Barrett Says Supreme Court Lacks Power to Compel a Defiant President

Overview

• In a New York Times interview, Justice Amy Coney Barrett said the Court "lacks the power of the purse" and "the power of the sword" when asked how it could respond if a president ignored a ruling.
• Ross Douthat pressed the point with an Andrew Jackson–style scenario, and Barrett said the justices can only apply the Constitution and precedent with the tools available to the Court.
• Barrett noted that debate over the unitary executive theory is active and that related questions appear in cases now before the justices.
• The conservative majority is set to weigh disputes over presidential control of federal spending, deportations to third countries, and possible use of U.S. troops in American cities.
• The exchange highlighted that the judiciary relies on legitimacy and political compliance rather than direct enforcement mechanisms.