ACLU of Illinois: Winning An
Election Does Not Give Anyone
License to Discard Our Constitution
By Steve Rensberry
Commentary
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EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. -- 11/13/2024 - Following the presidential election of Nov. 5, 2024, the ACLU of Illinois released a statement making the case that the president simply is not above the Constitution, no matter what anyone says about the legality of exercising such powers or in behaving in such a way.
"Winning an election does not give anyone license to discard our Constitution and behave as a dictator – on day one or any other day," the organization stated.
The ACLU should be commended for bringing some sanity to the debate. What action, if any, will be taken to fine or punish or stop a fascist-oriented president who deliberately choses to ignore the Constitution, to jail people he personally considers traitors? That's the million dollar question, I suppose. Justice should be done, or justice is worthless and truth is meaningless.
The ACLU of Illinois statement:
Donald Trump has been elected the 47th President of the United States. But winning an election does not give anyone license to discard our Constitution and behave as a dictator – on day one or any other day.
We saw firsthand the threat that the first Trump Administration posed to basic civil liberties, from the way in which the Administration cruelly separated children from their parents at the border and enforced immigration laws in a biased fashion, to his urging police to use harsh tactics – like stop and frisk – that target Black and Brown young men, to his attacks on immigrants, LGBTQ+ folks and anyone who disagreed with him. And, of course, Trump was the architect of the Supreme Court decision that recklessly ripped away the federal constitutional right to access abortion care.
The ACLU never shied away from challenging Trump’s reckless disregard for the Constitution during his first administration. We stand prepared to do the same this time. And, we are committed to building and enforcing a firewall of protections in Illinois to limit the inevitable harm that will flow from the new administration’s attacks.
In short, we will not abandon those whose rights are being violated and we will not abandon the Constitution.
Link to the news release: ACLU of Illinois Responds
