Famously, in response to the Supreme Court’s Worcester v. Georgia decision protecting Native American rights, Andrew Jackson reportedly responded: “[Chief Justice] John Marshall has made his decision; now let him enforce it!” The quote is apocryphal, but it goes to the heart of one of the most vexing problems in politics. We think of politics as if it’s a question of statutes, laws, and parliamentary procedure, of getting a policy to the finish line à la Schoolhouse Rock’s timeless ditty “I’m Just a Bill”, as if we could breathe easy once bills are signed into law.
