Wild judicial activism has become the norm in the age of Trump, but the latest decision from a federal court on Monday to block Congress’ defunding of Planned Parenthood is the most egregious example yet.
U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani appears to be on a crusade to ensure that Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest provider of abortion, receives funding from taxpayers today, tomorrow, and forever, no matter how the people’s representatives vote.
The Massachusetts judge ruled that Planned Parenthood clinics around the country must continue to be reimbursed by Medicaid even though Congress just voted in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act to pull the funding.
What was her justification for blocking an act of Congress?
“Patients are likely to suffer adverse health consequences where care is disrupted or unavailable,” Talwani wrote in her Monday order, according to The Associated Press. “In particular, restricting Members’ ability to provide healthcare services threatens an increase in unintended pregnancies and attendant complications because of reduced access to effective contraceptives, and an increase in undiagnosed and untreated STIs.”
I’m not a lawyer, but that doesn’t sound like a legal argument. It’s a policy argument, like the ones debated and voted on in Congress. You know, that governing body intended to make laws for the United States under the Constitution.
I’d also like to note The Associated Press’ deceptive headline that stated a judge has blocked the “Trump administration’s efforts to defund Planned Parenthood.” Again, this wasn’t done by an executive order; the ruling concerns an act of Congress signed by the president.
The Trump administration did comment on the absurd ruling.
“We strongly disagree with the court’s decision,” a White House spokesman told The Daily Signal. “States should not be forced to fund organizations that have chosen political advocacy over patient care. This ruling undermines state flexibility and disregards longstanding concerns about accountability.”
The spokesman further said that the defunding was duly passed by Congress and signed by President Donald Trump.
He said that the “judge’s decision to grant the injunction on the basis that defunding an entity is an unconstitutional criminal punishment is not only absurd but illogical and incorrect. It is orders like these that underscore the audacity of the lower courts as well as the chaos within the judicial branch.”
Apparently, Talwani thinks she alone can decide what the country funds or doesn’t fund. This level of judicial activism, backed by little more than “we should keep funding things I believe in,” makes the activist Warren Supreme Court of the 1970s seem downright prudent by comparison.
This is not Talwani’s first crack at judicial activism. The Daily Signal’s Fred Lucas wrote a profile of her after she imposed a temporary restraining order on removing Planned Parenthood funds after the One Big Beautiful Bill Act passed in early July.
She has donated to high-profile Democrats, temporarily blocked some of Trump’s revocations of work permits, and ruled in one case that a 12-year-old student couldn’t wear a T-shirt that said “There are only two genders” because it interfered with the rights of other students.
It appears that left-wing judges are just going to dispense with the formalities and make grand declarations for the country based on their ideology and nothing else. It’s a good thing the Supreme Court limited nationwide injunctions because this nonsense will destroy the efficacy of the courts.
Historian Carl Paulus wrote this about the Left’s “jurisprudence” on X.
Paulus further called this a “sort of secular magisterium,” where they see the job of the courts not as a body to rule on the constitutionality of laws, but as a force “to secure and interpret the secular Deposit of Faith.” Exactly. In this case, the secular faith is in the idea that not only is abortion always a positive good, but the American people must also give money to sustain it in perpetuity.
Obviously, Talwani’s decision can’t stand and will likely soon be overturned. This does, however, demonstrate how left-wing activist judges have completely abandoned the notion that they are upholding the law. Instead, they’ve decided that they are the law.
Jarrett Stepman is a columnist for The Daily Signal. He is also the author of “The War on History: The Conspiracy to Rewrite America’s Past.” Send an email to Jarrett.
Reprinted with permission from The Daily Signal by Jarrett Stepman.
The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of AMAC or AMAC Action.
At this point, she should be removed form the bench for failure to follow the constitution, laws of the United States as passed by congress and signed into law and her oath, to faithfully support do the same. She should be billed by the government for wasting time and money better spent on the needs of American citizens.
The taxpayer’s dollars should not be used to support abortion. People that desire to end a baby’s life should do so with their own money. In the end, they will face the ALMIGHTY for their judgement.
If Talwani, Boasburg and the rest of their fellow liberal judges want to engage in policy arguments and make laws, they need to resign from the bench and try to get elected to the office that actually makes the laws aka the legislature, otherwise, they need to stay in their constitutionally mandated lane.
And talwani is still on the bench, why? She obviously doesn’t give a damn about the law, so why hasn’t she been removed?
any judge that goes against a passed law should not only lose their judgeship but law degree as wel. they are not above the law just because the word judge is in front of their name
She is NOT a Supreme Court Judge. She is to UPHOLD the law, NOT change it!!!!
Time to start arresting judges that rule from the bench.
These Judges in the lesser courts that go against the rulings of The Supreme Court need to be arrested for breaking the Law and disbarred. It’s time to get tough with these people and shut this down!
This judge is insane and GOD will solve that problem. She does not understand her role in the judiciary at all. Good bye “judge” and no sweet dreams for you!
Wait a minute. She can’t force congress to spend money they have not approved. If she wants to give the abortionists money, let her step up to the bar with her checkbook, not the public’s.
Why is not the “Planned parenthood” active where it’s needed most, in over populated countries, whose children we feed while killing our own. The name of the org. suggests planned, so concentrate on prevention, instruct and distribute what is necessary to prevent, right now it’s just a mass abortion, nothing to do with planning. Nix it.
Do some women know what causes a pregnancy? This is what she should be taught.
Planned Parenthood needs to be shut down completely, and Judge Indira Talwani debarred and her US citizenship taken away. Then give her 20 days to get out of the country.
This person is NOT an unbiased judge and should IMMEDIATELY hang up her judicial robes and go back to school to learn how to be a member of the Judicial community.
As a female who has children and know of so many who cannot even conceive, this female Judge is without compassion, dignity for human life and a poor specimen of a Judge.
read federalist paper 78 it is talking about judicial Activision congress rights laws not judges it would be nice if the supreme court would do its job and stop this tyranny by judges
Get the f*%k out of our government. You have no jurisdiction. All of a sudden we have all these judges getting involved in government decisions. Knock it off. Someone put a stop to this.
Test her to see if she has any idea how to enforce her “ruling.” The Democrats like to call people Nazis, but the Nazis were good at ridding themselves of the infirm. Indecriminate abortion is not much different. They scream we need illegals to fill jobs and increase the population while killing our birth rate. Prepare yourselves for the next time these asses get in power.
These judges that rule out of their authority should be completely IGNORED.
These demon-crat judges have a long history of trying to thwart federal laws, just like they did in the ‘50s & ‘60s
These judges are showing their lack of qualification to continue in their job. If I stopped doing my job according to the job description then I would have been fired. If they continue to only interpret laws according to their leftist beliefs then they should be removed from the bench.
Talwani should be removed from the bench and disbarred for life.She should also pay restitution for any taxpayers money spent because of her obvious illegal ruling.
Same old talking points….Healthcare intentions have never been nor should never be to kill a life. These folks do love to screw with definitions.
Another salivating follower of that stage 4 cancer, none other than “TRAITOR IN CHIEF” OBAMA. Constitution be damned……. just like they hope America will be.
Fire all lawyers and judges who interfere with our country then deport them for life!! President Trump is the best president we have had and he loves this country and the American people!!!
SHE JUST VIOLATED THE SUPREME COURT RULING ON THE FEDERAL DISTRICT JUDGE CAN NOT HAVE UNIVERSAL RULINGS
how does one judge decide against congress an d the pres. so wrong
Just sayin’ but I for one would be in favor of getting rid of this judge; she’s gone way too far!!
Really? This judge’s ruling will “soon be overturned? ”
By whom? And when? “Soon” seems to be taking its good old time. Well, maybe in couple of months (or years) when Congress or some other, higher court gets “A Round Tuit.” Don’t count on it.
She is not a judge. She should be removed immediately and prosecuted.
Now might be the time to bring back BURNING WITCHES AT THE STAKE!!!
Ignore this corrupt, left-wing progressive, child-murdering enabler, power-hungry B**CH. Her illegal legislating from the bench decision will be overturned. And this pathetic incompetent deviate should be impeached immediately.
I would think Talwani’s action is itself unlawful. It’s one thing to place an injunction on an Executive Order, but it’s entirely another to do so against a Congressional law!! Not only that, but SCOTUS just recently limited nationwide injunctions.
And, of course, this case was brought by Planned Parenthood. And, of course, it is about their “cash cow” — abortions. No doubt it was purposefully taken before a federal judge they knew would side with them.
The attorney general should send federal marshals to arrest and jail this woman. She clearly should not be a judge.
FIRE HER.
REMOVE HER FROM THE BENCH
TAKE AWAY HER BAR CARD
Impeach and fire her, then disbar her from ever being a judge or even a lawyer ever again. Give her a job she’s probably mentally prepared for like a janitor. On second thought, I apologise to all the janitors out there. She’s not fit to be a janitor.
I thought we were past these activist judges?
breaking the law qualifies her for a 4×6.
“Apparently, Talwani thinks she alone can decide what the country funds or doesn’t fund. This level of judicial activism, backed by little more than “we should keep funding things I believe in,” makes the activist Warren Supreme Court of the 1970s seem downright prudent by comparison.” I voted for the things that President Trump and Congress are implementing – they need to have a bunch of Post-It notes printed with “F U” on them and start sticking them to the heads of black-robed wanna-be autocrats like this…the first time with the adhesive on the note, the second time with a stapler.
Is this judge, Indira Talwani, an American citizen? I am simply going by her name, which isn’t conclusive, but does she not realize that the congress, elected by we the people have the final say on what gets paid and what does not? I am convinced that there is a conspiracy by some of these judges, to thwart the will of the people.
I’m convinced that planned parenthood goes around the Hyde amendment, to use our dollars to perform abortions. I have it on good authority, they do little else.
When will this stop?
Another idiot disguised in a black robe! What does any part of a federal law does she not understand? Probably cannot define what a woman is.
Under this logic judges could by pass the appropriations process and set spending levels throughout the federal government. I sure hope this ruling gets appealed.
PASS ANOTHER LAW! .. If courts don’t site STATUTORY LAW or a legal presidency in their ruling, then it will be legally construed and interpreted as an “EDITORIAL RULING” and not legally binding.
Question, who is paying the court system for this ruling? I know for a fact that patients pay for their procedures. Do you think there is a mismanagement of funds or huge kickbacks to whomever? Just a Question. I do not think the public should pay for someone else’s mistakes. When I was a little bit younger, (a lot younger) Planned Parenthood promoted Birth Control to those sexually active and the parents either knew they were or not. Once again, way do the communities have to pay for someone else that made the MISTAKE.
Time for Republicans to put on their grown up pants and start impeaching these judges who blatantly don’t understand and can’t do their jobs, within the authority vested in them.
Another crazy lefty activist so-called “judge.” Balmy woman doesn’t understand saving the life of a child is NOT causing harm. The harm comes from pp’s abortion mill.
Ignore “it”.
I have just deleted what I was going to post and will just say disbar it.
Abortion is NOT birth control. It is the result of the failure of an individual’s personal responsibility for voluntary actions to have sex without regard to consequences. If the individual took personal responsibility for birth control, the so-called “unintended pregnancy” would not have occurred in the first place, hence no need for an abortion or abortion services.