#ruleoflaw — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #ruleoflaw, aggregated by home.social.
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The Alibi of Antiquity: Tinubu, Hunger, and the Diplomacy of Shrugging by Lawson Akhigbe
Nobody disputes the premise. Hunger did, in fact, predate Bola Tinubu, in the same sense that gravity predated Isaac Newton. The trouble is what the premise is being asked to do. It is not offered as background. It is offered as an alibi, the rhetorical equivalent of a defendant telling the court that crime existed before he was born, and therefore he cannot reasonably be expected to account for the burglary. The doctrine of necessity has been stretched to cover many things in Nigerian constitutional history; this may be the first time it has been invoked to cover a grocery bill. -
MN filed suit against TX Gov Abbott to compel extradition of #ICE officer charged in connection w #shooting #deaths #murder #DHS of 2 US #citizens in #Minneapolis. Abbott said flatly he has no intention of complying w #Minnesota' extradition requests —sitting governor openly defying another state's #legal process to protect a federal agent charged with #killing #American citizens. This is what nullification looks like in 2026: #law #courts #justice #democracy #ruleoflaw https://www.huffpost.com/entry/minnesota-immigration-enforcement-minnesota-texas-extradition-ice-officer_n_6a84ff92e4b0ca44601a0bf5
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Hey @europarl_en We asked for the names of officials covering up institutional racism, and you replied from a cowardly "DoNotReply" ghost box, trembling so hard you couldn't even drop a full name! 😂
The master dossier with names, titles, and unanswering institutions is permanently live and decentralized. Tick-tock, bureaucratic ghosts! 🕒🔥
🔗 https://teletype.in/@ml1426_le/LIjqOqgQ4At
#EU #Transparency #Accountability #HumanRights #RuleOfLaw #Germany #InstitutionalRacism #MastodonLaw #EliteHypocrisy
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The Invisible Invasion: Britain’s Immigration Panic and the Arithmetic It Cannot Face By Lawson Akhigbe
Black people account for roughly four percent of the population of England and Wales. More of them are in the EastEnders cast than are arriving on the asylum route in any given year. Yet Britain has contrived to make this the defining political question of the age. We should talk about that. -
The People Did Vote for Mass Immigration – Through Parliament by Lawson Akhigbe
One of the most persistent slogans of Britain’s political far right is the claim that “the people did not vote for mass immigration.” It is a phrase repeated endlessly in television studios, social media posts, and political rallies. It sounds persuasive. It sounds democratic. It is also fundamentally wrong. -
The Netherlands slams US sanctions on top ICC officials.
The Dutch foreign minister expressed support for the court’s president and demanded that international tribunals “be able to freely carry out their mandates.”
Earlier in the day, Washington had upped the ante in its campaign against the international tribunal by sanctioning ICC President Tomoko Akane and senior trial lawyer Abdoulaye Seye.
#ICC #Netherlands #Courts #Genocide #RuleOfLaw #War #Sanctions
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The Art of the Unsolicited Ass-Kiss: Understanding Nigeria’s “Eye Service” Economy by Lawson Akhigbe
In the United States, corporate culture has a colorful vocabulary for the hyper-sycophant: the brown-noser, the bootlicker, the corporate shill. But in Nigeria, this behavior isn't just a personality trait of that one annoying guy in middle management. It is a highly sophisticated, deeply institutionalized standard operating procedure known colloquially as "Eye Service." -
The “Hero” of the Rubber Stamp: How Nigeria’s Separation of Powers Became a One-Man Show by Lawson Akhigbe
The Legislature does not check the Executive; it curtsies, takes notes, and asks the Executive what time it should pack its bags. -
Asked whether Trump should have a voice in individual prosecutions: yes, of course.
Who controls the DOJ now? Someone please tell me. I am all fucking ears.#uspol #Politics #DOJ #RuleOfLaw #Democracy #Journalism #News #Accountability #Law #TransRights #QueerNews
Full piece, free every morning → https://thistleandmoss.com/p/todd-blanche-is-still-trump-s-ass-monkey-trans-erasure-continues?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=fedica
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The President's former personal defense lawyer, now running the shop that decides who gets butt fucked legally in this country, announced that no attorney general in history should ever have promised the thing every attorney general in history at least had the decency to pretend they would promise. #uspol #Politics #DOJ #RuleOfLaw #Democracy #Journalism #News #Accountability #Law #TransRights #QueerNews
2/3
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2 Sentences, and one goddamned question. That is fucking it.
Kristen Welker asked the plainest question in American civics history of all time: can you pledge the Justice Department will always act independently of the White House. Blanche said fuck no. Then he said no attorney general should ever pledge that, EVER. Fuck him.
#uspol #Politics #DOJ #RuleOfLaw #Democracy #Journalism #News #Accountability #Law #TransRights #QueerNews
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MC Oluomo’s Legacy
MC Oluomo, born Musiliu Ayinde Akinsanya on March 14, 1975, in Oshodi, Lagos, embodies a classic rags-to-riches narrative intertwined with the raw mechanics of street power, union politics, and partisan loyalty in Nigeria. His legacy is polarizing: celebrated by supporters as a self-made leader, philanthropist, and champion of transport workers, yet criticized by opponents as a symbol of thuggery, electoral intimidation, and impunity. -
# Trump’s New Attorney General Refuses to Pledge DOJ Independence From the White House
**WASHINGTON, D.C. / CIVICOHUB — August 17, 2026**
The newly confirmed Attorney General of the United States was asked a remarkably direct question Sunday:
Would the Department of Justice always act independently of the White House?
Todd Blanche answered:
**“No, I’m not going to pledge that.”**
He immediately added an important qualification: he said he would act with integrity and **“prosecute without fear or any sort of favor.”**
Those two statements now sit side by side.
The Justice Department is part of the executive branch. The Attorney General is a Cabinet official, and presidents have legitimate authority to establish broad law-enforcement priorities.
But DOJ also maintains longstanding safeguards specifically intended to prevent individual criminal investigations and prosecutions from being influenced by partisan or improper White House pressure.
And according to the Department’s own current website:
**“Independence and Impartiality”** remain official DOJ core values.
That makes Blanche’s refusal more significant than an argument over terminology.
The real question is:
**When presidential wishes collide with prosecutorial judgment, which one wins?**
## I. “NO, I’M NOT GOING TO PLEDGE THAT”
Blanche made the statement during NBC’s *Meet the Press* on Sunday.
The Senate confirmed him as Attorney General on August 8 by an unusually narrow **50–49 vote**.
Asked whether DOJ would operate independently of the White House, Blanche rejected the premise that an Attorney General should make such a blanket pledge.
He nevertheless said he would prosecute without fear or favor and maintained that President Trump would not ask him to do anything unethical or illegal.
That context matters.
Blanche did **not** say:
“Trump decides who gets prosecuted.”
He did **not** promise to prosecute Trump’s enemies.
And he did **not** say prosecutors should disregard evidence.
But neither did he affirm the traditional language of DOJ independence when explicitly given the opportunity.
## II. BLANCHE’S CONSTITUTIONAL ARGUMENT
This is not a position Blanche invented on Sunday.
During his confirmation hearing, he was asked:
**“Is the Department of Justice that you are running independent from the White House?”**
Blanche responded that DOJ, like every executive department, belongs to the executive branch and that Article II places executive power in the president.
He then emphasized that DOJ should operate with integrity, serve the American people and **“do the right thing.”**
Later in the same hearing, Blanche said:
**“My obligation is the American people and the rule of law.”**
That constitutional distinction is important.
DOJ independence does **not** mean the Attorney General operates as a separate fourth branch of government.
A president can legitimately tell DOJ to prioritize violent crime, drug trafficking, terrorism, fraud or other categories of enforcement.
The institutional firewall becomes critical when the question changes from:
**“What crimes should government prioritize?”**
to:
**“Should this particular person be investigated or prosecuted?”**
## III. DOJ’S OWN RULES DRAW THAT LINE
The Justice Department’s own manual explicitly recognizes this danger.
It says White House communication safeguards developed over more than four decades are designed to protect criminal and civil law-enforcement decisions from **partisan or other inappropriate influences — real or perceived, direct or indirect.**
For pending or contemplated investigations, DOJ sharply limits communications between prosecutors and White House personnel.
Initial communications generally must run through senior officials such as the Attorney General or Deputy Attorney General and White House Counsel.
The manual says these restrictions exist specifically to protect **Departmental independence and integrity** and insulate law-enforcement decisions from inappropriate influence.
Meanwhile, DOJ’s public description of its own values says employees should follow the facts and law wherever they lead, **“without prejudice or improper influence.”**
So the institutional principle Blanche was asked about is not merely a media invention.
It remains written into his own Department’s rules.
## IV. THE TIMING: TRUMP, PIRRO AND THE REFLECTING POOL
Blanche’s remarks came during an active confrontation involving Trump and Washington U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro.
Pirro’s office had moved to dismiss a vandalism prosecution concerning damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool after additional evidence pointed toward flawed contractor work and problems with the renovation.
Trump publicly criticized her decision and urged her to reconsider.
The White House subsequently asked DOJ to examine possible new charges.
Blanche publicly backed Pirro.
He said a witness had reportedly observed possible vandalism but stressed that such an allegation is different from having sufficient evidence to prove a criminal case.
**“That’s different than whether ultimately we have the proof,”** he said.
That is an important prosecutorial distinction.
A president can be angry.
A witness can make an allegation.
Neither automatically creates enough evidence to prosecute.
And that dispute demonstrates precisely why DOJ independence matters.
## V. PRESIDENTIAL INPUT VS. PROSECUTORIAL INDEPENDENCE
There is nothing inherently improper about an Attorney General hearing the president’s views.
The president leads the executive branch.
The problem arises if political wishes become substitutes for evidence or determine who should face criminal investigation.
DOJ’s own rules attempt to preserve that boundary.
Blanche says he will maintain integrity.
He says he will prosecute without fear or favor.
He says his obligation is to the American people and the rule of law.
Those are significant promises.
But his refusal to pledge independence from the White House means their practical meaning will ultimately be tested not in interviews, but in individual cases where Trump and federal prosecutors disagree.
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# FACT CHECK & VERIFICATION SHEET
## CLAIM 1
**Todd Blanche refused to pledge that DOJ would always act independently from the White House.**
### STATUS: ✅ TRUE
Asked directly on NBC, Blanche answered:
**“No, I’m not going to pledge that.”**
He simultaneously promised to prosecute without fear or favor.
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## CLAIM 2
**The Justice Department is constitutionally separate from the president.**
### STATUS: ❌ FALSE / MISSING CONTEXT
DOJ is an executive-branch department.
The Attorney General is a Cabinet officer, and Blanche correctly noted during his confirmation hearing that the Department operates within Article II’s executive structure.
---
## CLAIM 3
**DOJ has longstanding rules protecting individual cases from White House political influence.**
### STATUS: ✅ TRUE
The Justice Manual says safeguards governing DOJ–White House communications exist to protect law-enforcement decisions from partisan or other inappropriate influence.
It specifically restricts communications concerning pending and contemplated investigations and prosecutions.
---
## CLAIM 4
**DOJ officially considers independence and impartiality core values.**
### STATUS: ✅ TRUE
The Department’s current website explicitly lists **“Independence and Impartiality”** among its core values and says DOJ should follow facts and law without improper influence.
---
## CLAIM 5
**Blanche said he would prosecute whoever Trump personally tells him to prosecute.**
### STATUS: ❌ FALSE
Blanche made no such statement.
He instead pledged integrity and said he would prosecute without fear or favor. He has also said Trump would not ask him to act illegally or unethically.
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# THE CIVICOHUB VERDICT
The issue is **not** whether the Justice Department belongs to the executive branch.
It does.
The issue is whether the president’s legitimate authority over executive policy extends to political influence over individual criminal investigations and prosecutions.
DOJ’s own rules say those decisions require protection from improper influence.
DOJ’s own website still champions independence and impartiality.
And Blanche himself promises to prosecute without fear or favor.
Yet when America’s chief law-enforcement officer was directly asked whether his Department would always act independently from the White House, he answered:
**“No, I’m not going to pledge that.”**
That does not prove political interference will occur.
But it makes the next test extremely important:
**What happens when Donald Trump demands action against someone and Justice Department prosecutors conclude the evidence does not justify it?**
That is when “without fear or favor” stops being a slogan and becomes a standard that can actually be measured.
# SOURCES
**Reuters — August 16, 2026**
Todd Blanche’s NBC interview, his refusal to pledge DOJ independence and the dispute involving Jeanine Pirro and the Reflecting Pool.**U.S. Department of Justice — Justice Manual**
Rules governing White House communications and safeguards protecting law-enforcement decisions from improper political influence.**U.S. Department of Justice — About DOJ**
Official core values: Independence and Impartiality; Honesty and Integrity.**U.S. Senate — August 8, 2026**
Todd Blanche confirmed Attorney General by a vote of **50–49**.**Senate Judiciary Committee — August 2, 2026**
Blanche confirmation hearing and testimony concerning DOJ independence, Article II and his obligation to the American people and rule of law.#news #USPolitics #DonaldTrump #DOJ #ToddBlanche #RuleOfLaw #FactCheck #CivicoHub
**CIVICOHUB — POWER REQUIRES INDEPENDENT JUDGMENT.**
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Most. Corrupt. Racist. Incompetent. President of the USA
In his farewell address to the American people in 1989, Ronald Reagan spoke of America as a "shining city upon a hill"—a beacon of freedom, opportunity, democracy, and prosperity. The phrase itself was borrowed from a much older tradition, but Reagan made it uniquely American. The United States was not merely a powerful nation; it was an example to others. A place where institutions mattered, where the rule of law prevailed, and where anyone, regardless of background, could aspire to succeedhttps://lawakhigbe.com/2026/08/16/most-corrupt-racist-incompetent-president-of-the-usa/