Our Most Powerful & Most Dangerous Branch of Government
The fact is that freedom is under attack like never before. Our federal bureaucracy violates the rights of Americans without accountability—harassing adoptive parents, denying veterans quality health care, discriminating against conservatives and Christians for partisan purposes, and damaging our economy with job-killing rules. Americans are bullied by the very institutions established to protect their right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Our nation’s bureaucrats are on an undemocratic power trip. But Jay Sekulow and the ACLJ have a plan to fight back. We can resist illegal abuse, we can reform a broken system, and we can restore American democracy.
The following is the first in a series of posts from Number 1 New York Times Best Selling Author Jay Sekulow’s new book, “UNDEMOCRATIC: How Unelected, Unaccountable Bureaucrats are Stealing Your Liberty and Freedom.”
I have a unique vantage point from my office in Washington, D.C. My building, in the heart of Capitol Hill, is directly across the street from the Supreme Court of the United States. The Justices literally drive by my office each day that the court is in session. From my window I can see the chambers where the Justices and law clerks spend their days crafting legal opinions that impact all of us. There have been many nights when I have seen the glow of the lights emanating from those chambers as the final touches are put in place. It is an awe-inspiring location. From the white marble columns on the exterior to the expansive courtroom where the oral arguments take place, the building represents power and stability. One of the most impressive aspects of the building is the depiction of great lawgivers carved into the marble. Each time I enter the courtroom, I glance up at those lawgivers, including Moses holding the Ten Commandments written in Hebrew.
For three decades I have had the privilege of arguing cases before the Supreme Court representing a wide range of legal issues including: religious liberty, prayer and Bible clubs in public schools, free speech, and defending the unborn’s fundamental right to life, and campaign finance reform. I even argued a case before the Supreme Court involving the Ten Commandments Monument in Utah. My team and I won 9–0. Admittedly, it is one of my favorite cases, as I was able to reference the Supreme Court building’s own depiction of Moses holding the Ten Commandments.
The judiciary, our third branch of government, is powerful. After all, the Supreme Court interprets the Constitution and that impacts each of us. It is not, however, the most powerful branch. From my office, I also have a great view of the Capitol dome. I have often taken guests up to the top floor of our building to view the Capitol. The lit dome in the evening sends the clear message that legislators are handling serious business. The Senate office buildings are just across the street from the front door to my building. In fact, after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, the security perimeter was moved directly in front of our offices. When the anthrax attack took place days after 9/11, the surveillance devices and air monitoring equipment were placed just a few feet from our main entrance. The security in the area is still very tight, as it should be—these are the buildings that house our legislature, our second branch of government. This branch represents the people, and it’s where our laws are constructed. And yet, as powerful as the legislative branch of government is, it is not the most powerful branch.
I can hop into a cab and after a short five-minute drive I am at the White House. I have had the incredible privilege of being in the Oval Office, discussing major issues with President Bush, ranging from judicial nominations to terrorism. It is an experience that is hard to put into words. When you are seated next to the president of the United States, the commander in chief of our armed forces, you realize quickly that what takes place in that office not only impacts each of us, the impact is felt around the globe. The executive branch of government and the president are powerful. There is no doubt about it. But I submit to you that the executive branch is not the most powerful.
The most powerful branch of our government is located around the corner from the Supreme Court building, a few streets over from the Capitol, and a couple of blocks from the White House. These buildings are scattered around D.C. house agencies—the Internal Revenue Service, the Department of Justice, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Health and Human Services, Veterans Affairs, the Labor Department, and many others. These agencies are run by bureaucrats. And these unelected, unaccountable bureaucrats destroy our liberty and threaten our democracy. We are in serious peril because of this—the most powerful branch of government we did not even learn about in high school civics class.
The problem is, the Constitution does not provide for a fourth branch of government. Yet we have one. We have created an unconstitutional, self-sustaining monster that is swallowing our democracy. Our constitutional republic hangs in the balance.
To read the rest of the book, pre-order your own copy now at UndemocraticBook.com. Join the fight to learn more about the crises we face and what we can do to restore our Republic.
