“The first thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers,” so says Dick the Butcher and his cohorts in William Shakespeare’s Henry VI.
Why? Because Dick the Butcher and his cohorts are bent upon obliterating the rule of law and exterminating those who seek to maintain and protect it. Only by killing all the lawyers can Dick and his minions successfully attain their goal of establishing chaos and instituting their autocratic rule.
I thoroughly agree with Keith Burris’ excellent column, “How to Resist,” March 2, and his view that our current President is “… making us something other than who we are, have been, and wish to be.” I also agree with Mr. Burris’ view that, “We must resist,” and that conservatives must “Defend the Constitution and begin to build a new center right, pragmatic conservative party...” In fact, in many respects, I still consider myself to be such a conservative.
I was born in Tiffin in 1948. Since completing law school in 1973, I have lived in Toledo or Perrysburg, and have litigated thousands of cases and tried well over 100 to a conclusion, both in Toledo and elsewhere in Ohio and in many other states. It has been my great honor to have had the opportunity to do so.
Why do I write this now? Because the judicial branch of government is the only branch which has thus far protected our constitutional democracy from becoming an autocracy. And this can happen quickly and almost without notice until it is too late.
Yes, the President has appointed a large number of lawyers to his cabinet and to his staff, but almost without exception, they are toadies, who will unceremoniously be shown the back door if they so much as look askance at the dear leader, as will be the President’s favorite toady, Elon Musk. So much for the executive branch in any way protecting our Constitution.
You may say, there is also the legislative branch, the House of Representatives, and the Senate. The Republican majority in both houses cares about only one thing — their re-election. And what do they fear the most? Being primaried by someone chosen by the President and financed by Elon Musk. Well, what about the Democratic minority? Are you kidding me? The best they could do at the President’s joint address on March 4 was to wave their paddles as though at an art auction. Except for Bernie Sanders and Elissa Slotkin, the Democrats are a lost cause.
And so it is left to the lawyers. It is left to the judges, including those on the Supreme Court who, on March 5, handed down a 5-4 ruling against the President and his solicitor general, with two Republican justices, Chief Justice John Roberts and Amy Coney Barrett, joining with the three Democratic appointees.
This decision, along with a number of lower federal court decisions, signals that the federal judiciary will hold and will be bound by the tenets of our Constitution and the rule of law.
I ask you, whatever your political views may be, please, please reflect upon the blessings that have been bestowed upon us. With that blessing comes one great obligation. And that is to maintain this freedom, this great democracy, and this Constitution for those who come after us. These freedoms are very fragile. If we fail to resist, they can be lost almost within the blink of an eye. Our forbearers died for these blessings.
ROBERT ANSPACH
Attorney
Perrysburg
First Published March 21, 2025, 4:00 a.m.
