(Photo
by
Apu
Gomes/Getty
Images)
It
should
be
abundantly
clear
by
now,
but
it
bears
repeating:
Elon
Musk
has
no
respect
for
the
rule
of
law.
His
position
on
everything
depends
solely
on
his
calculation
of
how
much
he
personally
benefits.
Musk’s
unelected
and
unconfirmed
position
at
the
right
hand
of
Donald
Trump
only
pushes
that
maxim
into
starker
relief.
So,
when
a
federal
judge
(or
more
accurately,
judges)
pushes
back
on
the
power
grab
going
on
in
Washington,
D.C.,
of
course
Musk
has
something
to
say
about
it.
And
because
he
(ill-advisedly)
purchased
a
social
media
platform
that’s
steadily
lost
users
and
value
since
his
takeover,
Musk
used
X
to
stir
up
the
far-right
base,
saying,
“Democracy
in
America
is
being
destroyed
by
judicial
coup.”
Which,
obviously,
is
not
at
all
what’s
happening.
As
someone
who
actually
understands
the
American
system
of
government
and
isn’t
trying
to
twist
it
for
their
own
benefit,
Paul
Grimm,
director
of
the
Bolch
Judicial
Institute
at
Duke
Law
School,
notes,
“The
Constitution
imposes
on
judges
the
duty
to
exercise
checks
and
balances
on
legislative
and
executive
action
that
has
been
challenged
as
violating
the
law.
While
individuals
and
organizations
have
a
First
Amendment
right
to
criticize
judicial
decisions,
it
crosses
the
line
to
attempt
to
threaten
and
intimidate
a
judge
in
doing
so,
and
such
conduct
is
indefensible.”
But
that
isn’t
the
only
legal
institution
Musk
has
taken
to
bashing.
Which
law
firms
are
pushing
these
anti-democratic
cases
to
impede
the
will
of
the
people?
https://t.co/hw2kCetGb8—
Elon
Musk
(@elonmusk)
February
11,
2025
As
pointed
out
by
Reuters:
That
lawsuit
was
brought
in
Boston
by
Democratic
attorneys
general
from
22
U.S.
states
challenging
cuts
adopted
by
the
National
Institutes
of
Health.
Two
other
related
lawsuits
related
to
NIH
funding
have
been
brought
by
groups
represented
by
law
firms
Jenner
&
Block
and
Ropes
&
Gray.
There
are
at
least
eight
large
and
midsized
firms
working
on
cases
to
oppose
the
Trump
administration,
to
say
nothing
of
the
legal
advocacy
groups,
state
attorneys
general,
and
unions
bringing
lawsuits.
This
isn’t
the
first
time
Musk
has
had
something
negative
to
say
about
a
Biglaw
firm.
But
now
Musk
has
tapped
into
the
MAGA
brain
rot
—
so
there
are
some
wild
responses
to
Musk’s
tweet.
Musk
is
whipping
the
MAGA
faithful
into
a
frenzy
because,
unlike
when
a
ruling
comes
out
of
the
Fifth
Circuit,
he
doesn’t
like
the
result.
The
most
consistent
and
disturbing
trend
of
the
Trump
II
reign
is
the
denigration
of
institutions
or
individuals
that
don’t
sycophantically
cower
to
the
right’s
whims.
Kathryn
Rubino
is
a
Senior
Editor
at
Above
the
Law,
host
of
The
Jabot
podcast,
and
co-host
of
Thinking
Like
A
Lawyer.
AtL
tipsters
are
the
best,
so
please
connect
with
her.
Feel
free
to
email
her
with
any
tips,
questions,
or
comments
and
follow
her
on
Twitter
@Kathryn1 or
Mastodon
@[email protected].