President Trump’s effort to punish law firms suffered yet another judicial defeat on June 27, when U.S. District Judge Loren AliKhan enjoined enforcement of his executive order targeting Susman Godfrey. But one seemingly obscure aspect of the case deserves more attention, as it suggests a broader threat to America’s system of free expression.

The Susman executive order was the odd one out from the start. The orders against Perkins Coie, Paul Weiss, Jenner and WilmerHale all recited personal grudges that Trump held against people associated with the firms. There were ideological objections in each order as well, to be sure, but the orders were personal to the president in a way the Susman order was not.

Perhaps for this reason, the grievances recited in the Susman order were not specific. The order referred to election work without citing anything, but each side concluded that the White House probably had in mind Susman’s representation of state officials in 2020 election challenges and perhaps the $787.5 million defamation settlement the firm won for Dominion Voting Systems in a case against Fox News.

But then the order said this: “Susman also funds groups........

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