Our founders saw our various states as places to experiment with governance. Each can test ideas to see what works and what doesn’t. Citizens can provide feedback by migrating to those places where things work the best.

I doubt that our founders expected an experiment to see if a communist state can coexist in a capitalist country. But New York has decided to conduct that experiment, seizing the means of production via lawsuits.

During her campaign, New York attorney general Letitia James made the Lavrentiy Beria pledge to find a crime and “get Donald Trump.” It turns out she’s a woman of her word.

James used a 1956 law (Section 63[12] of New York’s Executive Law) to sue Donald Trump. The law was created to enable the state to sue companies for profiting from fraudulent business practices. Until now, it has never been used where there are no damages (i.e., nobody was hurt). But as we know, legal traditions are expendable if they get in the way of a leftist’s objectives.

Attorney General James found a friendly judge, Arthur Engoron, to oversee the case. He somehow didn’t understand that his job isn’t to stick it to “the man,” but to make sure “the man” gets a fair hearing.

James argued that Trump had engaged in a pattern of fraud by describing his business assets in the most positive light when applying for business loans. She further argued that it was immaterial that the loans were repaid, and the so-called victims of the fraud (the banks) testified on Trump’s behalf that they had not been harmed.

The judge, being the savvy real estate speculator that he is, did his own appraisal of Trump’s assets, decided that James was correct, and ruled that disgorgement was the appropriate remedy. He ordered that the state of New York seize all profits which resulted from the loans — plus 9%........

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