Reagan-appointed judge resigns in protest of Trump, warns of president's 'assault on the rule of law'
A senior federal judge in Massachusetts who was appointed by former President Reagan announced he has resigned in protest against President Donald Trump, who he says has been "using the...
By Fox News · Fox News
A senior federal judge in Massachusetts who was appointed by former President Reagan announced he has resigned in protest against President Donald Trump , who he says has been "using the law for partisan purposes." U.S. District Judge Mark L. Wolf, 78, resigned on Friday and explained that the Trump administration's actions that he described as threatening the rule of law compelled him to speak out. In a piece for The Atlantic, Wolf wrote that he had looked forward to serving for the rest of his life when Reagan appointed him in 1985 but decided to step down last week because of Trump's "assault on the rule of law" that he finds "so deeply disturbing." "I no longer can bear to be restrained by what judges can say publicly or do outside the courtroom," the former judge wrote. "President Donald Trump is using the law for partisan purposes, targeting his adversaries while sparing his friends and donors from investigation, prosecution, and possible punishment. This is contrary to everything that I have stood for in my more than 50 years in the Department of Justice and on the bench. The White House’s assault on the rule of law is so deeply disturbing to me that I feel compelled to speak out. Silence, for me, is now intolerable." REAGAN-APPOINTED JUDGE, ONCE REBUKED BY SUPREME COURT, CONTINUES TO LAMBASTE TRUMP "When I accepted the nomination to serve on the U.S. District Court in Massachusetts, I took pride in becoming part of a federal judiciary that works to make our country’s ideal of equal justice under law a reality," he continued. "A judiciary that helps protect our democracy. That has the authority and responsibility to hold elected officials to the limits of the power delegated to them by the people. That strives to ensure that the rights of minority groups, no matter how they are viewed by others, are not violated. That can serve as a check on corruption to prevent public officials from unlawfully enriching themselves. Becoming a federal judge was an ideal opp…