The Democracy Papers: Paper Fifteen

America doesn't have kings.

In Federalist No. 15, Hamilton warned that the United States, under the Articles of Confederation, was on the brink of collapse. He feared that a weak central government would lead to anarchy. The national government was powerless to enforce laws and constantly undermined by states acting in their own self-interest. The solution, he argued, was a stronger federal government that could hold the country together, legislate directly for the people and ensure order.

But what we’re facing now is the kind of the opposite: a federal government so powerful and so consolidated under one man, who has figuratively and LITERALLY declared himself king, that it seemingly cannot be stopped.

The United States is at a breaking point. Either we act now, or we wake up to a country where elections are ceremonial, courts are loyalist enforcers and Congress is a relic of the past. The coup isn’t coming. It’s here.

The Unitary Executive: A Blueprint for Tyranny

The Unitary Executive Theory and the Federalist Society’s decades-long legal coup are paving the way for an all-powerful presidency, one unchecked by Congress, immune from the courts and answerable to no one.

This theory is an obscure legal idea that builds a scaffold for dictatorship that feels like a monarchy. It argues that all executive power belongs solely to the president. No oversight, no checks, no balances. Agencies? Congress? The courts? Forget about it. The president alone decides how the government runs.

• Fire any federal worker who doesn’t pledge loyalty
• Direct every federal agency without congressional approval
• Ignore laws he doesn’t like
• Refuse to comply with court rulings

Sound fascist? That’s because it is.

Trump’s Project 2025 plan explicitly outlines a strategy to purge the government of career civil servants, install loyalists and consolidate executive power under a president who is, effectively, untouchable. And if you’re wondering who has been pushing this framework for years? Enter the Federalist Society.

Dun dun dunnnnnn.

The Federalist Society: The Architects of Authoritarianism

If the Unitary Executive Theory is the weapon, the Federalist Society is the arms dealer.

For decades, this right-wing legal organization has worked behind the scenes to reshape the judiciary, rewrite constitutional law and remove every legal barrier that stands between a power-hungry executive and total control. They’re the ones handpicking Supreme Court justices, stocking federal courts with extremist judges and ensuring every legal challenge that could check executive power dies on arrival.

To be clear: the Federalist Society’s goal is not democracy. It’s absolute control. They don’t want checks and balances, they want a government that serves their donors, their ideology and their agenda. That means:

• A president who cannot be indicted, arrested, or removed.
• A judiciary that rubber-stamps executive power grabs.
• An administrative state that exists only to serve the president’s whims.

What We Can Do Right Now

This is a five-alarm fire for democracy. We fight back, or we lose everything. So what the hell do we do about it?

• Call Your Representatives – Demand they push back on executive overreach, refuse to confirm extremist judges and pass laws protecting civil servants from political purges.
• Expose the Federalist Society – Their influence operates in the shadows. Bring it into the light. Talk about their role, call out their judges and make sure people understand what’s happening.
• Don’t Fall for the “Strong Leader” Trap – Authoritarians always sell themselves as the only ones who can fix things. History tells us that once they’re in, they never leave.
• Organize and Protest – This isn’t a moment for apathy. Peaceful but relentless resistance is how we push back. Flood the streets and let everyone know we're not gonna take it.

The Line in the Sand

Federal workers, now is not the time to resign in protest. That’s exactly what they want. They are counting on you to walk away, to give in, to make it easy for them to replace you with unqualified loyalists who will do their bidding without question. Do not hand them that victory. Stay. Keep doing your job. Follow the law. Throw sand in the gears where you can. Make them fire you, make them justify it, make them fight for every inch of ground they try to take. You are the last guardrails of this democracy.

The Federalist Society and their judicial puppets have spent years laying the groundwork for an all-powerful presidency and now their moment has arrived. If we let them erase the rule of law, dismantle checks and balances and silence opposition, we will never get this country back.

This is our country. This is our fight. This is our line in the sand. And we will hold that line.