“Never again will one generation of veterans abandon another.”
That is the founding principle of Vietnam Veterans of America — the congressionally chartered veteran service organization where I had the privilege of working for nearly five years. It was founded by anti-war protesters who were also warriors — women and men who fought in Vietnam and came home determined to make sure the next generation of service members would not be treated the way they were.
When I deployed more than thirty years later, I came home to a country shaped by their work. I came home with benefits they fought for. I came home to a culture that had learned to separate the warrior from the war — so that even when the Iraq War that I fought in became deeply unpopular, the American people understood that a soldier following lawful orders was not the enemy.
That cultural shift didn’t happen by accident.
It happened because veterans chose an institution and took its side.
By the time I worked there, Vietnam Veterans of America had spent nearly fifty years defending one of the most important institutions in American democracy: the Department of Veterans Affairs.
The VA is the second-largest cabinet-level department in the federal government. It operates the largest integrated healthcare system in the United States. It trains physicians. It develops medical breakthroughs. It serves as a backstop during national emergencies. And it keeps promises made to the people sent to fight this country’s wars.
Most Americans think the VA is failing. They remember the scandals. The wait-time crisis. The headlines.
What they don’t hear nearly as often is that veteran patient satisfaction consistently outpaces most private healthcare systems. They don’t hear about the medical innovations. They don’t hear about the quiet, steady improvements.
Because if it bleeds, it leads.
And there has always been a class of powerful people who would prefer to ruin the VA’s reputation so that they can dismantle it — not because it fails, but because it represents something dangerous: a functioning government-provided healthcare system that they can’t profit off of unless it’s privatized.
During the first Trump administration, control of the VA was effectively steered by three wealthy Mar-a-Lago members who were not veterans, but who took a keen interest in veterans’ healthcare. Major contracts were influenced. Privatization proposals were advanced. And veterans’ private and medical data was discussed as a commodity to be sold.
Meanwhile, a relatively small handful of veteran policy experts — across organizations like VVA, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Disabled American Veterans, and others — worked relentlessly to defend the institution. They didn’t have the money. They didn’t have billionaire donors. But they specialized. They focused. They defended one thing — and they held the line.
And they were effective.
It is institutions that help us to preserve decency. They need our help as well. Do not speak of our institutions unless you make them yours by acting on their behalf. Institutions do not protect themselves. They fall one after the other unless each is defended from the beginning. So choose an institution you care about — a court, a newspaper, a law, a labor union — and take its side.
— Timothy Snyder, On Tyranny
That’s what Snyder means when he tells us to defend institutions.
Defending institutions doesn’t mean trying to fight every battle everywhere all at once. It means choosing something you care about. Something you understand. Something where you can make an impact — and taking its side.
Since returning to office, Donald Trump has sought to dismantle or hollow out as many institutions as possible — from USAID to the Department of Education — while simultaneously weaponizing federal power against perceived political enemies.
It would be easy to lose faith. Seeing Trump and his cronies escape justice time and time again has led to a lot of disillusionment.
It would be easy to assume that the courts no longer matter. That the justice system is broken beyond repair. That accountability is a myth.
But institutions do not defend themselves.
They survive because of the helpers.
Because of the specialists.
Because of the people who choose to take their side.
And today, we’re going to talk about one of those institutions: the federal courts.
Right now, in district courtrooms across the country, judges are reviewing executive orders, immigration detention policies, and attempts by DHS and ICE to reinterpret decades of settled law.
Much of the chaos that Trump has unleashed against this country using DHS and ICE hasn’t been stopped. But — a lot has. This is a slow constitutional process. And the good guys don’t always win everything, at least not right away.
This the rule of law under stress.
And helping us understand what is actually happening in those courtrooms is someone who has chosen his institution — and taken its side.
Chris Geidner is the founder of Law Dork, one of the clearest, most disciplined legal publications covering the Supreme Court and federal litigation in real time. He has spent years making court decisions legible to the public — and, when necessary, fighting for access to the very documents that allow citizens to hold the government accountable.
Today we’re discussing ICE, DHS, refugee detention, executive power, and whether the courts are holding the constitutional line.
Because if institutions fall one after another, it’s not because they failed quietly.
It’s because too few people defended them early.
Let’s talk about what it means to defend institutions. While this discussion is about the courts and the power of journalism, as you’re listening, I want for you to think about how the lessons you’ll learn here apply to you and the institution you care about most.
And then, think about how you’re going to go on offense for that institution.
🎧 Listen to the full episode above or wherever you get your podcasts.
⚖️ Follow Chris Geidner’s reporting at Law Dork
Chris Geidner is one of the most trusted legal journalists covering the Supreme Court, federal courts, and the rule of law in real time. Through his independent publication Law Dork, he breaks down complex legal developments into clear, accessible reporting that helps readers understand what’s actually happening inside the courts.
In a moment when executive power is being tested and the judiciary is under enormous pressure, independent legal journalism like Chris’s work is essential.
📰 Subscribe to Law Dork:
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If you want to understand what federal court rulings actually mean — not just the headlines — Chris’s work is one of the best places to start.
If this episode resonated with you, support independent journalism and civic institutions where you live.
Extremism and authoritarianism don’t start in Washington. They test themselves locally. They organize locally. They normalize locally.
And they can be stopped locally.
If you’re serious about acting where you live:
Start or join an Antifascist Book Club: https://veteransfightingfascism.org
Access antifascist field manuals and organizing tools: https://taskforcebutler.org
Pay attention to your local politics. Show up to city council meetings. Follow your local reporters. Don’t let hate operate quietly in your town.
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No one else is coming to save your town.
But you can defend it.
Let’s go on offense.
