Within the past week, special investigator Robert Mueller has made some significant gains in his investigation into the Trump administration and its alleged involvement with Russia early in its campaign. Mueller has already charged both Paul Manafort and Rick Gates and the current legal climate seems like there will be a significant criminal trial held sometime in 2018.

Mueller's significance in this is rather extraordinary in that phenomenon like these are rare at best. Mueller's involvement is as an outside investigator and legal counsel who follows and abides by guidelines set by the Department of Justice. He is only allowed to do this because any sort of legal procedures engaged by the Department of Justice would create a clear conflict of interest with legal proceedings and pertinent cases.

Mueller, despite being charged with investigating the Trump campaign operates on a very interesting playing field. On the one hand he has a lot of protections under legal precedent as a special counsel, which has been made apparent by his charges against Manafort and Gates. However, on the other hand Mueller faces challenges from various sides in terms of defining exactly what his powers are and to the extent his decisions and actions can go. He also faces scrutiny and significant challenges from the current President who has voiced his opposition to Mueller's presence in his presidency.

The Trump administration has fought Mueller's attempts at legal rectification every step of the way and continues to do so despite overwhelming popular support for investigations into a possible Trump-Russia scandal. However federal and state judges have shown their support for Mueller and their acceptance of his position and power. Chief Justice for the US District Court for the District of Columbia ruled in Mueller's favor when he requested for grand jury testimony for both Manafort and Gates.

More importantly, however is the future for Robert Mueller in the investigations into the Trump administration. The responses of the trump administration have set the tone for his presidency in regard to legal questions. His administration's uncooperative stance has shown that Trump has no desire to facilitate legal questions and judicial procedures in his own presidency. It is as if Trump believes his presidency and administration supersedes legal limits and as a result believes undermining legal inquiries to be acceptable.

In light of these events and possible future actions, it behooves the American judicial system to protect Mueller's special powers and rights to investigate in order to preserve the ideals of American democracy.