John Whitehead
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…
Nullifying the Constitution Won’t Make America Great Again
“You want to defend the United States of America, then defend it with the tools it supplies you with—its Constitution.”— Seven Days in May (1964) Anyone who wants to put America first needs to start by putting the Constitution first.…
The Deep State Wins Again: All the Ways ‘We the People’ Keep Losing Our Freedoms
“We’re gonna win so much, you may even get tired of winning. And you’ll say, ‘Please, please. It’s too much winning. We can’t take it anymore. Mr. President, it’s too much.’”—Donald Trump Almost one month into the Trump presidency,…
Did Facebook Conspire With the Government to Censor Speech in Violation of the First Amendment? Case Could Redefine Social Media Censorship
WASHINGTON, DC — The Rutherford Institute is calling on the U.S. Supreme Court to hold Facebook accountable for conspiring with the government to censor and suppress speech. Weighing in before the U.S. Supreme Court with an amicus brief…
A Constitutional Crisis: Can the Rule of Law Survive This Presidency?
“Never has our future been more unpredictable, never have we depended so much on political forces that cannot be trusted to follow the rules of common sense and self-interest — forces that look like sheer insanity, if judged…
Jailhouse ‘Blessed Are the Peacekeepers’ Motto Sparks Debate Over ‘Separation’ of Church & State
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. — A battle over the separation of church and state is brewing in Isabella County, Michigan, where the local sheriff’s office is facing demands to remove a “Blessed are the peacekeepers for they shall be…
