The Constitution Strikes Back in Chicago
In a Chicago courtroom, Judge Sara Ellis reminded federal power who it answers to: the Constitution.
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In this issue:
Find fire in how one judge made the Constitution fight back.
Share courage loud enough to shake the halls of power.
No One Is Above the Law
In Chicago, power met accountability.
Customs and Border Protection Commander Greg Bovino, chosen by the Trump administration, brought his agents to “restore order.” Instead, he delivered chaos: tear gas, unlawful detentions, and blatant contempt for the court. He arrived believing he was untouchable, despite a restraining order. Judge Sara Ellis proved otherwise.
The Line in the Sand
This isn’t about one city. It’s about whether federal power can silence dissent and ignore the Constitution under “law and order.” Bovino didn’t just cross the line; he erased it.
Peaceful protesters were gassed without warning, despite a restraining order. Journalists were targeted for documenting the truth. Children walking to a school parade in Halloween costumes were hit with chemical weapons. When Judge Ellis asked which part of her restraining order he didn’t understand, Bovino shrugged: “I take my orders from the executive branch,” according to ABC 7 Chicago.
The Judge Who’s Fighting Back
On October 28, Judge Ellis didn’t write a letter or deliver a lecture. She used her authority to bring Bovino into federal court, compelled him to answer for every violation of her restraining order, and required him to face the people his agency had harmed under oath, in public view.
Then she went further. She put him on what CNN called the “shortest leash in federal history.” Exercising her authority, she ordered Bovino to report to her daily at 6 p.m., wear a body camera during all operations, and submit all footage and use-of-force reports. Every CBP agent under his command must do the same.
Muscular Oversight
This is real oversight: unyielding, transparent, and anchored in the Constitution. Judge Ellis stated, “My role is to ensure you and your agents act within the law…and the TRO I issued.”
Her statement, as reported by Axios, reflected a clear and firm judicial approach.
Former prosecutor Phillip Turner said he’d “never seen anything like this.” Alexa Van Brunt of the MacArthur Justice Center called it “incredibly unusual.” Legal scholars say Ellis’s daily reporting order is an unprecedented check on executive power, per KSAT News.
The Gauntlet Has Been Thrown
Ellis stripped away Bovino’s shield of bureaucracy and legal spin. He will answer day after day until constitutional rights are no longer optional in Chicago.
The next steps demand action: keep public pressure high through persistent advocacy and community presence, fill the courtroom with witnesses, rigorously scrutinize every report, and urge Congressional leaders to launch a formal investigation. November 5’s injunction hearing is not the conclusion—it’s the beginning of holding power accountable.
When Democracy Fights, It Wins
Here’s to Judge Sara Ellis, who reminded America the law doesn’t serve kings, but the people. Let every agent and appointee note: in democracy, the law comes for everyone, regardless of badge or branch.
As The Independent put it, this is how democracy fights back and wins.
I can’t wait until Bovino convinces himself that “she’s not the boss or me!” 😂
I can’t wait until he doesn’t show up for one of his 6pm appointments.
Where do you think the marshals are going to come to arrest him for contempt of court? At home? In public,on the streets of Chicago?
Feel free to vote in the comments. 😁
Judge Ellis is truly taking charge of this situation. I just hope that she has protection from the goons herself. 🙏