Trump’s comments could put legal officials in danger

+ the end of Finlandization US Edition - Today's top story: Trump’s latest personal attacks on judges could further weaken people's declining trust in American rule of law [View in browser]( US Edition | 6 April 2023 [The Conversation] [The Conversation]( This has been a week like no other in the 247-year history of the United States. Never before has an American president or past president faced criminal charges in a court of law. But former President Donald Trump, who was arrested and arraigned in New York on April 4 for allegedly falsifying business documents, has always been a norm breaker. To mark the weight of the moment, the Politics + Society desk provided you with stories that tapped into different aspects of this unprecedented historical event. Paul M. Collins Jr. of UMass Amherst and Matthew Eshbaugh-Soha of the University of North Texas are scholars of the presidency and U.S. courts. They wrote this week about how Trump’s rhetoric and personal attacks on the Manhattan District Attorney and others [could further weaken American’s already declining trust in our legal system](. “While this may help Trump raise more money for his presidential campaign, it may cost the country some faith in the rule of law, while putting legal officials in danger,” they wrote. The situation facing Trump – and our nation – is serious, for sure. But going forward, we won’t provide wall-to-wall coverage of the former president’s legal challenges. Millions of Americans are staring down other important issues every day. In Nashville, the site of the nation’s latest school shooting, for instance, children are marching for tougher gun laws. In statehouses around the country, lawmakers are passing legislation that has profound implications for people’s lives. And around the world, [geopolitics are shifting](, [migrants are suffering]( and [journalists face danger](. We plan to tell you about those things, too. Lorna Grisby Senior Politics & Society Editor Former President Donald Trump arrives at the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse on April 4, 2023, before his arraignment. Ed Jones/AFP via Getty Images [Trump’s latest personal attacks on judges could further weaken people’s declining trust in American rule of law]( Paul M. Collins Jr., UMass Amherst; Matthew Eshbaugh-Soha, University of North Texas Presidents have historically criticized judicial decisions. But Trump is taking it a step further with potentially dangerous personal attacks on judges. Former U.S. President Donald Trump sits with his attorneys for his arraignment at the Manhattan criminal court on April 4, 2023, in New York City. Pool/ Getty Images News via Getty Images North America [Trump’s indictment is unprecedented, but it would not have surprised the Founding Fathers]( Austin Sarat, Amherst College The arrest of a former American president is unprecedented, but the nation’s founders anticipated the day would come. Finnish military personnel raise their country’s flag at NATO headquarters in Brussels. Dursun Aydemir/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images [Finland, NATO and the evolving new world order – what small nations know]( Ronald Suny, University of Michigan A historian looks at the steps leading up to Finland joining the Western strategic alliance – and what that means for small nations elsewhere. [Lula and the world: what to expect from the new Brazilian foreign policy]( Guilherme Casarões, São Paulo School of Business Administration (FGV/EAESP) Brazil’s new leader is treading a fine line between China and the US in his foreign policy. [Each generation in Northern Ireland has reflected on the ‘troubles’ in its own way – right up to ‘Derry Girls’]( Joseph Patrick Kelly, College of Charleston Twenty-five years after the Good Friday/Belfast Agreement, Northern Ireland is still resisting the culture of violence. [Reporting is not espionage – but history shows that journalists doing the former get accused of the latter]( Bill Kovarik, Radford University Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich is far from the first American journalist to be accused of spying, a media historian explains. [Migrant deaths in Mexico put spotlight on US policy that shifted immigration enforcement south]( Raquel Aldana, University of California, Davis ‘Extensive use’ of detention led to tragic fire, according to the UN special rapporteur for migrant rights. US-Mexico policy has fueled the growth. - [What Trump’s business fraud charges mean – a former prosecutor explains the 34 felony counts and obstacles ahead for Manhattan’s DA]( Jeffrey Bellin, William & Mary Law School False business records – not hush money payments – are at the heart of New York’s prosecution of former President Donald Trump. But not all the alleged crimes have been revealed. - [Donald Trump faces his arrest with a public perp walk into a Manhattan courtroom – this could energize, not humiliate, the former president]( Mary Angela Bock, The University of Texas at Austin A perp walk is often seen as a walk of shame for accused criminals. But this norm is likely to backfire in the case of Trump. Like this newsletter? You might be interested in our other weekly emails: [Science Editors' Picks]( • [This Week in Religion]( • [Weekly Highlights]( [The Conversation]( You’re receiving this newsletter from [The Conversation]( 303 Wyman Street, Suite 300 Waltham, MA 02451 [Forward to a friend]( • [Unsubscribe](