Just imagine what most judges would do in ordinary criminal cases if the defendant started threatening the prosecutor and/or his family.

The Republican Party is already baldly asserting that Trump should not be prosecuted because his former presidency and his current candidacy should protect him from charges.

And those assertions are getting serious press coverage, being taken seriously beyond fringe Republican circles.

So I find it hard to imagine a judge daring to treat Trump like any other criminal defendant. I wish that were not so.

I don't want to live in a nation where the powerful are immune from the consequences of their criminal acts.