Our country faces a constitutional crisis that should alarm every American.

Since taking office, President Donald Trump has launched an unprecedented assault on our judicial system—ignoring his oath to protect the Constitution, trampling on our system of checks and balances, and attacking our fundamental freedoms.

If a president can ignore or intimidate judges who rule against him, the rights of everyday Americans are no longer guaranteed.

The warning signs are flashing red. Vice President JD Vance boldly declared that “judges aren’t allowed to control the executive’s legitimate power.” Elon Musk exposed a judge’s daughter’s personal information after an unfavorable ruling. When Judge James Boasberg ruled against the administration’s mass deportation plan, he faced impeachment threats and what he described as “possible defiance” of a lawful court order.

We can’t ignore these actions or rhetoric. The Trump administration has launched a coordinated attack on our Constitution that threatens our lives and livelihoods. Instead of standing up for our founding principles, Trump’s Republican allies in Congress are actively enabling this dangerous power grab through legislation that would dismantle judicial independence.

Congress is currently considering several bills that would have disastrous implications. Don’t be fooled by their innocent-sounding names. The JUDGES Act would let Trump appoint 22 new lifetime judges—essentially packing courts with loyalists. The PEPPER Act would allow current and former executive branch officials to shift cases against them from state to federal courts and force the dismissal of nearly all cases against presidents, creating a “get out of jail free” card. Another, the NORRA Act, would prevent judges from issuing nationwide injunctions to stop unconstitutional actions.

Let’s be clear about what’s really at stake. This isn’t about abstract legal principles—it’s about your health care, your personal safety, clean air and water, and economic security. Donald Trump wants unchecked authority so he can strip millions of Americans’ health care coverage, dismantle environmental protections that keep our food and water safe, and further rig the economic system for his wealthy billionaire allies at the expense of working families and vulnerable communities. Without independent courts to review these actions, there would be no meaningful recourse to stop him.

The Trump administration is also targeting law firms that represent clients opposed to its agenda. President Trump has weaponized his executive power and has used “mob boss” tactics to pressure five leading law firms to bend the knee and force at least $340 million in pro bono work for Trump’s projects. This further assault on our legal system aims to intimidate lawyers nationwide and ensure that Americans can’t find lawyers willing to stand up to government overreach.

Throughout American history, our courts have protected people’s rights when other branches of government wouldn’t—ending school segregation and wrongful detention, securing voting rights, and upholding free speech. If courts lose their independence, who will protect your rights when Congress or the executive branch violates them?

This is not about politics. It’s about whether we, as Americans, still believe in the Constitution’s foundational principles: the separation of powers, checks and balances, and that the government’s power comes from the people, not a king.

We’ve survived as a democracy for nearly 250 years because we’ve respected and defended this system, even when we disagree with specific decisions. It’s simply patriotic to do so.

Now, that system’s very foundation is being eroded—and we must act with urgency. Call your representatives and demand they swiftly reject legislation that undermines judicial independence. Support organizations fighting to preserve our constitutional system. Urge judges to hold the administration accountable when it defies court orders. And most importantly, speak up—talk to friends and family about why an independent judiciary matters, regardless of who’s in power.

The Constitution begins with “We the People” for a reason. Ultimately, our system of government depends on all of us standing up for it, and we owe it to ourselves and to future generations to do everything we can to stop this assault on democracy and our fundamental freedoms.

Lisa Gilbert is Public Citizen’s co-president. Brett Edkins is Managing Director, Policy & Political Affairs at Stand Up America, a progressive advocacy organization of over 2 million members.

The views expressed in this article are the writers’ own.