CNN’s Elie Honig Slams Judge for ‘Inappropriate’ Jab at Trump: He’s ‘Making a Perfectly Reasonable, Good-Faith Argument’

COLLINS A federal judge ░░░░░░░░ just ruled tonight that ░░░░░░░░ Trump s firing of ░░░░░░░░ National Labor Relations Board ░░░░░░░░ was illegal In a ░░░░░░░░ decision that came out ░░░░░░░░ heard from the U ░░░░░░░░ District Court Judge Beryl ░░░░░░░░ who wrote An American ░░░░░░░░ is not a king ░░░░░░░░ even an elected one ░░░░░░░░ his power to remove ░░░░░░░░ officers and honest civil ░░░░░░░░ like plaintiff is not ░░░░░░░░ but may be constrained ░░░░░░░░ appropriate circumstances as are ░░░░░░░░ here It s the ░░░░░░░░ time in less than ░░░░░░░░ week that we ve ░░░░░░░░ a federal judge rule ░░░░░░░░ President Trump s firing ░░░░░░░░ independent agency heads is ░░░░░░░░ My top legal source ░░░░░░░░ is CNN s Senior ░░░░░░░░ Analyst Elie Honig And ░░░░░░░░ what did you make ░░░░░░░░ the ruling Were you ░░░░░░░░ by this HONIG Not ░░░░░░░░ at all Kaitlan Because ░░░░░░░░ fundamentally Donald Trump broke ░░░░░░░░ law and he doesn ░░░░░░░░ even contend otherwise Now ░░░░░░░░ passed a law saying ░░░░░░░░ this particular NLRB official ░░░░░░░░ only be removed if ░░░░░░░░ s notice and a ░░░░░░░░ and good cause Trump ░░░░░░░░ t care He just ░░░░░░░░ You re fired without ░░░░░░░░ to any of those ░░░░░░░░ But the key thing ░░░░░░░░ keep in mind here ░░░░░░░░ Donald Trump is not ░░░░░░░░ for the district court ░░░░░░░░ trial court where we ░░░░░░░░ today He s playing ░░░░░░░░ the Supreme Court And ░░░░░░░░ knows that this case ░░░░░░░░ one of the other ░░░░░░░░ cases is going to ░░░░░░░░ its way up to ░░░░░░░░ Supreme Court where he ░░░░░░░░ argue that it s ░░░░░░░░ for Congress to pass ░░░░░░░░ kind of laws because ░░░░░░░░ s in charge of ░░░░░░░░ executive Branch and he ░░░░░░░░ argue he can do ░░░░░░░░ he wants within the ░░░░░░░░ Branch Would not surprise ░░░░░░░░ to see the Supreme ░░░░░░░░ take one of those ░░░░░░░░ Would not surprise me ░░░░░░░░ see Trump win in ░░░░░░░░ Supreme Court COLLINS Yeah ░░░░░░░░ don t know I ░░░░░░░░ obviously everyone has been ░░░░░░░░ Justice Amy Coney Barrett ░░░░░░░░ when it comes to ░░░░░░░░ she sided with the ░░░░░░░░ justices on the USAID ░░░░░░░░ HONIG Yeah COLLINS But ░░░░░░░░ this tonight you know ░░░░░░░░ Judge Howell did write ░░░░░░░░ at one point she ░░░░░░░░ The President who touts ░░░░░░░░ image of himself as ░░░░░░░░ a king or a ░░░░░░░░ perhaps as his vision ░░░░░░░░ effective leadership fundamentally misapprehends ░░░░░░░░ role She accuses him ░░░░░░░░ exactly what you are ░░░░░░░░ out there a court ░░░░░░░░ test the presidency and ░░░░░░░░ limits of it HONIG ░░░░░░░░ think that is an ░░░░░░░░ by the judge and ░░░░░░░░ a misstatement of Donald ░░░░░░░░ s actual legal argument ░░░░░░░░ this case I think ░░░░░░░░ judge is actually getting ░░░░░░░░ political there in a ░░░░░░░░ that undermines her credibility ░░░░░░░░ Trump is making a ░░░░░░░░ reasonable good faith argument ░░░░░░░░ as the elected head ░░░░░░░░ the executive Branch he ░░░░░░░░ the executive Branch That ░░░░░░░░ very much in dispute ░░░░░░░░ s a reasonable argument ░░░░░░░░ make That s not ░░░░░░░░ same thing as saying ░░░░░░░░ s a king or ░░░░░░░░ another part of the ░░░░░░░░ the judge even refers ░░░░░░░░ his comments that he ░░░░░░░░ a dictator That s ░░░░░░░░ stuff that s political ░░░░░░░░ think it was inappropriate ░░░░░░░░ not even correct for ░░░░░░░░ judge to characterize it ░░░░░░░░ way COLLINS Yeah And ░░░░░░░░ to be clear the ░░░░░░░░ here we ve seen ░░░░░░░░ judges siding against Trump ░░░░░░░░ three rulings We ve ░░░░░░░░ seen with Hampton Dellinger ░░░░░░░░ has been fighting his ░░░░░░░░ through the court system ░░░░░░░░ it comes to federal ░░░░░░░░ that are getting fired ░░░░░░░░ dropped his case today ░░░░░░░░ losing that We ll ░░░░░░░░ where these limits go ░░░░░░░░ Honig as always great ░░░░░░░░ have you Thank you ░░░░░░░░ Thanks Kaitlan COLLINS And ░░░░░░░░ to everyone joining us ░░░░░░░░ CNN NewsNight with Abby ░░░░░░░░ is up next.”