The Rule of Law, Elon Musk, and Why We Probably Shouldn’t Take Cues from El Salvador

Elon Musk—self-made billionaire, part-time Mars colonizer, and full-time opinion-haver—recently declared that the only way to “restore the rule of the people” in America is to impeach judges.

Not just one or two. All of them. Well, at least the ones he doesn’t like.

This isn’t the first time Musk has weighed in on democracy from his digital throne at X, formerly Twitter, formerly the place where people just shared cat memes. But this time, he went a step further, pointing to El Salvador as the shining example of how to fix America’s legal system.

Yes, El Salvador. The country where the president recently fired a bunch of judges and replaced them with his friends.

Now, I don’t want to be the guy who ruins the fun, but Musk’s take on American democracy is about as sound as using duct tape to fix a sinking ship. So let’s break this down before anyone starts firing judges like bad baristas at a coffee shop.

How Judicial Impeachment Actually Works (A Quick Civics Lesson for the Wealthy and Impatient)

Impeaching a judge in the U.S. isn’t as easy as rage-tweeting about it. There’s an actual process involved, and—spoiler alert—it wasn’t designed so that powerful people could remove judges just because they ruled the “wrong” way.

Here’s how it works:

1. Step One: The House of Representatives Votes on Impeachment – This is basically a formal accusation of misconduct. A simple majority can pass it.
2. Step Two: The Senate Holds a Trial – The big one. Two-thirds of senators have to vote to convict. If they don’t, the judge stays put.

Now, for context, in all of U.S. history, only 15 federal judges have been impeached, and just eight were actually removed. That means your odds of getting struck by lightning twice while holding a winning lottery ticket are probably better than seeing mass judicial impeachments in Congress.

In other words, Musk’s grand plan isn’t just legally impossible—it’s also historically laughable.

Why Judges Matter (And Why They Aren’t Supposed to Make Everyone Happy)

Judges aren’t elected because their job isn’t to win popularity contests. They’re there to apply the law as written—not to make rulings based on what Elon Musk, Congress, or a particularly loud group of internet trolls think is fair.

A lot of people seem to forget that the United States is a constitutional republic—which means we have checks and balances for a reason.

• Congress writes the laws.
• The President enforces the laws.
• Judges interpret the laws and determine if they comply with the Constitution.

If a president tries to do something illegal, a judge can step in and say, “Not so fast.” If Congress passes an unconstitutional law, the courts can shut it down.

This isn’t some deep-state conspiracy. It’s literally how the system is designed to work.

Yet, people like Musk—and, frankly, plenty of politicians—seem convinced that judges exist solely to rubber-stamp whatever the government wants. That’s not judicial overreach. That’s called doing the job.

The Real Reason People Attack the Courts

The complaint isn’t actually about judges having too much power. The real issue is that some people only like judicial authority when it benefits them.

The courts block an executive action they support? The system is corrupt.
The courts block an executive action they hate? The system is working beautifully.

This selective outrage isn’t about democracy. It’s about control.

And when Musk and his allies suggest mass-impeaching judges, they aren’t advocating for “justice.” They’re pushing a system where judges are too afraid to rule against the powerful.

And that, my friends, is how you slide into authoritarianism.

El Salvador as a Model? Hard Pass.

This is where things get especially bizarre. Musk’s argument? The U.S. should follow El Salvador’s example.

In 2021, El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele fired top judges and prosecutors and replaced them with people who wouldn’t challenge his power. Human rights organizations—including the United Nations and Human Rights Watch—called it an assault on democracy.

Since then, Bukele’s government has:

• Imprisoned thousands without trials.
• Cracked down on free speech and political opposition.
• Eroded judicial independence to consolidate power.

So, to be clear, Musk’s vision for American justice is to model it after a country where the judiciary was turned into a political puppet.

I’d say that’s a red flag. Actually, it’s a whole parade of red flags.

The Hypocrisy of “No One Is Above the Law”

Musk also threw in the classic line: “No one is above the law, including judges.”

A solid statement—until you remember that many of the same people pushing for judicial impeachments have spent years insisting that their political allies should face zero consequences.

Trump was impeached—twice. Once for abuse of power, and once for inciting an insurrection. Both times, many of the same politicians calling for judicial impeachments voted against convicting him.

So when these folks say, “No one is above the law,” what they actually mean is:

“No one is above the law… unless we like them.”

Why This Matters (And Why Americans Should Pay Attention)

This whole conversation isn’t just about Elon Musk’s latest bad take. It’s about a larger, growing movement that seeks to erode the independence of the judiciary.

Judicial independence is what separates a constitutional republic from a system where the law bends to the will of whoever is in power.

If a judge rules against your side, that doesn’t mean they’re corrupt.
If the courts block an executive action, that’s not tyranny—that’s the Constitution at work.
And if you believe El Salvador is a better legal model than the U.S., you might want to brush up on your history.

The rule of law isn’t just an abstract concept. It’s the backbone of American democracy. And the moment we start treating judges as disposable political obstacles is the moment we start losing what makes this country different from, well, El Salvador.

The Rule of Law Is Bigger Than Politics

America isn’t broken because judges do their jobs.
America is at risk because powerful people think democracy is something they can rewrite with a tweet.

Judges are not the enemy. The real threat is those who want unchecked power.

And if that makes certain politicians and billionaires uncomfortable?

Good. It means the system is still working.