What did Donald Trump do today?

He once again used the power of the state to punish lawyers who opposed him or his political allies in court.

Since returning to office, Trump has repeatedly used the powers of his office to punish law firms who employed or represented his political enemies, or took positions he didn't like in court. He has revoked security clearances at those firms en masse (a basic job necessity for many lawyers in federal court), canceled routine legal contracts with them, and even tried to physically bar lawyers employed by them from federal buildings, which includes courthouses.

Some of the firms affected have signed consent agreements with the Trump administration in which they agree, in effect, to let Trump dictate their policies and clients to them. Others, however, have fought back in court—and they have been successful. 

Today, another law firm won a temporary restraining order against Trump's executive order targeting them. The firm, Susman Godfrey, represents Dominion Voting Services. That company received a $788 million settlement for its defamation claim against Fox News, which aired false claims that Dominion had "rigged" the 2020 election. Susman Godfrey continues to represent Dominion against Trump allies like Rudy Giuliani and Mike Lindell for their similar claims.

Trump continues to claim that he the real winner of the 2020 election, which in fact he lost by 7 million popular votes and 74 electoral college votes. It's not clear whether he actually believes any part of this, but he lost virtually every one of the dozens of court cases he filed related to it, and succeeded in changing none of its outcomes. That includes all the cases that reached the Supreme Court, where he appointed three of its members and openly stated his expectation that they would be "loyal" to him.

In a statement accompanying the order, the judge in the said Trump's actions were discriminatory and an unconstitutional government attack on the firm's First Amendment rights. She added that Trump's "personal vendetta" was a "shocking abuse of power" and said that Trump's attempts to personally pick and choose who could practice law were "immensely oppressive."

Why does this matter?

• It's not a crime to protect the rights of people Donald Trump is mad at.

• In a democracy, both sides get to be represented in court, not just the ruler.