'Silence, for me, is now intolerable': Boston federal judge resigns in protest, citing President Trump

A federal judge in Boston resigned this weekend in protest, citing a need to "speak out" against actions taken by President Trump.

U.S. District Judge Mark Wolf wrote an essay in The Atlantic explaining why he stepped down after four decades on the bench.

"The White House’s assault on the rule of law is so deeply disturbing to me that I feel compelled to speak out," Wolf wrote. "Silence, for me, is now intolerable."

Judge Mark Wolf joins WBUR's Morning Edition to continue the conversation.

Why did he resign?

“ Throughout my career, I've been dedicated to the ideal of equal justice under law, which is fundamental to American democracy. President Trump is behaving regularly — repeatedly — in ways that are inconsistent with that concept of equal justice.  He's using the Department of Justice for partisan purposes to punish his perceived enemies, and not investigate and, if appropriate, prosecute his friends, his family, and perhaps himself.”

Has there been another moment in U.S. history like this one?

“ Not to this degree. I was introduced to the administration of justice after Watergate, but Watergate to a large extent involved President Nixon episodically and secretly using the Department of Justice for partisan purposes and to reward people who made payments for his benefit. Now President Trump appears to do that, in my opinion, regularly and overtly to an extent that's unprecedented in the history of our country.”

He makes strong legal accusations in the essay. Does he worry that he's wrong?

“ I believe that what I wrote is judiciously expressed. For example, I don't accuse anybody of being corrupt. I point out that conduct that would ordinarily be investigated in any prior administration is not being investigated. Second, if I'm wrong, the president and his allies certainly have the capacity to be heard. But, the fundamental principle of the First Amendment is free speech, that the best antidote to bad speech is better speech, and I want to participate in this marketplace of ideas. I think there are things worse than failing, and that is a failure to try to do something meaningful if you have the potential to do it.”