The Constitution does more than protect individual liberties. It also carefully divides governmental power among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches while preserving the sovereignty of state and local governments. The Framers understood that liberty depends not only on protecting constitutional rights but also on ensuring that no branch of government exercises extraordinary authority longer than necessary. Federal court oversight is no exception.

When constitutional violations occur, federal courts possess both the authority and the responsibility to intervene. Court-appointed monitors have served an important purpose in correcting unlawful government practices, enforcing judicial orders, and restoring public confidence. But the Supreme Court has repeatedly emphasized that institutional reform litigation was never intended to create permanent systems of federal management over state and local government. Extraordinary remedies must remain extraordinary.