Trump’s War on the Rule of Law
Trump executive order dizziness has been getting the better of a lot of people in the press. Political strategists and party members are losing their minds. Some of these are big. Others are small. However, one recent Trump executive order deserves our attention because it highlights a problem that may be even bigger than he is.
Donald Trump has always used the legal system as a personal weapon – suing opponents, drowning critics in legal fees, and delaying court cases until his victims run out of money. Now, with his latest executive order allowing the federal government to collect legal fees from people who lose lawsuits against it, he’s expanding his favorite tactic from a personal strategy to a national policy.
This isn’t about protecting taxpayer money. This is about making it dangerous to challenge the government. It’s an attempt to punish people for daring to sue – something Trump himself has done thousands of times.
The legal system is already broken – ordinary people can’t afford to challenge landlords, corporations, or even local governments. But now, Trump wants to make it so that if you dare to sue the federal government and lose, you could be financially ruined.
This isn’t just corrupt. It’s unconstitutional – violating the 1st, 8th, and 14th Amendments by turning legal access into a privilege of wealth.
And yet, this move is also the perfect example of the very problem it creates – executive orders like this are not automatically law, but most people can’t afford to fight them.
That’s the game Trump is playing. He knows that only those with extreme financial backing can fight back, so he raises the stakes, ensuring fewer people even try.
Trump’s Executive Order Is an Attack on the First Amendment
The First Amendment guarantees your right to petition the government for redress of grievances.
That means if the government wrongs you, you have a constitutional right to sue it.
But Trump’s executive order makes this financially dangerous.
- If you sue the government and lose, the government can force you to pay their legal fees – which, given their endless resources, could be financially devastating.
- This is censorship through financial intimidation. It discourages lawsuits not because they lack merit, but because they are too risky.
Trump himself has sued people endlessly, and he’s never had to fear this kind of penalty. As a billionaire (or at least, someone with access to unlimited legal delays), he can file cases and waste court time without consequence.
But for regular Americans, this executive order slams the courthouse doors shut.
If the government can punish you financially just for suing, then the right to petition no longer exists.
This is not democracy. This is the weaponization of the courts against the people.
This Is Also an Eighth Amendment Violation: Punishing People for Seeking Justice
The Eighth Amendment prohibits cruel and unusual punishment, and while most people associate it with excessive bail and harsh prison sentences, it also applies to unfair financial penalties.
Making someone pay massive legal fees just for losing a case is a form of punishment that is both cruel and unusual – because it is:
- Punitive – The goal isn’t to recover costs, it’s to scare people out of suing in the first place.
- Excessive – The government’s legal resources are functionally infinite, meaning they can run up fees beyond anything a normal person can afford.
- Unequally Applied – Trump and other rich people never face this financial risk when filing their own lawsuits.
This is not about fairness – it’s about crushing dissent before it even starts.
The 14th Amendment: Equal Protection Means Equal Access to the Courts
The Fourteenth Amendment guarantees equal protection under the law – but the legal system already favors the rich.
Trump’s executive order makes this worse by:
- Allowing the government to bankrupt plaintiffs for losing a case – which only affects poor and middle-class litigants.
- Further discouraging lawsuits against government corruption, making the federal government less accountable to the people.
- Turning legal access into a class privilege, where only the wealthy can take risks in court.
If you are poor and wronged by the government, your options are:
- Try to sue and risk financial ruin if you lose.
- Stay silent and accept the injustice.
That’s not equal protection under the law. That’s institutionalized financial oppression.
If Trump really believed in equal justice, he would be making it easier for Americans to access the courts – not harder.
Instead, he’s rigging the system even further in his favor.
Executive Orders Aren’t Automatically Law – If Somebody Can Afford to Fight Them
One of the biggest misconceptions about executive orders is that they are instantly binding law. But that’s not true – they can be challenged and overturned in court.
The problem? You have to be able to afford the legal battle.
And that’s the irony of Trump’s order. He is using the very problem this article is exposing – financially inaccessible legal challenges – as a tool to keep power unchecked.
If more people could sue the government without fear, they could challenge corrupt executive orders like this much faster.
That’s why we need a Free Plaintiff system – because otherwise, bad policies stand simply because they are expensive to fight.
Free Plaintiffs & Public Offenders
If America actually believed in justice, we would:
- Guarantee the Right to Self-Representation in All Courts – No more mandatory attorney requirements that block access to justice.
- Establish a “Free Plaintiff” System – Just like we have public defenders, we should have public plaintiffs for those who cannot afford legal action.
- End Financial Retaliation Against Plaintiffs – Suing the government should never carry the risk of financial destruction.
Trump knows how powerful lawsuits are. That’s why he’s trying to make it impossible for normal people to file them.
This is a civil rights issue. And it’s time to fight for it.
Courts Belong to the People, Not Just the Already Powerful
Trump’s entire career is built on gaming the legal system – filing frivolous lawsuits, using delays and appeals to avoid consequences, and weaponizing financial power to make litigation impossible for his enemies.
Now, he wants the government to operate the same way – but only against you.
His executive order is a direct attack on your First Amendment rights, a cruel punishment for seeking justice, and a financial gatekeeping system that violates equal protection under the law.
The entire premise of America’s legal system is that everyone is equal before the law.
Trump’s executive order proves that’s a lie.
America must make legal access a real civil right.
It’s time to break the class-based monopoly on justice.It’s time to restore the courts to the people.
