Editor's Note: Two days after this essay was published, President Donald Trump pardoned Joe Arpaio

When President Donald Trump indicated on Tuesday that he plans to pardon Sheriff Joe Arpaio, he signaled a frightening disregard for the judiciary and the rule of law.

Not because of Arpaio's original wrongdoing, which Trump and many of his supporters probably don't consider to be wrong at all. But because Arpario openly, flagrantly, defied the order of a federal judge. And if this administration takes the position that it's acceptable not to follow court orders, it is no exaggeration to say that we are all lost.