Who Stops the Steamroller?
H.R. 1526 Defies Democracy
By Walden Wright | April 17, 2025
“A nation that fears its judges more than its kings has already forgotten its founding.”
There are moments in American history when the most dangerous bills don’t arrive in the dark — they arrive dressed in civility, cloaked in order, and sold as protection.
H.R. 1526 is one of those bills.
Its official name? The No Rogue Rulings Act.
Its real purpose? To strip federal courts of the power to stop unconstitutional actions from spreading across the country.
Supporters say it reins in “activist judges.” What it really does is defang the judiciary — and remove one of the last institutional firewalls between the people and unchecked executive power.
What the Bill Actually Does
Right now, if a federal judge determines that a presidential executive order is unconstitutional, that judge can issue a nationwide injunction — halting the order until it’s reviewed further. These rulings have historically blocked attempts to:
Ban travelers based on religion
Erase reproductive protections
Deny LGBTQ+ rights
Undermine clean air and water regulations
Under H.R. 1526, those same judges would only be allowed to block enforcement for the parties directly involved in the case. Everyone else? The bad policy still applies — state by state, person by person, until a new case is brought, argued, and funded.
This isn’t judicial “restraint.”
This is judicial paralysis.
Why Courts Must Be Inconvenient
In a democracy, courts are not supposed to be efficient.
They are not meant to “move fast” or “get in line.”
They are designed to slow us down when we are moving too quickly toward injustice.
The same powers now being targeted as “rogue” once halted:
Segregation in schools
Deportation of Dreamers
Harmful environmental rollbacks
Executive overreach on military force
What unites these decisions? They weren’t popular. They weren’t easy.
But they were right.
Historical Echoes: When Judges Stood Alone
Let us not forget that Judge Damon J. Keith once ruled against the Nixon administration’s wiretapping without warrants — and wrote these words into the judicial record:
“The Constitution was adopted to restrain government, not the people.”
Or that federal Judge Derrick Watson, in 2017, was the first to block Trump’s travel ban — protecting thousands of families across the U.S. from discriminatory enforcement.
Imagine if they hadn’t had the authority to act.
Imagine if they had to wait.
What Happens If H.R. 1526 Passes
Unconstitutional orders take effect immediately — with no national pause.
Communities must sue individually, meaning only the rich or well-connected will find justice.
Presidents face fewer legal restraints, and learn to act before opposition can organize.
Courts become reactive instead of protective — always one step behind the harm.
This isn’t theoretical. It’s already happening. With the bill passing in the House, all it takes is a Senate vote and a signature — and our legal safety net shrinks overnight.
Let’s Be Honest: This Bill Isn’t About “Rogue Judges”
If this bill were truly about judicial excess, Congress would strengthen ethical standards for justices.
Instead, it silences them.
It’s not about restoring balance. It’s about tilting the scales.
And those most affected will be marginalized communities, dissenters, students, journalists, and everyday Americans who lack the time, money, or lawyers to fight injustice fifty times over in fifty different courts.
As Liberty Lane put it this week:
“If one judge with a backbone can stop a president cold, maybe that’s the American system workin’ exactly as it should.”
What You Can Do Right Now
- Resistbot
Call your Senator.
Ask them to vote NO on H.R. 1526. You can find your Senator here:
https://www.senate.gov/senators/senators-contact.htmShare this post on TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter using:
#NoToHR1526 #DoWhatMATAs #ChecksAndBalancesTag local organizations who rely on national rulings for protections — civil rights groups, disability advocates, immigrant justice orgs — and ask them to speak up.
Support watchdogs who track judicial power and legal overreach:
Final Word: Who Stops the Steamroller?
If we remove the courts’ ability to act, we are not protecting democracy — we are streamlining its collapse.
And if that sounds dramatic, it’s only because history always does… in hindsight.
Don’t wait for hindsight.
Act now.
— Walden