For TIME, CERL Affiliated Faculty member Kermit Roosevelt pens an op-ed that dives in to what the Trump trial tells us about the strengths and weaknesses of America’s constitutional structure, and what sealed Trump’s fate.

“Most Americans are not involved in more than 4,000 lawsuits. They do not overstate their net worth, market questionable training programs as their own university, or run businesses that engage in tax fraud. That the most ordinary of laws finally caught up to Trump may drive home how distant the divide is between him and the regular Americans he claims to champion. State law that applies equally to all did what the special rules of the Constitution could not.”

Kermit Roosevelt works in a diverse range of fields, focusing on constitutional law and conflict of laws. He has published scholarly books in both fields. Conflict of Laws (Foundation Press, 2010) offers an accessible analytical overview of conflicts. The Myth of Judicial Activism: Making Sense of Supreme Court Decisions (Yale, 2006) sets out standards by which citizens can determine whether the Supreme Court is abusing its authority to interpret the Constitution. Read his bio here.

The views expressed here are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of any organization or university.