According to the latest count from the National Archives President Trump has signed 157 Executive orders since taking office in January. Many of the initiatives outlined in these Executive Orders are well-within the authority of the President. But our guest is sounding the alarm about what he says are actions that exceed the authority given to the Executive Branch under the U.S. Constitution — powers meant to be shared with other branches of government, or that defy Supreme Court interpretations of what the law and the Constitution mean as historically understood.
Howard Simon is the former Executive Director of the ACLU of Florida, a role he held from 1997 through 2018. Before that he served as Executive Director of the ACLU of Michigan for 23 years beginning in 1974.
Mr. Simon recently wrote an op-ed published by the Tampa Bay Times that is strongly critical of many of the actions taken by the Trump administration that, in his view, far exceed the powers delegated to the office of the President under the U.S. Constitution. The op-ed is titled “Time to use the ‘I’ word when it comes to Trump’s actions”
He joins us to offer his perspective on this question of Executive Overreach during President Trump’s second term.
Guest:
Howard Simon, former Executive Director of the ACLU of Florida and ACLU of Michigan (1974-2018) and a Board Member with the nonpartisan nonprofit Floridians for Democracy
Click here for information about FFD's event on June 26 that was mentioned during the conversation called "The Conservative Case Against Attacks on the Constitution and the Rule of Law."
WGCU is your trusted source for news and information in Southwest Florida. We are a nonprofit public service, and your support is more critical than ever. Keep public media strong and donate now. Thank you.
