So there was this issue in France called the Dreyfus trial, where a French general or something was accused of unfairly targeting jews or something. It was ostensibly proven in the court that he was a bad guy, and removed from all his positions.
While this was a minor affair in world history, in jewish history this was a MASSIVE deal. Everyone was clamoring about the Dreyfus trial, and any jewish literature will mention that trial as a momentus event.
They became absolute giddy about the concept of proving things "in trial". They sought to prove jewish innocence through the legal process, and it started a big movement of jews getting into legal affairs.
They tried to replicate this event with the Leo Frank trial, and were extremely angry when it didn't play out in their favor. So angry they created the ADL.
The Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion is much the same thing. They sought to PROVE beyond a shadow of a doubt AT TRIAL that this document was false! slander! blind antisemitism! And once the judge ruled, they considered it absolute definitive proof this was a forgery that slandered the jews unjustly.
Henry Ford when questioned about it said he actually didn't know if the documents were real, just that they corresponded exactly to what was happening.