The notice of a forthcoming appeal by President Trump’s eldest daughter, Ivanka, of a judge’s command that she testify at her father’s fraud trial widens the resistance of America’s first family to a legal system — federal and state, civil and criminal —  increasingly set on taking their property or even their liberty.

Ms. Trump, who alongside  her husband, Jared Kushner, once served as a senior adviser to her father at the White House, is fending off a subpoena from New York’s attorney general, Letitia James. New York state has already secured a fraud judgment against the Trump family and its business interests. The current trial aims to assess penalties, which could amount to $250 million. 

President Trump’s eldest daughter was not part of that judgment, though she featured prominently in Ms. James’s original complaint. A previous appeal dismissed the claims against her, finding that they were impermissibly antique and barred by the relevant statute of limitations. Ms. Trump, though, had been scheduled to take the stand next week as a witness. 

That, at least, was the opinion of the presiding district court judge, Arthur Engoron, who expressed the desire to “see her in person. That is how we prefer testimony.” He added that “a trial is a search for the truth, and the law is entitled to every person’s evidence.” Ms. Trump had argued that her new base of operations in Florida put her out of the reach of Judge Engoron’s courtroom. 

The jurist rebuffed that claim, finding that Ms. Trump, the daughter of the late model and skier Ivana Zelníčková, “owns property in New York and has done business in New York.” This despite her building, along with Mr. Kushner, a family manse at Miami’s Indian Creek Island for about $32 million. Due process requires “minimum contacts” — personal or fiduciary — as a prerequisite to haling someone into court.

Now comes Ms. Trump to press her case to the same appellate court that previously dismissed the charges against her. Ms. James wants her testimony because the prosecutor believes that she has personal knowledge of the facts of the case of which her father and two of her brothers — Don Jr. and Eric — are parties. Ms. Trump appears in the indictment as the chief liaison for lenders for the former Trump International Hotel, at the District of Columbia. The Trumps sold the hotel last year. It’s now a Waldorf-Astoria.

Ms. Trump’s notice of appeal comes as her brothers take the stand in an effort to cut into the $250 million penalty Ms. James seeks. Judge Engoron’s pretrial finding for prosecutors entailed the revocation of the Trump Organization’s business licenses, meaning that a real estate empire now exists under a sword of Damocles — the threat of liquidation. Mr. Trump has appealed that ruling. 

The pater familias is due to take the stand on Monday, after his two sons testify at Judge Engoron’s Lower Manhattan courtroom. Donald Jr. testified on Wednesday, Eric on Thursday. In advance of that appearance, he took to Truth Social this week to call Judge Engoron a “political hack who ruled against me before the trial even started” who “is doing the dirty work for the Democrat Party.” 

The former president also warned, notwithstanding a gag order imposed by Judge Engoron that he has already violated it twice — “leave my kids alone.”