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It took six weeks for the German Army to trample over France. In roughly the same period, President Donald Trump scattered his biggest legal opponents into disarray by issuing over a hundred Executive Orders. The key to both victories, although short-lived for one and still to be decided for Trump, was having a plan and executing it quickly.

Trump had two well-funded research and planning organizations draw up what he wanted to accomplish and execute it through the legal process. These would be the Heritage Foundation (see How Trump Would Destroy the Deep State)and AFPI ( see Fifth Column: The Right Wing Think Tank behind Subversion of the Justice Department ).

Trump’s Executive Orders deny his opponents the right to choose the best counsel provided by aggressive liberal law firms in future court battles. Ellen Podgor, a Stetson University law professor and legal ethicist, told CNN, “We’ve never seen a president put out a specific order about a law firm.” She sees Trump as “depriving our whole right to counsel. This is a major amendment to our Constitution.”

Some law firms got Trump to withdraw his draconian orders by agreeing to some infringements on their lawyering. They just had to donate about a billion dollars in legal fees that could support Trump’s conservative agenda.

Recognizing Trump’s wins, lead White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt, gloated in his effort by telling the media, “Big Law continues to bend the knee to President Trump because they know they were wrong, and he looks forward to putting their pro bono legal concessions toward implementing his America First agenda.”

Why are big law firms significant?

With the Republican Party controlling Congress, it is doubtful that it will restrain presidential executive orders that ignore fundamental constitutional rights. If the Republican Party remains mute, it will legitimize future liberal or conservative presidents issuing executive orders that bypass or violate Congressional and judicial constraints.

While Trump appointees do not dominate the entire court system, his ideological allies could control the Supreme Court, which he anticipates will overturn district court decisions. Only a few Trump-appointed judges have ruled against his orders to date.

Appealing to the judicial system to apply the laws that limit or deny certain assumed presidential powers relies heavily on having a fair opportunity to present a robust case before any judge. This requires time and money. The most prominent law firms........

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