The Courts Struggle to Restrain Trump

Our justice system isn’t designed to hold the powerful accountable

Donald Trump, orange insurrectionists in chief, is facing 91 indictments and a deluge of civil suits. Many have seen that as a hopeful sign for the republic. “Donald Trump tried to subvert democracy. He may finally face justice,” one typical headline suggested hopefully. “Trump is finally being held accountable for his attacks on our democracy,” a press release declared. And so forth. The justice system moved slowly to address Trump’s lifetime of criminality and his four years of corruption, but it finally moved. That’s good, right?

It's not bad exactly. But even as Trump has faced some consequences, his collision with the courts has not exactly demonstrated the egalitarian principle of “justice for all.” Instead, it’s underlined the extent to which the justice system is ill-equipped to restrain the powerful or to hold them accountable.

Trump has flouted the court’s authority repeatedly and egregiously—most recently in a disparaging social media post about a law clerk.