You Know Better, Congressman Bentz—Stop Undermining the Rule of Law

As both my representative and a longtime attorney, you should know exactly what’s at stake when the legislative branch attempts to strip power from the judiciary. Yet despite your deep legal background—including decades as a partner at Yturri Rose law firm—you have chosen to support legislation that intentionally undermines the authority of the courts and erodes the fundamental checks and balances of our democracy. Let’s be clear: your support for provisions that restrict the judiciary’s ability to enforce contempt rulings is not a technical oversight—it’s a deliberate attack on judicial independence. And you, of all people, cannot claim ignorance. As an officer of the court, you took an oath to uphold the Constitution and respect the rule of law. That oath doesn’t expire when you enter Congress. If anything, it carries more weight. You know exactly what contempt powers are for. You know why the courts must be able to enforce their rulings. And yet, you support efforts to weaken them, in the service of a president who has already demonstrated open defiance of judicial orders and a disdain for constitutional limits. Deportations have proceeded in violation of court halts. Immunity claims are being weaponized. And now, Congress—your Congress—is actively working to protect lawlessness. This is more than political complicity. It’s professional betrayal. It’s a betrayal of your oath as an attorney, of your duty as a public servant, and of the people of Oregon’s 2nd District who depend on the courts for justice and protection. Congress should be defending the separation of powers, not dismantling it. You have the training, the experience, and the knowledge to understand how dangerous this is. So why are you siding with authoritarianism over accountability? Why are you helping to sabotage the very legal system you built your career on? I demand that you reverse course and publicly reject any legislation that weakens the judiciary’s enforcement powers. You swore an oath. Start acting like it. We are disappointed and outraged.