Feb 02, 2026 (deanobeidallah@substack.com)
We have seen countless federal district judges–including ones appointed by Republican Presidents–stand up to Donald Trump’s unconstitutional and lawless actions. While it’s true the corrupt GOP Supreme Court has ruled in the favor of Trump in about 90% of the 25 cases they considered, these trial judges have been a bulwark in effectively delaying Trump’s actions and proposed executive orders in more than 150 cases.
Many of these great decisions have been laid out by judges in long, very detailed opinions. But the most compelling and moving judicial opinion in the second term of Trump might just be the less than three page one rendered Saturday night in the case of 5 year-old Liam Ramos and his father Conejo Arias.
This case made headlines when on Jan. 20, Trump’s ICE thugs arrested Mr. Arias and Liam in their suburban Minneapolis neighborhood. Just to be clear, Arias and his family entered the nation legally from Ecuador in accordance with the legal guidelines for asylum. As the family lawyer stated to the media, the family has been “following all the established protocols pursuing their claim for asylum, showing up for their court hearings and pose no safety, no flight risk, and never should have been detained.” But the Trump regime doesn’t care if people are following the asylum procedures, they will still abduct and deport you.
That is what happened. Mr. Arias and Liam were returning home from Liam’s school when ICE grabbed the father. Trump regime officials claim the mother who was in the house would not take Liam—a claim refuted by School board member Mary Granlund who was at the scene. In fact, Granlund personally offered to take custody of Liam but ICE agents rejected that offer and instead arrested the little boy.
ICE has detained countless children but in the case, the photo of Liam wearing a Spider-Man backpack and an oversize fluffy blue winter hat standing out in the cold went viral causing a massive backlash.
The family’s lawyers quickly filed a lawsuit that brings to the must read court decision written by Judge Fred Biery. The judge’s anger and contempt for the Trump regime’s conduct in this case was on display for all to see. The decision began by noting the father and son have a pending asylum application. The judge then noted, “The case has its genesis in the ill-conceived and incompetently-implemented government pursuit of daily deportation quotas, apparently even if it requires traumatizing children.”
From there, the judge slammed the Trump regime for not grasping what makes America, America. Judge Biery wrote, “Apparent also is the government’s ignorance of an American historical document called the Declaration of Independence.”
He then added these powerful lines:
“Thirty-three-year-old Thomas Jefferson enumerated grievances against a would-be authoritarian king over our nascent nation. Among others were:
1. “He has sent hither Swarms of Officers to harass our People.”
2. “He has excited domestic Insurrection among us.”
3. “For quartering large Bodies of Armed Troops among us.”
4. “He has kept among us, in Times of Peace, Standing Armies without the consent of our Legislatures.”
The judge then added this haunting line, “We the people” are hearing echoes of that history.”
Yes, there is no doubt we are a similar place as the founders of this nation who were then faced with a cruel, tyrant in King George. Indeed, the judge—after slamming the unconstitutionality of the Trump regime using administrative warrants to arrest people signed by Trump officials and not judges—he delivered a line that sounded like something Alexander Hamilton may have written.
“Observing human behavior confirms that for some among us, the perfidious lust for unbridled power and the imposition of cruelty in its quest know no bounds and are bereft of human decency. And the rule of law be damned.”
A federal judge is warning the nation that the Trump regime has a corrupt lust for “unbridled power” and enjoys “the imposition of cruelty,” as they act with zero regard for “human decency” and in total disregard of our laws. In other words, Trump is a vicious, cruel tyrant. And the judge is 100% correct.
The judge was not done, though. He added this famous quote from 1787 when Benjamin Franklin was asked about what type of government had the drafters of the new Constitution had voted for. “Well, Dr. Franklin, what do we have?” “A republic, if you can keep it.”
What a great lesson for us today. Our Republic is under attack by a rogue, cruel, corrupt President in ways we’ve never seen. The question is up to us if we can keep this Republic.
The judge then concluded his short opinion with two very memorable comments. The first was this thought-provoking remark above his signature line ordering the release of the child and father, “With a judicial finger in the constitutional dike.” Again, the judge is raising alarm bells about how precarious of a place we find ourselves.
Then the judge did something I’ve never seen in any of the countless number of opinions I read since my days in law schools decades ago until today. Below you will see image from opinion of his signature line that then included the famous photo of Liam with his Spiderman backpack standing in the cold with a citation to two passages from the Bible, “Matthew 19:14” and “John 11:35.” The judge didn’t include what the verses stated—leaving that investigation up to each of us to do on our own.
The first, Matthew 19:14, tell us these moving words, “Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”
While the second, John 11:35, provides us these two simple, yet powerful words, “Jesus wept.”
All of this from laying out the law to citing Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin’s words to the Bible were all contained in an opinion less than three pages—double spaced I should add. But this opinion offers us so much—from warnings to a sense of history to much needed hope!
X post: https://x.com/Joseph_Fasano_/status/2017783661156864135?s=20