[This post first appeared at Common Dreams on October 24, 2025.]

He wants the US Supreme Court to legitimatize these unlawful deployments. Heaven help us all if they do.

by Steven J. Harper

President Donald Trump’s ICE raids in American cities are not simply efforts to deport undocumented immigrants or battle crime. In addition to creating fear and desensitizing law-abiding citizens to a military presence on American streets, Trump wanted to pick a fight.

And he has.

Specifically, Trump wanted a legal fight that he could take to the conservative majority on the U.S. Supreme Court. If it accepts his justification for “federalizing” the National Guard over a state governor’s objections, he’ll have unrestrained power to deploy the military on American soil any time, any place, and for any reason.

The implications are staggering. Fear has gripped neighborhoods where armed troops patrol the streets as something akin to an occupying force. During the 2026 midterm elections, deployments would be a powerful voter suppression tool.

Trump’s Legal Argument

In the cases challenging Trump’s National Guard deployments in Los Angeles, Portland, and Chicago, his lawyers have argued that the courts have no power to review the President’s decisions. His claimed factual basis is not subject to challenge. His decision is final. His authority is absolute.

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https://stevenjharper.substack.com/p/with-troop-deployments-in-us-cities

[This post first appeared at Common Dreams on October 17, 2025.]

Hegseth Can’t Handle the Truth

by Steven J. Harper

On September 30, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth pontificated before his captive audience of 800 admirals and generals whom he had summoned from locations around the globe. The media reports of the event focused on soundbites: new physical fitness requirements, grooming standards (“no more beardos” – but don’t tell Vice President J.D. Vance or the President’s son), eliminating “woke” policies, and other elements of his department’s new “warfighting culture.”

Observing that the military’s policy on “hazing, bullying, and harassment is overly broad,” Hegseth also said that the inspector general’s office “has been weaponized, putting complainers, ideologues and poor performers in the driver’s seat.”

He dealt with that problem too.

[To continue reading, please click here to reach my Substack page: [no paywall]:

https://stevenjharper.substack.com/p/pete-hegseth-cant-handle-the-truth

[This article first appeared in Crain’s Chicago Business on October 2, 2025.]

Big Law firm partners promote themselves as the best, brightest, and toughest lawyers in America. But nine firms capitulated to President Donald Trump because they feared a fight with him to preserve their constitutional rights. Now they’re grappling with the growing costs of appeasing a bully.

Trapped By Their Own Business Models

With average partner profits of more than a million dollars, the Big Law firms that settled were uniquely positioned to resist Trump’s unlawful executive orders aimed at the heart of the legal profession. They could have banded together, spearheaded a high-profile resistance, and honored the sworn oath that every attorney takes to uphold the Constitution.

To be fair, more than 500 firms signed an amicus brief challenging Trump’s order targeting the Perkins Coie firm. But the vast majority of the Big Law firms that generate the most revenue remained silent. Nine went a step farther and settled by promising a combined total of $940 million in free legal services to Trump-approved causes.

And therein lies the rub.

[To continue reading, please click here to reach my Substack page (No paywall)]:

https://stevenjharper.substack.com/p/the-exploding-costs-of-big-laws-capitulation

[This article first appeared at Common Dreams on October 8, 2025.]

by Steven J. Harper

“Waste, fraud, and abuse”

It’s President Donald Trump’s battle cry as he dismantles federal agencies, fires hundreds of thousands of employees, and demoralizes the workers who remain. It’s also another of his false flag operations.

Rather than ferreting out corruption, waste, fraud, abuse and mismanagement in the federal government, Trump has undermined the very professionals who have that job: inspectors general.

[To continue reading, please click here to reach my Substack page (No paywall)]:

https://stevenjharper.substack.com/p/trump-destroys-another-guardrail