens who criticize the government that they…
Beyond the Law: What It Means to Weaponize the Government
“This is war.”—President Trump President Trump’s declaration of war as a justification for using wartime powers to sidestep constitutional protections is indeed a war, but it is a war waged by the president against dissent, against due process, and against…
Should Parents Have the Right to Opt Their Young Children Out of School Curriculum Promoting Alternative Ideas About Sexuality and Gender?
WASHINGTON, DC — Should parents have the right to opt their elementary-aged children out of mandatory public school curriculum that promotes alternative ideas about gender and sexuality? In a joint amicus brief in Mahmoud v. Taylor, The Rutherford Institute and…
SCOTUS Inaction on Botched SWAT Raid Coupled with Trump’s Push for Greater Police Immunity Could Usher In a New Era of Lawless Policing & Brutality
WASHINGTON, DC — The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to hold a SWAT team leader accountable for raiding the wrong house, wrecking the wrong home, and terrorizing an innocent family. The Rutherford Institute is warning that the Court’s…
The Deep State’s War On Truth—Waged With Doublespeak, Delusion & Propaganda
“Political language is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind.” — George Orwell The Deep State’s war on truth is being waged with doubletalk, delusion and…
The Supreme Court Just Made It Easier for the Government to Violate Your Rights—Without Paying the Price
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Supreme Court has essentially handed the government a free pass to violate the Constitution—without paying the price. The 7-2 decision in Lackey v. Stinnie could gut civil rights enforcement and leave victims without access to justice. In…
