Carole Levine September 16, 2025
I like to think that I am a pretty strong, brave person. At almost 76 years old, I have had the opportunity to lead organizations, write and publish statements and position papers, work cooperatively with like-minded people and groups, travel domestically and internationally and learn from others with different backgrounds and cultures, and raise (with the help of an amazingly smart and supportive partner) three sons who seem to have picked up on many of these traits. There have been limited times in my work life and my activist life that I can say that I have been afraid. Worried… for sure. Concerned… definitely. Unsure… yep, that too! But today, I find that my fears seem very different and focus on what kind of future lies ahead for those I care about and for our nation. And I must admit, these fears are very concerning.
Today, in 2025, I admit to feeling frightened by what I see happening around me. I have never shied away from stating my positions or how I feel (politically) about things, but I now find myself thinking about how what I do or say may reflect on my family, my friends, my work on the issues I support in the eyes of those who may disagree with me. And those thoughts are new and a bit unnerving. I have even become more guarded in my asking adults to not ride their bikes on the sidewalks where “older” folks (like me) are walking their dogs. It’s the law here, but so many think that those laws don’t apply to them! And who know if one of those bike riders might decide to argue with me or pull a gun out or run me down with their bike? I vividly remember an incident, years ago, when getting gas in Indiana as I was driving to a work meeting (by myself) and the guy in the pickup truck getting gas in front of me, proudly pulled back his jacket to show me the pistol he was carrying! Was I supposed to feel safe? Protected? Respectful? Afraid? I did not know his intentions, but it certainly left me feeling uncomfortable. I was quite sure that he and I would not be on the same page politically. I quickly paid for my gas and left feeling quite unsafe.
Today, the issue of safety and who determines what are the parameters of justice seems to change on a daily basis. Sometimes it changes from minute to minute, depending on who you are listening to. The issue of who to believe and who is really in charge of our government is something that I find greatly concerning. I follow and work on issues of our courts, both federal and state, and this is where much of what concerns me resides. We are seeing major court rulings coming from federal courts that seemingly align with our Constitution. Federal judges and justices who have been nominated by both Republican and the Democratic Presidents are more often than not ruling against the Trump administration. But not so with the Supreme Court, where the President’s track record is much more favorable (even if those rulings are time-limited). On August 14, 2025, Alicia Bannon of the Brennan Center for Justice wrote about this, saying:
The Supreme Court’s so-called shadow docket for emergency motions has played an outsized role in legal challenges against the new Trump administration. On issues ranging from dismantling the Department of Education to banning transgender people from serving in the military, federal trial judges from across the ideological spectrum have repeatedly blocked actions by the administration, only for the Supreme Court to halt those rulings with little or no explanation.
While the administration has only sought emergency review in some cases, its overall use of the shadow docket has skyrocketed. In the first 20 weeks of Trump’s second term, the administration sought emergency action by the Court 19 times — the same number of requests made by the Biden administration over four years, according to Georgetown law professor Steve Vladeck. And the Court has sided with the administration nearly every time.
Again, I fear we have a President who views himself as above the law, with almost unlimited powers. His “overreach” into areas that are the purview of Congress (such as spending) have been meekly acquiesced to by his own party, and the opposition has been unable to lure enough votes from the Republicans to really challenge what Trump is doing. And then we have last term’s Supreme Court decision on Presidential immunity that also plays into this. That decision has added complications according to Democracy Docket’s Marc Elias:
It is now harder to hold Trump criminally accountable because he can claim that his actions were committed within his “core constitutional power.” But that should not stop the courts from blocking his illegal actions from taking effect. And while many courts are stepping up to protect the rule of law, there are increasing signs that the Supreme Court is less willing to have a direct, full-scale confrontation with Trump.
While a District Court ruling in California does not bind courts elsewhere, it is certainly a helpful precedent to point to. As a reminder, a federal judge ruled that the Trump administration violated the Posse Comitatus Act when it sent 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to Los Angeles. The Posse Comitatus Act prohibits the use of U.S. military personnel for domestic law enforcement.
The problem is that Trump considers laws to be suggestions and dismisses adverse court rulings as simply the actions of “a rogue judge is trying to usurp the authority of the Commander-in-Chief.” I fear that, absent a direct ruling from the Supreme Court, the Posse Comitatus Act will not stop Trump from sending the military into our city to perform law enforcement functions, and we should be prepared to expect the worst.
How does one prepare for the worst? Should we be checking our passports and looking for countries of refuge? Should we be stockpiling food and building bomb shelters? While this may sound extreme, these seem to be extreme times. And extreme times may call for extreme action.
For me I am looking first to the 2026 midterm elections as a means of taking the temperature of the population and a way to gain some inroads into strategies for regaining a sense of control over aspects of our government. I have no doubt that any losses by the current administration will be deemed fraudulent. So, the first thing to be done is to ensure that everything around the 2026 elections is as flawless as is possible when human beings are involved. Trump will most likely declare voter fraud, perhaps even before the midterms happen, and he and his Department of Justice will definitely interfere with free and fair elections, as they already seem to be doing. How? By purging voter rolls, going after mail in voting and voting machines. All of these are issues that we can fight as they work well for voters and the American people are smart enough to see through them. It is, however, important to speak up and speak out when these actions are initiated.
While this is a somewhat pessimistic perspective, I am not ready to throw in the towel or bury myself under the covers. I am buoyed by what I see and read about in the actions and demonstrations that are happening across the country in small towns and large ones. While not always covered by mainstream media, these protests seem to be increasing significantly, bringing out large numbers on a weekly basis. I expect the crowds will swell on the 2nd “No Kings Day” protest on October 18th. (Google it to find a protest near you!). My fears and concerns will still be there, but there is comfort in standing shoulder to shoulder with like-minded others. And our cause is too important to stay home or watch from afar. After all, our future and that of generations to come is resting on the actions we take. It was President Franklin D. Roosevelt who said at his 1933 inauguration: “We have nothing to fear but fear itself.” Perhaps he was correct.
