Law and Chaos

DOCKET ALERTS:   The Supreme Court issued orders today, opinions coming Thursday.   The Wall Street Journal reports that Jeanine Pirro, the US Attorney for DC, is investigating banks for "debanking" conservatives.    Judge James Boasberg benchslapped Pirro's effort to magic away his order quashing her abusive subpoena on the Federal Reserve.   DOOFUS OF THE DAY: A judge in Mississippi disqualified all the lawyers in a case after finding that both sides cited fake cases hallucinated by AI.   MAIN SHOW:   The battle over the Kennedy Center continues. At the eleventh hour, the Center's Board appealed the order to take Trump's name off the building, citing a new rule that would strip all funding from the institution if Trump's name came down. The trial judge denied the requested stay, and so did the Circuit Court. Meanwhile, the Washington National Opera is suing the Kennedy Center for expropriating its $17 million endowment.   In the Eastern District of Virginia, Judge Leonie Brinkema issued a preliminary injunction blocking the administration from implementing the Anti-Weaponization Fund whether under a new name or not.   New reporting from Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan in the New York Times reveals two revealing memos from White House advisor Will Scharf on suspending the writ of habeas corpus and the Insurrection Act.   SUBSCRIBER BONUS:   A federal judge in Massachusetts blocked Texas AG Ken Paxton's investigation into the Democratic fundraising platform ActBlue, holding that it was plainly retaliatory for its support for his Democratic Senate rival James Talarico.   SCOTUS Orders List June 15 https://www.supremecourt.gov/orders/courtorders/061526zor_5if6.pdf   Jeanine Pirro's Prosecutors Probe Big Banks for Alleged 'Debanking' https://www.wsj.com/finance/regulation/jeanine-pirros-prosecutors-probe-big-banks-for-alleged-debanking-13568e9b   Powell/Fed Reserve Subpoenas https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72490330/in-re-grand-jury-subpoenas   ActBlue v. Paxton https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73285205/actblue-llc-v-paxton/   Washington National Opera v. US https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73476333/washington-national-opera-v-united-states/   Beatty v. Trump [DC Circuit] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73477160/joyce-beatty-v-donald-trump   Withers v. City of Aberdeen [AI Attorney Sanctions] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69485760/withers-v-city-of-aberdeen   Floyd v. DOJ [docket via CourtListener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73383692/floyd-v-department-of-justice/?order_by=desc   Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan,"Frustrated by Courts, Trump Weighed Suspending a Constitutional Right," New York Times, June 15, 2026 https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/15/us/politics/trump-scharf-habeas-corpus-insurrection-act.html   Will Scharf Habeas Corpus memo https://static01.nyt.com/newsgraphics/documenttools/2afc51a03e41c257/7f0f0dff-full.pdf   Will Scharf Insurrection Act memo https://static01.nyt.com/newsgraphics/documenttools/ab7a26e5d4b63268/402f052f-full.pdf   Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod  

DOCKET ALERTS:   Will Trump's name come off the Kennedy Center in time for the court-ordered deadline?   New York congressional candidate Brad Lander was acquitted of charges related to a peaceful protest inside the federal building where ICE is warehousing immigrants.   The House failed to reauthorize Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. We'll explain what this has to do with Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte.   MAIN SHOW:   Doofus of the Day Alejandro Brito, Trump's lawyer on the defamation trollsuit against the BBC, is inventing new ways to piss off the judge. But he's teaching us a lot about CivPro!   The grand jury transcripts are here in the Broadview 6 case, and they are somehow even worse than we expected. We'll break down all the vouching/ex parte/voir dire action, and the rapidly expanding blast radius.    SUBSCRIBERS:   Is the Trump slush fund alive or dead? Acting AG Todd Blanche says it's over, but he won't put it in writing.   US v. Rabbitt https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71795281/united-states-v-rabbitt/   Sarah Fitzpatrick, The Atlantic, "Trump Isn't Giving Up on His Slush Fund" https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/2026/06/trump-anti-weaponization-fund/687500/   'Broadview 6' repeat? Loretto Hospital exec's fraud case could crumble amid claims of prosecutors' misconduct https://chicago.suntimes.com/crime/2026/06/10/hearing-in-loretto-hospital-case-could-address-claims-of-prosecutors-misconduct-if-feds-dont-drop-it   Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod  

DOCKET ALERTS:   Doofus of the Day: George Santos, who is clearly trying to get himself back into jail. NPR reported that the former congressman bet against his own appearance at the State of the Union in February. After NPR reported that Kalshi had frozen his accounts and referred him to the CFTC and DOJ, Santos called up journalist Bobby Allyn and threatened him with "a gun in your face."   Also seeking a pardon: Sam Bankman-Fried.   Judge Leo Sorokin in Massachusetts blocked Trump's attempt to tax H-1B visas out of existence by imposing a $100,000 "fee."   MAIN SHOW:   Trump's lawyer Alejandro Brito is finding new and creative ways to piss off the judge in Trump's trollsuit against the BBC.   The DOJ is broken! Today's examples include: The DOJ telling the DC Circuit that it would be just fine for Trump to bulldoze the Statue of Liberty. A judge in Rhode Island referring DOJ lawyers for attorney discipline and sanctions. And a story from the New York Times about all the prosecutors who got pushed out because they wouldn't indict Trump's enemies.   Plaintiffs are trying to stop Donald Trump from hosting a UFC fight on the White House lawn.   SUBSCRIBER BONUS: The Department of Defense reduced the number of recognized religious faiths from 211 to 31 — they kept all the good non-woke ones, it's fine. I wrote about George Santos. Then he made a violent threat and lied about it https://www.npr.org/2026/06/04/nx-s1-5846966/george-santos-kalshi-threats   California v. Noem [H-1B visas] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72031571/state-of-california-v-noem/   Trump v. BBC https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72040010/trump-v-british-broadcasting-corporation   How the Drive to Find a Conspiracy Against Trump Rocked the Justice Dept. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/08/us/politics/justice-department-trump-patel-conspiracy.html   Douglas v. National Park Service (UFC) [docket via CourtListener] https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.293217/gov.uscourts.dcd.293217.3.1.pdf   Forbes, "Trump Says UFC Arena Could Be Permanent At White House—Everything We Know About The Upcoming Event"  https://www.forbes.com/sites/maryroeloffs/2026/06/04/trump-says-ufc-arena-could-be-permanent-at-white-house-everything-we-know-about-the-upcoming-event/   Pete Hegseth on the chaplain corps https://www.war.gov/News/News-Stories/Article/Article/4444113/hegseth-announces-reforms-to-chaplain-corps/   Sean Parnell announcement re: DOD religious codes [via X.com] https://x.com/SeanParnellASW/status/2062964159222874227   Pew Research Center Religious Landscape Study https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2025/02/26/religious-landscape-study-executive-summary/   Military.com, "DOD Officially Drops 180 Faiths From Military's Recognized Religion List" https://www.military.com/dod-officially-drops-180-faiths-from-militarys-recognized-religion-list   Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod

DOCKET ALERTS: A federal judge in Colorado enjoined the National Science Foundation from shutting down the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder. APA, FTW!   The DC Circuit ruled that Pete Hegseth's policy kicking out all trans service members and barring enlistment by anyone who ever had a diagnosis of gender dysphoria is rooted in animus and cannot stand. But the remedy was narrowly cabined to the plaintiffs in this case, and only those who are currency active duty.   The Supreme Court let Alabama redraw its Congressional maps while primary voting was already underway and use a racially-discriminatory map in order to squeeze one more Republican seat in Congress out for the 2026 midterms.   Doofus of the Day: BATMAN! Eric Batman, some whiny dork in LA who says his Christian faith means that he has to work from home during June lest he be oppressed by a trans flag flying outside his office. The grifters at Liberty Counsel eagerly fundraising off their preposterous trollsuit on Doofus's behalf.   MAIN SHOW:   The DOJ filed a superseding indictment against the Southern Poverty Law Center. It's meant to remedy the obvious deficiencies in the first indictment, but it actually seems to bolster the SPLC's claim that they were trying to protect informants, not take down donors.   Meanwhile, DOJ seems to have leaked a draft version of the new indictment to reporters before presenting it to the grand jurors, potentially violating grand jury secrecy. SPLC moved for a show cause order forcing DOJ to explain "its conduct and why it should not be sanctioned considering the prejudicial consequences at stake here."   Back in Chicago, US Attorney Andrew Boutros explained that he wasn't inappropriately trying to voir dire the grand jury. Perish the thought! And how very dare you, sir! He was just advising them that if they didn't think they could convict, they should put their hands up and explain themselves. Ummmmm…..    On May 1, NASDAQ implemented major rule changes to the way in which newly-public companies can join the Nasdaq 100 index.   University Corporation for Atmospheric Research v. National Science Foundation https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72496922/university-corporation-for-atmospheric-research-v-national-science/   Talbott v. USA [Trans Troops DC Circuit] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69800554/nicolas-talbott-v-usa/   Allen v. Milligan (Alabama redistricting) [Supreme Court stay] https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/25a1314_7m58.pdf   SpaceX Prospectus https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1181412/000162828026036936/spaceexplorationtechnologi.htm   NASDAQ 100 New Methodology https://indexes.nasdaq.com/docs/Methodology_NDX.pdf   Liberty Counsel's press release (Batman v. Los Angeles County) https://lc.org/newsroom/details/260530-la-to-christians-youre-mentally-ill   Batman v. LA County [docket via CourtListener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72385442/eric-batman-v-los-angeles-county/?filed_after=&filed_before=&entry_gte=&entry_lte=&order_by=desc   Copy of Batman's complaint [via Liberty Counsel] https://lc.org/PDFs/Attachments2PRsLAs/2026/031026-1VerifiedComplaint.pdf   US v. SPLC https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73223865/united-states-v-southern-poverty-law-center-inc/   US Attorney Andrew Boutros Statement https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndil/media/1443716/dl?inline   Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod

DOCKET ALERTS:   Joe Dye begins a series on the second phase of the redistricting wars at his Substack.    Multiple states are threatening to tax payouts from Trump's slush fund at 100 percent.    The Trump Administration is suing Massachusetts for failing to give "confidential," hard to trace license plates to ICE and CBP.   A panel of federal judges in Alabama once again rejected the state's congressional map as an illegal racial gerrymander. The state has appealed to SCOTUS.   Don Lemon moved to unseal the grand jury transcript in the Cities Church protest prosecution. He cited the recently unsealed magistrate's docket, showing the government's wild overreach — not to mention incompetence — in its warrant applications, along with the many cases where courts have said the DOJ is currently lawless and entitled to no presumption of regularity.   The New York Times had a wild story this week about the Justice Department's total loss of credibility with grand juries, including in Wyoming, where the US Attorney's total violation of grand jury rules led to the dismissal of nine indictments.   MAIN SHOW:   The US Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois is reportedly investigating E. Jean Carroll for perjury. In a deposition in 2022, Carroll misspoke and said that her litigation was not being funded by anyone else. She later corrected the record to say that some of her fees were being paid by a nonprofit associated with LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman. The government is trying to do to that nonprofit what it's done to the Southern Poverty Law Center, alleging that it somehow conspired to hide its activities by getting Carroll to lie under oath.   Meanwhile, the SPLC is moving to dismiss its case based on vindictive prosecution. Luckily it has eleventy-seven clips of Trump officials declaring that they're on a revenge mission to take out the civil rights organization.   In non-political news, a drag queen named Pattie Gonia is in a trademark dispute with the brand Patagonia.    SUBSCRIBER BONUS:   Trump is making NDAs great again.   How Democrats Can Take Back the Redistricting Wars Pt. 1 https://josephdye.substack.com/p/how-democrats-can-take-back-the-redistricting   US v. Massachusetts [Confidential License Plates] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73400637/united-states-v-the-commonwealth-of-massachusetts/   Milligan v. Allen https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/61494291/milligan-v-allen   US v. Levy-Armstrong [Cities Church/Don Lemon] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72212459/united-states-v-levy-armstrong/   In re Search Warrant [Cities Church/Don Lemon magistrate docket] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72323660/in-re-search-warrant/   As Trump Politicizes Justice Dept., Prosecutors Struggle With Grand Juries https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/26/us/politics/trump-justice-department-grand-juries.html DOJ probes Democratic-allied nonprofit that helped fund E. Jean Carroll's legal bills https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2026/05/28/doj-probes-reid-hoffmans-nonprofit-funding-e-jean-carrolls-legal-bills/   US v. Southern Poverty Law Center [docket via CourtListener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73223865/united-states-v-southern-poverty-law-center-inc/   Patagonia, Inc. v. Entrepreneur Enterprises, Inc. ("Patty Gonia") [docket via CourtListener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72169060/patagonia-inc-v-entrepreneur-enterprises-inc/   Pattie Gonia Instagram responding to lawsuit https://www.instagram.com/p/DY2L725tVow/   Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod

DOCKET ALERTS: Judges in Maine and Wisconsin hand DOJ two more losses as they sue to get access to state voter rolls to check for non-existent election fraud.   Associate Attorney General Stan Woodward is back with another batsh*t ballroom filing.   DOOFUS OF THE DAY:   Attorney D. Hayden Fisher, who filed a bumptious SLAPP suit against locals in Norfolk who dared to disparage a MAGA-coded brewery for perceived anti-LGBTQ+ bias.   MAIN SHOW:   We'll revisit the implosion of the Broadview 6 prosecution. Turns out, the government's main goal all along was to hide the corruption and misconduct at the heart of this case.   And Kilmar Abrego Garcia is free! Judge Waverly Crenshaw dismissed his criminal case on the basis of vindictive prosecution.   US v. Bellows [Maine Voter Rolls] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71367730/united-states-v-bellows/   US v. Wisconsin Elections Commission [Wisconsin Voter Rolls] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72055967/united-states-v-wisconsin-elections-commission   National Trust for Historic Preservation v. National Park Service [Ballroom] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72028010/national-trust-for-historic-preservation-in-the-united-states-v-national/   Armed Forces Brewing Co. v. Coplon [Doofus SLAPP suit] https://armedforcesbrewingco.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Complaint-26-5-18-Final.pdf   Broadview 6 May 21 Hearing https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/95/75/a403b7674c31b8f5bb0ecae58921/25cr693-usa-v-rabbitt-052126.pdf   US v. Rabbit [Broadview 6] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71795281/parties/united-states-v-rabbitt/   United States v. Abrego (TN criminal docket) [docket via CourtListener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/70475970/united-states-v-abrego-garcia/?order_by=desc   Abrego Garcia v. Noem (MD Civil litigation) [docket via CourtListener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71191591/abrego-garcia-v-noem/?order_by=desc   United States v. Carey (DC flag burning) [docket via CourtListener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71223464/united-states-v-carey/   Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod

DOCKET ALERTS:   Congressional Republicans abstain courteously from blessing Trump's ICE/CBP allocation after Trump torpedoes several sitting GOP politicians and demands cash for the ballroom and the $1.8 billion J6 slush fund. They're heading home until June, TYVM.   DOJ indicts former Cuban leader Raúl Castro, age 94, for shooting down two flights of dissident exiles dropping leaflets back in 1996. Is this a prelude to Bay of Pigs 2?   Officials in Florida and Tennessee discover that the First Amendment applies to everyone, even people who criticize Charlie Kirk. Good thing it's taxpayers picking up the tab for this little life lesson!   And Acting AG Todd Blanche adds a codicil to the slush fund settlement granting amnesty to Trump and his kids for past tax crimes — but not future ones! (Don't believe everything you read on the internet.)   DOOFUS OF THE DAY: Todd Blanche.   MAIN SHOW:   Judge Leo Sorokin in Massachusetts sanctions ICE for lying to the court about the time an immigrant detainee left the jurisdiction. This one will make you mad!   And the indictment against the "Broadview 6" for protesting outside an ICE detention center implodes after the grand jury transcripts reveal a dumpsterfire of impropriety and potentially sanctionable misconduct by the prosecution. Read this hearing transcript — but not after taking a giant swig of milk!   SUBSCRIBER BONUS:   Meet the new tariffs! Same as the old tariffs! (Illegal.) And NO the administration can't keep collecting them right now because they're too busy trying to figure out how to refund the last batch of illegal tariffs to figure it out.   US v. Perez-Perez [Raul Castro indictment] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/31009891/united-states-v-perez-perez/   Civil Rights Lawyers Secure $485,000 Settlement for FWC Biologist Fired Over Charlie Kirk Social Media Post https://www.aclufl.org/press-releases/civil-rights-lawyers-secure-485000-settlement-for-fwc-biologist-fired-over-charlie-kirk-social-media-post/   He Was Jailed Over a Charlie Kirk Post. The Sheriff Now Owes Him $835,000. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/20/us/larry-bushart-charlie-kirk-facebook-settlement.html   Slush Fund Codicil https://www.justice.gov/opa/media/1441216/dl   Guevara Peruano v. Wesling [ICE Sanctions] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72181340/guevara-peruano-v-wesling/   Oregon v. Trump [Tarriffs] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72368522/the-state-of-oregon-v-trump/   Broadview 6 May 21 Hearing https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/95/75/a403b7674c31b8f5bb0ecae58921/25cr693-usa-v-rabbitt-052126.pdf US v. Rabbit [Broadview 6] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71795281/parties/united-states-v-rabbitt/   Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod

DOCKET ALERTS: The Supreme Court stayed a lower court decision out of Texas banning doctors from dispensing the abortion drug mifepristone. The Colorado Supreme Court barred Children's Hospital from cutting gender-affirming care, calling it a denial of treatment on the basis of sex and gender identity.   The DOJ is suing the DC Bar to stop it disciplining upstanding government lawyers like Ed Martin and Jeff Clark. The case has been assigned to Judge Richard Leon!!!   Elon Musk lost his lawsuit against Sam Altman and OpenAI.   MAIN SHOW:   The DOJ's effort to harass trans kids and their medical providers is escalating into a judicial crisis as Judge Reed O'Connor in the Northern District of Texas purports to bar Rhode Island Hospital from seeking redress in any other court or from "aiding and abetting" anyone else in seeking redress. Meanwhile in Rhode Island, Judge Mary McElroy says the Hospital does not have to comply.   Trump purports to "settle" his lawsuit against the IRS over the 2020 disclosure of his tax returns by establishing a $1.8 billion slush fund for the "victims of weaponization" of the DOJ under Biden. Is that legal? (No.)   Danco Labs v. Louisiana [US Supreme Court - mifepristone] https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/25a1207_21p3.pdf   Boe v. Children's Hospital Colorado [Colorado Supreme Court - gender affirming care] https://www.coloradojudicial.gov/system/files/opinions-2026-05/26SA66.pdf   US v. Fox [DOJ sues DC Bar] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73338949/united-states-v-fox/?order_by=desc   In Re: Administrative Subpoena 25-1431-032 [Texas action] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73276712/in-re-administrative-subpoena-25-1431-032/   In Re: Motion to Quash Administrative Subpoena to Rhode Island Hospital [Rhode Island action] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73290254/in-re-motion-to-quash-administrative-subpoena-to-rhode-island-hospital/   Trump v. IRS [docket via CourtListener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72207870/trump-v-internal-revenue-service/   DOJ Notice of Settlement - administration of "Anti-Weaponization Fund" https://www.justice.gov/opa/media/1441086/dl   OLC Memorandum, "Availability of Judgement Fund in Cases Not Involving a Money Judgment Claim" https://www.justice.gov/file/151086/dl?inline   Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod

DOCKET ALERTS:   As Trump rants at "Neil and Amy" for betraying him in the IEEPA tariffs case, the next tariff battle is already taking shape.   Reuters legal reporters analyzed court stats in Minnesota and proved that federal prosecutions cratered during the immigration surge. So much for "cleaning up" crime.   Doofus of the Day: Pete Hegseth, who is vowing to put Senator Mark Kelly in jail … again.   Judge Melissa Dubose referred the head of the Civil Division at the US Attorney's Office for Rhode Island for possible sanctions due to lack of candor. Chief Judge John McConnell appointed a special counsel to review.   Justice Alito extended the stay in the mifepristone case until Thursday.   MAIN SHOW:   The Virginia Supreme Court struck down the Democratic gerrymander on a technicality. Now the state's legislators have filed a longshot emergency application for stay at the Supreme Court.   And FCC Chair Brendan Carr is lying about the equal time rule as an excuse to go after the ladies at The View.    Oregon v. Trump [Tariffs] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72368522/the-state-of-oregon-v-trump   Trump vowed to fight crime in Minneapolis. Prosecutions plunged https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/how-trumps-minneapolis-immigration-blitz-hobbled-federal-crime-fighting-2026-05-07/   Gomez v. Nessinger [Rhode Island Attorney Sanctions] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73235898/gomez-v-nessinger/   Mifepristone SCOTUS Docket https://www.supremecourt.gov/search.aspx?filename=/docket/docketfiles/html/public/25a1208.html   Scott v. McDougle (Virginia Supreme Court) https://www.vacourts.gov/static/opinions/opnscvwp/1260127.pdf   Scott v. McDougle [US Supreme Court petition for stay] https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/25/25A1240/408563/20260511151941216_25A%20Application%20for%20Stay.pdf   FCC Petition by KTRK-TV (The View) https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/document/10507899614175/1   FCC Chair Brandon Carr letter (DA 26-68) https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DA-26-68A1.pdf   Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod

DESCRIPTION:   Kash Patel is not as think as you drunk he is … again. And if you tell someone about it, he'll strap you to a polygraph.   The DC Circuit seems likely to side with Senator Mark Kelly in his lawsuit against Pete Hegseth for trying to steal his pension.   The DOJ subpoenaed a hospital in Rhode Island for medical records of kids receiving gender affirming care. While the parties were negotiating, the DOJ filed a petition to enforce in Texas, which their hand-picked Judge Reed O'Connor instantly granted. Now the hospital has appealed to the Fifth Circuit (ughhh) and the Rhode Island Child Advocate has filed a motion to quash in the District of Rhode Island.   Our Doofus of the Day is Chief Justice John Roberts. It won't always be someone on the Supreme Court, but when you stand up in front of hundreds of lawyers to whine about how unfair it is that people think your obviously political Supreme Court is political, how could we resist?   MAIN SHOW:   The 11th Circuit has joined two other circuit courts of appeal in ruling that the Trump administration cannot use the mandatory detention provisions of the Immigration and Naturalization Act to hold any immigrant, anywhere in the US, for any length of time and with no opportunity for a bond hearing.   The DOJ is so desperate to hire lawyers that they're offering signing bonuses and tipping current employees with "retention incentive allowances" to keep them from fleeing. Turns out, competent lawyers don't like harassing trans kids for sport and indicting Democratic politicians on spurious grounds.   Judge Coleen McMahon ruled that DOGE illegally dismantled the National Endowment for the Humanities when the bros fed the grantee database into ChatGPT with an instruction to find grants were "DEI."   The Southern Poverty Law Center says the government's public lies about the case — lookin' at you, Todd Blanche — are so egregious that the court should hand over the grand jury transcript.   Judges in Rhode Island and Texas are dueling over the DOJ's subpoena for the medical record for transgender minors.   READING LIST: How Professional Wrestling Prepared Linda McMahon for Trump's Cabinet   Kash Patel's Personalized Bourbon Stash https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/2026/05/kash-patel-fbi-bourbon/687066/   Kash Patel ordered polygraphs of more than two dozen members of his team, sources tell MS NOW https://www.ms.now/news/kash-patel-ordered-polygraphs-of-more-than-two-dozen-members-of-his-team-sources-tell-ms-now   DOJ Offers Lawyers $25,000 Signing Bonuses as Hiring Lags https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/doj-offers-lawyers-25-000-signing-bonuses-as-recruitment-lags   US. SPLC https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73223865/united-states-v-southern-poverty-law-center-inc   In Re: Administrative Subpoena 25-1431-032 [Texas action] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73276712/in-re-administrative-subpoena-25-1431-032/   In Re: Motion to Quash Administrative Subpoena to Rhode Island Hospital [Rhode Island action] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73290254/in-re-motion-to-quash-administrative-subpoena-to-rhode-island-hospital/   "Chief Justice John Roberts says American public wrongly views the justices as 'political actors'" [NBC News] https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/supreme-court/chief-justice-john-roberts-says-justices-are-not-political-actors-rcna343958   Hernandez Alvarez v. Warden (11th Cir. immigration) [docket via CourtListener] https://storage.courtlistener.com/pdf/2026/05/06/ismael_perez_v._assistant_field_office_director_krome_north_service.pdf   American Council of Learned Societies v. McDonald https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/70035052/american-council-of-learned-societies-v-mcdonald/   How Professional Wrestling Prepared Linda McMahon for Trump's Cabinet https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/04/27/linda-mcmahon-profile   Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod

DOCKET ALERTS:    Sadly, recurring L&C segment "Justin Baldoni Teaches CivPro" is canceled. He and Blake Lively settled their civil suit today. Now we'll just have to rely on Trump and his minions to show us how law does not work.   The DOJ subpoenaed a Rhode Island hospital for patient records on gender affirming care. When the hospital failed to respond (oh no!), the DOJ moved to enforce the subpoena … in Texas, before a hand-picked conservative jurist. Judge Reed O'Connor granted the motion, and now the hospital is seeking to block the demand in a Rhode Island federal court.   Trump says the War Powers Resolution doesn't count because of the ceasefire. He's full of s***.   Law and Chaos's first inaugural Doofus of the Day is Justice Neil Gorsuch, who went on Fox News to hawk his book and tell us all about the Christian Founding Fathers.   MAIN SHOW:   On Friday the Fifth Circuit purported to ban the abortion drug mifepristone nationwide based on a letter from HHS Secretary Robert "Bear Carcass" Kennedy implying that the dispensing protocol had been arbitrarily decided. On Monday, the Supreme Court stayed that order temporarily.    Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and Alina Habba — what even is her job these days??? — both appeared on TV and undermined the Comey seashells case.    Democratic candidate Lindsay Garcia and a local voter have sued Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry over his executive order that suspends that state's primary elections – but only for the US House of Representatives races.   And for subscribers: US Attorney for DC Jeanine Pirro is ready to pick up the slack for Justin Baldoni. Today she'll teach us how Munsinwear vacatur doesn't work.    In Re: Administrative Subpoena 25-1431-032 [Texas action] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73276712/in-re-administrative-subpoena-25-1431-032/   In Re: Motion to Quash Administrative Subpoena to Rhode Island Hospital [Rhode Island action] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73290254/in-re-motion-to-quash-administrative-subpoena-to-rhode-island-hospital/   US v. Russotto https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/70649950/united-states-v-russotto/   Collins v. Landry (Louisiana elections lawsuit) [Docket via CourtListener] https://gov.louisiana.gov/assets/2026-Executive-Orders/JML-Exective-Order-26-038.pdf   Executive Order 26-038 (order suspending elections) https://gov.louisiana.gov/assets/2026-Executive-Orders/JML-Exective-Order-26-038.pdf   Louisiana v. FDA (5th Cir) [docket via CourtListener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73207799/state-of-louisiana-v-fda/   Louisiana v. FDA (W.D. La. trial court) [docket via CourtListener] https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.lawd.213952/   Sec. Kennedy Letter re: Mifepristone https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.lawd.213952/gov.uscourts.lawd.213952.1.110.pdf   Supreme Court stay order https://www.supremecourt.gov/orders/courtorders/050426zr_l5gm.pdf   In re grand jury subpoenas [Federal Reserve] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72490330/in-re-grand-jury-subpoenas/   Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod

DESCRIPTION:   Elon Musk discovers that filing a lawsuit against Sam Altman and sh*tposting about it on social media is a lot more fun than testifying   Alex Jones is back on his BS. He managed to delay a proposed deal to license InfoWars assets to the satirical news outlet The Onion. Again.   The judge presiding over Trump's shakedown case against the IRS for the wrongful disclosure of his tax returns in 2020 has appointed a whole squad of lawyers to serve as amici. They'll brief the issue of whether the court has jurisdiction to preside over a case where the president appears to be suing himself.   L&C's Doofus of the Day is Pete Hegseth.   MAIN SHOW:   James Comey has been indicted again. This time his "crime" is posting a picture of seashells arranged to say "8647." It is exceptionally stupid, but we will break it down in exceptional detail.   As a companion to our written post, we unpack Wednesday's Supreme Court decision in Louisiana v. Callais effectively gutting Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. Subscribers will get a deep dive into what the new districts might look like with Joe Dye.   Finally, we'll cringe our way through the DOJ's latest motion in the ballroom case — it's the most inappropriate, unprofessional thing we've ever seen, including from pro se litigants. Louisiana v. Callais [Supreme Court opinion] https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/24-109_21o3.pdf   The Supreme Court Just Effectively Repealed The Voting Rights Act  https://www.lawandchaospod.com/p/the-supreme-court-just-effectively   US v. Comey https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73256624/united-states-v-comey   Trump DOJ Pursuing Separate Comey Probe for Classified Leaks https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/trump-doj-pursuing-separate-comey-probe-for-classified-leaks   Trump v. IRS https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72207870/trump-v-internal-revenue-service   Live updates from Elon Musk and Sam Altman's court battle over the future of OpenAI https://www.theverge.com/tech/917225/sam-altman-elon-musk-openai-lawsuit   National Trust for Historic Preservation v. National Park Service https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72028010/national-trust-for-historic-preservation-in-the-united-states-v-national/   Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod

DOCKET ALERTS:   Never one to let a good crisis go to waste, Republicans are insisting that the lone gunman at the White House Correspondents Dinner means that Trump can — in fact, must! — build his illegal ballroom. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche tweeted out a demand for the National Historic Trust to drop its lawsuit. The Trust told him to get bent.     Trump's shakedown of the IRS hit a snag as a federal judge in Florida said she may not have jurisdiction over a case where the plaintiff and the defendant are the same person — Donald Trump.   And EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin is being so weird at Congress. Is he bad at law, or just lying?   MAIN SHOW:    It's a courtroom brawl between Elon Musk and Sam Altman over the past and future of AI. Musk claims he was swindled out of seed money by claims that OpenAI would be operated as a non-profit, only to watch the company pivot to a trillion-dollar for-profit enterprise. The jury is empaneled, and the trial begins this week.     The Supreme Court heard oral argument Monday in Chatrie v. US. The case involves law enforcement's use of "geofencing" data to find criminal suspects based on their cell phone location data. Should the government have to get a warrant to collect that info? What should those warrants look like?   Court Side-Eyes Trump's Plan To Sue Himself And Loot The Treasury https://www.lawandchaospod.com/p/court-side-eyes-trumps-plan-to-sue   Shuffle Up And Deal [Subscriber Bonus Episode] https://www.patreon.com/posts/ep-subscriber-up-156633231   Musk v. Altman https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69013420/musk-v-altman   National Trust rejects Trump demand to drop ballroom suit in wake of shooting https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/04/27/trump-ballroom-national-trust-lawsuit/   Oral argument in Chatrie v. US [geofencing warrants] https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2025/25-112_o758.pdf   Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod

DESCRIPTION:   Capitol police officer Shauni Kerkhoff has sued Glenn Beck's outfit The Blaze for defamation after they said she "kinda walked like a criminal" – and she's brought out the big guns. The Trump administration funneled another $1.25 million in taxpayer dollars to campaign stooge Carter Page. The Fifth Circuit hit us with another terrible decision, this one permitting states to force public schools to display the Ten Commandments. We wrote about it on the blog, and it's even worse than you imagine. And   And   In the main show, we have an extended interview with electoral maps expert Joe Dye over the Virginia Constitutional Amendment that passed on Tuesday and will replace Virginia's existing Congressional districts (that are 6 Democratic and 5 Republican) with a new map that is 10-1 Democratic. For now, a Republican judge in Tazewell County has enjoined the amendment.   SUBSCRIBER BONUS:   We discuss the Trump administration's bogus indictment of the Southern Poverty Law Center. Kerkhoff v. Blaze Media, LLC [docket via CourtListener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73220023/kerkhoff-v-blaze-media-llc/   "Fifth Circuit Cosplays As Historians So It Can Burn Down The Wall Between Church And State" [lawandchaospod.com] https://www.lawandchaospod.com/p/fifth-circuit-cosplays-as-historians   Rosado v. Bondi [docket via CourtListener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72259284/rosado-v-bondi/   Text of Virginia's Constitutional Amendment https://www.elections.virginia.gov/election-law/proposed-amendment-for-april-2026-special-election/   Existing Virginia Congressional District Map (6-5 Democratic, drawn by independent commission) https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/90/Virginia_Congressional_Districts%2C_118th_Congress_%282%29.svg   New Virginia Congressional District Map (10-1 Democratic) https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a9/Virginia_Congressional_Districts%2C_120th_Congress_%282026_Redistricting_Amendment%29.svg   Judge Hurley's injunction issued in Tazewell County, Virginia [text via Meidas Touch News] https://meidasnews.com/news/virginia-judge-voids-redistricting-amendment-invalidates-all-votes-from-tuesdays-special-election   Indictment of Southern Poverty Law Center [via CourtListener] https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.almd.90264/gov.uscourts.almd.90264.1.0.pdf   Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod

DESCRIPTION:   The Onion's plan to take over Infowars looks to have succeeded at last.   A judge in Rhode Island became the fifth to reject the DOJ's voter roll grab. But Harmeet Dhillon, head of the DOJ's Civil Rights Division, is undeterred. Now she's trying to snatch ballots from Wayne County, Michigan.    Trump's Justice Department is negotiating with Trump's lawyers to decide how much taxpayer money to pay Trump for the illegal disclosure of his tax returns in 2020. The statutory max is $1,000 per return. He wants $10 billion.    The DOJ has hired Joe diGenova, a Reagan-era US Attorney, to spice up the grand conspiracy investigation into all Trump's enemies taking place in Florida under the watchful eye of Judge Aileen Cannon.   And Pennsylvania's intermediate appellate court rules that the state's ban on abortion coverage under Medicaid violates both the Pennsylvania Equal Rights Amendment and the state constitution's equal protection provisions.   MAIN SHOW:   FBI Director (for now) Kash Patel is big mad over an article in The Atlantic reporting that his drinking is freaking out everyone around him. He's rounded up wonderweasel lawyer Jesse Binnall and filed a defamation trollsuit in DC. This will be amazing content, and we are grateful in advance!   And we'll break down the blockbuster article from the New York Times on Chief Justice Roberts' invention of the modern shadow docket ten years ago to stop the "emergency" of states being asked to come up with a way to reduce carbon emissions. The Times got the receipts, and they are ugly. So much for Mister Balls and Strikes!   SUBSCRIBERS:   Alan Dershowitz is indulging his humiliation kink at the Supreme Court. He's asking the justices to overturn the actual malice standard from New York Times v. Sulllivan so he can sue CNN for reporting what he said during Trump's first impeachment. Are his arguments good? NO. Are they hilarious? HELL YES.   The Onion Has a New Plan to Take Over Infowars https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/20/business/infowars-alex-jones-the-onion.html   US v. Amore [Rhode Island voter rolls] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71982644/united-states-v-amore   AG Nessel, Governor Whitmer, Secretary Benson Denounce DOJ Demand for 2024 Ballots https://www.michigan.gov/ag/news/press-releases/2026/04/19/ag-nessel-governor-whitmer-secretary-benson-denounce-doj-demand-for-2024-ballots   Trump v. IRS https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72207870/trump-v-internal-revenue-service/   U.S. Installs a Trump Loyalist to Lead 'Grand Conspiracy' Case Into Trump Foes https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/18/us/politics/digenova-trump-lawyer-conspiracy.html   Allegheny Reproductive Health Center v. Pennsylvania Department of Human Services https://www.pacourts.us/assets/opinions/Commonwealth/out/26MD19_4-20-26.pdf?cb=1   Patel v. The Atlantic Monthly Group https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73213220/patel-v-the-atlantic-monthly-group-llc/   The FBI Director Is MIA https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/2026/04/kash-patel-fbi-director-drinking-absences/686839/   "The Shadow Papers: The Inside Story of Five Days That Remade the Supreme Court," New York Times, April 18, 2026 https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/18/us/politics/supreme-court-shadow-docket.html   "Read the Supreme Court's Shadow Papers," New York Times, April 18, 2026 https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/04/18/us/politics/supreme-court-shadow-docket-papers.html   Dersh at SCOTUS https://www.supremecourt.gov/search.aspx?filename=/docket/docketfiles/html/public/25-770.html   Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod

DOCKET ALERTS:   The lady who wore a penis costume to a No Kings protest in Fairhope, Alabama was acquitted of disturbing the peace.   DNI Tulsi Gabbard referred the Ukraine Whistleblower and former Intelligence Community Inspector General to the DOJ for criminal prosecution. Crime: TBD.   US Attorney for DC Jeanine Pirro continues to harass the Federal Reserve. This time she sent prosecutors to bang on the door demanding to inspect the ongoing renovations.   The Trump administration uses the threat of administrative sanctions to force changes it can't get from Congress or the courts. The Justice Department extorted $17 million from IBM — which just so happens to have billions of dollars in government contracts! — for committing DEI "fraud." And the FTC forced brand advisers to agree not to "discriminate" against conservative media outlets.   On a more positive note, a judge in Maryland continues to block the ICE facility being constructed in the state, and Judge Richard Leon put the kibosh on Trump's ballroom … again.   MAIN SHOW:   A jury slapped Live Nation and Ticket Master in the antitrust lawsuit filed in New York. The feds noped out two days into trial, but the states who picked up the baton and ran with it. The jurors found the company liable on all counts. We talk about the ins and outs of the decision and some pending legal questions still waiting for resolution.    We also break down a new lawsuit brought by a lawful resident of Maine with no criminal record who was seized by ICE during "Operation Catch of the Day" and brutalized. Can he sue under the Maine Civil Rights Act? And if so, is this a path forward for blue states to fill the gap left by inadequate federal laws?   Penis costume protester prevails in court https://www.courthousenews.com/penis-costume-protester-prevails-in-court/   Tulsi's "Criminal Referral" of the Ukraine Whistleblower and ICIG https://www.dni.gov/index.php/newsroom/press-releases/press-releases-2026/4154-pr-06-26   Prosecutors from Jeanine Pirro's office tried to access Federal Reserve headquarters, but were turned away https://www.cbsnews.com/news/prosecutors-jeanine-pirro-office-visit-federal-reserve-headquarters-jerome-powell/   Justice Department settles with IBM over alleged DEI practices https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2026/04/16/justice-department-settles-with-ibm-over-alleged-dei-practices/   Ad firms settle with Trump FTC over claims they boycotted conservative media https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/04/ad-firms-settle-with-trump-ftc-over-claims-they-boycotted-conservative-media   Maryland v. Mullin https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72313096/state-of-maryland-v-mullin   National Trust for Historic Preservation v. National Park Service https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72028010/national-trust-for-historic-preservation-in-the-united-states-v-national   US v. LiveNation [docket via CourtListener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/68557723/united-states-of-america-v-live-nation-entertainment-inc/?order_by=desc&page=1   Carvajal-Munoz v. Ravencamp [docket via CourtListener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73186770/carvajal-munoz-v-ravencamp/   Maine Civil Rights Act, 5 M.R.S. 4682 https://legislature.maine.gov/statutes/5/title5sec4682.html   "State Law, the Westfall Act, and the Nature of the Bivens Question," [2013 U. Penn. L. Rev.] https://scholarship.law.georgetown.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1976&context=facpub   Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod

The Fifth Circuit is crossing out laws just for sport. This time it's a 140-year-old ban on making homebrew hooch, because YOLO.   Trump's lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal and Rupert Murdoch over an article describing his creepy birthday card to Jeffrey Epstein was dismissed. But … that dismissal was without prejudice, so he can take another swing at it. The trollsuit against the BBC is still limping along.   Deputy General Counsel at the Department of Education Josh Kleinfeld makes an interesting pitch to George Mason's Antonin Scalia Law School, which is currently under investigation by … the Department of Education.   And Trump's ballroom blitz takes a tumble in court.   MAIN SHOW:   Trump discovers one weird trick to make the Presidential Records Act disappear. All he has to do is order the Office of Legal Counsel to come up with a memo saying it's unconstitutional and — hey, presto! — he can steal or shred or delete any document he likes.   SUBSCRIBER BONUS:   Are we the pirates now?   Trump v. Murdoch https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/70843413/trump-v-murdoch   Trump v. BBC https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72040010/trump-v-british-broadcasting-corporation   Fifth Circuit Home Distillers Ruling https://www.ca5.uscourts.gov/opinions/pub/24/24-10760-CV0.pdf   Trump Admin Lawyer Applies To Be Law School Dean, Suggests It Might Help Investigations Go Away https://abovethelaw.com/2026/04/trump-admin-lawyer-applies-to-be-law-school-dean-suggests-it-might-help-investigations-go-away/   Ballroom Blitz Blocked https://www.lawandchaospod.com/p/ballroom-blitz-blocked   National Trust for Historic Preservation v. National Park Service https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73127510/national-trust-for-historic-preservation-v-nps   April 1, 2026 OLC Memorandum on the Presidential Records Act https://www.justice.gov/olc/media/1434131/dl   Judicial Watch v. NARA ("Socks Case"), 845 F.Supp.2d 288 (DC Cir. 2012) https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=15818036517066124081   Trump v. Mazars, 591 US 848 (2020) https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=2096461232780826445   Nixon v. Administrator of General Svcs. et al., 433 US 425 (1977) https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=11884364268460571560   Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod

DOCKET ALERTS:   Judge Brian Murphy blocked termination of TPS for 5,000 Ethiopians.   DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin will continue Noem's tradition of announcing his intention to violate the law in advance, so as to give litigants a heads up.   Michael Avenatti moves to a halfway house, remains a full-way non-lawyer.   And Democrats overperformed in Tuesday's special elections.    MAIN SHOW:   Crazytimes continue at the DOJ as Trump's goons jockey to replace Pam Bondi. Acting AG Todd Blanche is professing his love for Trump at the podium. US Attorney for DC Jeanine Pirro can't indict a ham sandwich, and juries are telling her to take a hike. Politico says Harmeet Dhillon, head of the DOJ's Civil Rights Division, is in the running for the top job. She's currently trying to indict January 6 Committee witness Cassidy Hutchinson for perjury — which has exactly nothing to do with civil rights. And Dhillon's office keeps losing when she sues states demanding they turn over their voter rolls.    Will Republicans invoke the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from office? (No.) But the fact that we're asking the question shows how far we've come.   And in Tennessee, Kilmar Abrego Garcia is trying to get his human smuggling case dismissed on grounds of vindictive prosecution. Both the government and Garcia filed their briefs this week. The government claims that prosecution started with an article in the local paper, the Tennessee Star. Which is weird because the case was reopened in Baltimore the week before the article was published — and DHS is actually the source of the reporting!   Blanche Steals Bondi's Brown Nose https://lawandchaospod.substack.com/p/blanche-steals-bondis-brown-nose   Justice Dept.'s Civil Rights Division Is Investigating Star Witness Against Trump https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/07/us/doj-cassidy-hutchinson-investigation-trump.html   Kilmar Abrego Garcia [TN criminal docket] https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.tnmd.104622/   2022 TN Traffic Stop of Kilmar Abrego Garcia Was Day Three of Trip That Originated in Houston, Took Detour to St. Louis, Crossed Trafficking Hubs and Areas with MS-13 https://tennesseestar.com/justice/2022-tn-traffic-stop-of-kilmar-abrego-garcia-was-day-three-of-trip-that-originated-in-houston-took-detour-to-st-louis-crossed-trafficking-hubs-and-areas-with-ms-13/tpappert/2025/04/21/   African Communities Together v. Noem [TPS for Ethiopians] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72178312/african-communities-together-v-noem/   Mullin weighs using airport customs as leverage against sanctuary cities https://www.foxnews.com/politics/mullin-weighs-using-airport-customs-leverage-against-sanctuary-cities   Judge Jeanine's Big Audition https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/judge-jeanine-pirro-attorney-general-trump-jerome-powell.html   Inside the battle to be Trump's next attorney general ​​https://www.politico.com/news/2026/04/09/trump-attorney-general-blanche-dhillion-pirro-00864988   Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod

DOCKET ALERTS:   Pam Bondi is GTFO! But the mess she leaves will take a generation to repair.   The Supreme Court paved the way to disappear Steve Bannon's conviction for contempt of Congress.   Trump commands the NCAA to quit being woke. He also has thoughts about the transfer portal.   MAIN SHOW:   Judge Richard Leon! Preliminarily enjoins! Trump's tackyass ballroom! Administration files ridiculous appeal!   Justin Baldoni is back to teach us CivPro. This time, he's largely prevailing on his motion for judgment on the pleadings, as Judge Liman dismisses ten of Blake Lively's 13 counts. Turns out, she never signed her contract, and the contract established that she was an employee, not an independent contractor. Since independent contractors can't sue for discrimination under Title VII, her harassment claims are out. And the contract had a choice of law provision that agreed to abide by California law. No contract … no automatic California law.   And of course we'll break down the Supreme Court's birthright decision hearing. So many clips!   SCOTUS Orders List April 6, 2026 https://www.supremecourt.gov/orders/courtorders/040626zor_5iek.pdf   Trump Executive Order to De-Woke the NCAA https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/04/urgent-national-action-to-save-college-sports/   National Trust for Historic Preservation v. National Park Service [Ballroom trial docket] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72028010/national-trust-for-historic-preservation-in-the-united-states-v-national/   National Trust for Historic Preservation v. National Park Service [Ballroom appeal docket] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73127510/national-trust-for-historic-preservation-v-nps/   Lively v. Wayfarer https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69510553/lively-v-wayfarer-studios-llc/?order_by=desc   Blake Lively's (unsigned) Actor Loan-Out Agreement [Exhibit 263] https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.634304/gov.uscourts.nysd.634304.964.121.pdf   Birthright Citizenship SCOTUS Transcript https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2025/25-365_l6gn.pdf   Birthright Citizenship SCOTUS Audio https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/audio/2025/25-365   Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod

DOCKET ALERTS:   The House Judiciary Committee wants to change the US Attorney statute to say what Attorney General Bondi claimed it did in court. This would involve the Senate voluntarily surrendering their power to vote on nominees, so … lotsa luck. Back in New Jersey, prosecutors say they'll seek superseding indictments in cases with Alina Habba's name on them, to remove the stink of illegitimacy.   The DOJ has quietly settled a trollsuit filed by red states and rightwing trolls, including Robert Kennedy, alleging social media censorship by the Biden administration. The Supreme Court already dropkicked this case once, so the parties agreed to simply declare victory and go home.   And Sam Bankman-Fried finds new ways to piss off judges and be sooooo weird, this time with help from his mom.   MAIN SHOW:   The DOJ settled a bogus lawsuit filed by former national security advisor Mike Flynn. His malicious prosecution claims had already been tossed by a federal judge, but she let him amend his complaint again, and by then Trump was back in the White House. Is this a new template for MAGA criminals to back the truck up to the Treasury and start filling it with taxpayer cash? The January 6 defendants sure seem to think so! We'll compare a newly filed case by rioters with a suit filed by pardoned Proud Boys.   And we've got a deep dive into the birthright citizenship case Trump v. Barbara, which will be argued at the Supreme Court this Wednesday.   Kennedy v. Biden https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/67089647/kennedy-v-biden/?order_by=desc   Missouri v. Biden https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/63290154/missouri-v-biden/?order_by=desc   US v. Bankman-Fried https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/66631292/united-states-v-bankman-fried   Tarrio v. US [Proud Boys Bivens Suit] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/70474277/tarrio-v-united-states-of-america   Sullivan v. US [J6ers FTCA Suit] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73101995/sullivan-v-united-states/   Flynn v. US [Flynn FTCA] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/66930673/flynn-v-united-states   Dred Scott v. Sandford, 60 US 393 (1857) https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=3231372247892780026   US v. Wong Kim Ark, 169 US 649 (1898) https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=3381955771263111765   Indian Citizenship Act of 1924 https://www.archives.gov/files/historical-docs/doc-content/images/indian-citizenship-act-1924.pdf   Indian Law Scholars' Amicus Brief [via SCOTUS] https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/25/25-365/399370/20260226125541217_Barbara%20Amicus%20Brief.pdf   The Nationality Act of 1940 [student Note] https://www.jstor.org/stable/1335062   Trump v. Barbara https://www.supremecourt.gov/search.aspx?filename=/docket/docketfiles/html/public/25-365.html   Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod

DOCKET ALERTS:   Anthropic got its injunction against the Department of Defense and Pete Hegseth's designation of the company as a supply chain risk.   Elon Musk lost a shareholder class action suit in California over sh*tposts he made when he was trying to get out of buying Twitter. He demands a new trial because the jury made a 420 joke, and everyone knows that only he is allowed to do that. Meanwhile in Texas, X Corp lost a lawsuit against a bunch of Fortune 500 companies for daring to take their business elsewhere   Trump housing goon Bill Pulte is back on his BS, trying again to get someone to indict New York Attorney General Letitia James, this time for insurance fraud.   Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier is threatening NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell that there will be hell to pay if he doesn't ditch the Rooney Rule.   And Minnesota law enforcement and prosecutors sued the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security for blockading the evidence in the shootings of Renee Good, Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, and Alex Pretti.   MAIN SHOW:   The Eighth Circuit joins the Fifth in endorsing ICE's fakakta interpretation of the mandatory detention statute.    Facebook/Meta/Zuckerberg loses in two courts — just like Elon/Twitter! In New Mexico, a jury ordered the company to pay $375 million in lawsuit brought by the state over unfair trade practices. And a jury in California awarded $6 million to a woman who became addicted to social media as a little girl and suffered serious emotional consequences.   SUBSCRIBERS:   For seven months, the DOJ told a court that ICE had revised its policy on arrests inside courthouses, including immigration courts. Only … they hadn't. Now a federal judge in New York is on the warpath, and DOJ is trying to make sure that DHS takes the fall. Trump housing chief seeks new DOJ probe of New York AG Letitia James https://www.ms.now/news/trump-housing-chief-doj-new-york-letitia-james-pulte   Anthropic Injunction https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cand.465515/gov.uscourts.cand.465515.134.0.pdf   X Corp v. World Federation of Advertisers https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69017972/x-corp-v-world-federation-of-advertisers/    Pampena v Musk https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/65412803/giuseppe-pampena-v-elon-rmusk   Florida AG Uthmeier tells NFL to end diversity-promoting 'Rooney Rule' https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2026/03/26/florida-ag-uthmeier-tells-nfl-to-end-diversity-promoting-rooney-rule/   Minnesota v. DOJ https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72590076/state-of-minnesota-v-us-department-of-justice/   African Communities Together v. Lyons https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/70993525/african-communities-together-v-lyons   Avila v. ICE (8th Cir. mandatory detention) [docket via CourtListener] https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.ca8.113186/gov.uscourts.ca8.113186.00805482414.3.pdf   State of New Mexico v. Meta (NM state investigation of Facebook) https://nmag.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/2023-12-05-NM-v.-Meta-et-al.-COMPLAINT-REDACTED.pdf   Smith v. TikTok (CA state lawsuit against social media addiction) https://www.courthousenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/social-media-lawsuits-kgm-motion-denied.pdf Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod

DOCKET ALERTS:   Lots of legal news out of US Agency for Global Media, the parent agency for Voice of America. Judge Royce Lamberth ruled that Kari Lake was never legally appointed CEO of USAGM, and thus her orders shutting the sub-agencies down and firing all the employees were null and void. The government appealed, but in the sloppiest way possible. Now the agency is getting sued again for violating the firewall protecting journalistic independence, forcing the networks to air AI slop praising Trump. But Kari Lake has an answer for that, and it is to call the judge a fatso.   Judges in the District of New Jersey have appointed longtime prosecutor Robert Frazer as US Attorney. And so far, Attorney General Bondi hasn't fired him.   Judge Roy Altman, a Trump appointee, seems disinclined to put an end to Trump's trollsuits right out of the gate. He's allowing the case against the BBC to proceed to discovery. And he dismissed the complaint against Capital One for tortious debanking, but allowed Trump 90 days to conduct discovery and refile.   MAIN SHOW:   We've got an update on Kilmar Abrego Garcia. The government says it has to send him to Liberia (where he does not agree to go) instead of Costa Rica (where he does agree to go) because Secretary Marco Rubio spent a lot of time negotiating with Liberia to take Abrego, and it would be so embarrassing not to send him there.   And we'll break down the Supreme Court's recent decision in Olivier v. City of Brandon, a case involving a truly obnoxious street preacher that implicates your right to sue the government.   SUBSCRIBER BONUS:    The Trump administration is suing Harvard under Title VI, claiming that the school failed to protect Jewish students and must forfeit billions.   Widakuswara v. Lake I [DC Circuit] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72521013/patsy-widakuswara-v-kari-lake/   Widakuswara v. Lake [Trial Court] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69846584/widakuswara-v-lake   Widakuswara v. Lake II [DC Circuit] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72528662/widakuswara-v-lake/   District New Jersey Appointment Order https://www.njd.uscourts.gov/sites/njd/files/STANDINGORDER2026-03.pdf   Trump Suit Against Capital One Dismissed But Can Be Refiled https://finance.yahoo.com/news/trump-suit-against-capital-one-200454780.html    Trump v. BBC https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72040010/trump-v-british-broadcasting-corporation   Trump v. Capital One https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69853458/the-donald-j-trump-revocable-trust-v-capital-one-na   US v. Harvard https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72520538/unites-states-of-america-v-harvard-university-fellows-and-president/   Abrego Garcia v. Noem (habeas petition) [docket via CourtListener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71191591/abrego-garcia-v-noem/?order_by=desc   Zadvydas v. Davis, 533 U.S. 678 (2001) https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=16478079160883986502   Kennedy v. Bremerton School Dist., 597 U.S. _____ (2022) https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/21pdf/21-418_i425.pdf   Olivier v. City of Brandon [US Supreme Court] https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/24-993_10n2.pdf   Olivier v. City of Brandon (Appendix containing ordinance) [US Supreme Court] https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/24/24-993/352124/20250314105732247_Olivier%20Pet.%20App.pdf   Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod

DOCKET ALERTS:   The Supreme Court rebuffed the Trump Administration's "emergency" request to revoke temporary protected status for half a million Haitian and Syrian nationals. It granted cert before judgment and set oral argument for April.   The DOJ dropped charges against Jay Carey, a veteran who burned a flag in Lafayette Park to protest Trump's executive order purporting to ban flag-burning.   In Massachusetts, Judge Brian Murphy blocked HHS Secretary Kennedy's attempt to rewrite the child and adult vaccine schedules.   And the Justice Department keeps lowering the bar in an effort to get lawyers willing to sign on to burn down their reputations in service of the Trump agenda.   MAIN SHOW:   We discuss US Attorney for DC Jeanine Pirro's crashout over the implosion of her retaliatory investigation into Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. Judge Boasberg quashed the subpoenas, saying that there was no reason at all to think Powell committed a crime.   The Judicial Conference is making it slightly easier for criminal defendants to secure representation. They're also going to war with the General Services Administration, the world's worst landlord.   The Live Nation trial continues, without the government. Andrew's got a deep dive into the Tunney Act and a similar antitrust case blown up by the Trump DOJ under pressure from well-connected lobbyists. These people made us agree with Laura Loomer — RUDE! TPS Cert Before Judgment https://www.supremecourt.gov/orders/courtorders/031626zr1_5h25.pdf   US v. Carey [Flag burning] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71223464/united-states-v-carey   American Academy of Pediatrics v. Kennedy [Vaccines] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/70722326/american-academy-of-pediatrics-v-kennedy/   Judiciary Says Courthouses Are in Crisis, Seeks Real Property Authority https://www.uscourts.gov/data-news/judiciary-news/2026/02/24/judiciary-says-courthouses-are-crisis-seeks-real-property-authority   US judiciary approves new public defender office focused on US Supreme Court advocacy https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/us-judiciary-approves-new-public-defender-office-focused-us-supreme-court-2026-03-10   DOJ to Allow Hiring of US Prosecutors Straight Out of Law School https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/doj-to-allow-hiring-of-us-prosecutors-straight-out-of-law-school   Law School Tells Students, 'You MUST Be Aligned Politically With President Trump,' For Summer Job https://abovethelaw.com/2026/03/law-school-tells-students-you-must-be-aligned-politically-with-president-trump-for-summer-job/   Jeanine Pirro Crashes Out https://www.lawandchaospod.com/p/jeanine-pirro-crashes-out   In re Grand Jury Subpoenas [Jerome Powell] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72490330/in-re-grand-jury-subpoenas   The Rule of Law Versus the Rule of Lobbyists [Roger Alford] https://assets.bwbx.io/documents/users/iqjWHBFdfxIU/rqWZHzWNbqZc/v0   Proposal to Give Judiciary Real Property Authority https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/judiciary-real-property-authority-legislative-package.pdf   Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod

We've got two deep dives for you today, each with a lot of laughs (and almost no Donald Trump)!   First, we break down the lawsuit brought by seven police officers against rapper Afroman for hurting their feelings, which ended in a total victory for the defense. It's still legal to make fun of cops in America! We dissect the claims, discuss what it means to sue for false light invasion of privacy and unreasonable publicity. And then we break down the audio of closing arguments and how each side went about persuading an all-white jury in deep red rural Ohio.   Then, we discuss the ongoing shenanigans in the US Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey, where the Trump administration has installed a "triumvirate" of lawyers to run the office rather than just submit a nominee to the Senate. Things came to a head when the government botched a prosecution for child sexual abuse materials and tried to plow ahead anyway. Judge Zahid Quraishi summoned the DOJ lawyer responsible to appear in court and… it did not go well.   And for subscribers, we have a bonus that dives even deeper into the mess the Trump administration has gotten into in New Jersey because it refuses to back down and just do the normal thing.   Cooley v. Foreman [Afroman lawsuit] https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/23721423-afroman-lawsuit/ United States v. Villafane (D.N.J. settlement) [docket via CourtListener] https://www.courtlistener.com/profile/docket-alerts/ "Lemon Pound Cake" [via OGAfroman YouTube] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xxK5yyecRo   "Why You Disconnecting My Video Camera?" [via OGAfroman YouTube] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISe3IVBBbyU&list=OLAK5uy_noWRXtUiSWHo7cMRoI34uqhSRSDpIFtqY&index=3   "Licc'em Low Lisa" [via OGAfroman YouTube] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wWQxSV8CK8   "Randy Walters is a Son of a Bitch" [via OGAfroman YouTube] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4AiuqQpB1U   Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod

DOCKET ALERTS:   Kash Patel brings UFC to FBI. WTF???   A federal judge in Maryland issued a TRO blocking the construction of an ICE detention facility without first undertaking the legally required environmental impact assessment.   The Trump administration filed an "emergency" petition to the Supreme Court demanding that it be allowed to immediately deport 350,000 Haitians who have enjoyed Temporary Protected Status for decades. It insists an earlier shadow docket ruling allowing it to deport Venezuelan TPS holders is precedential. An amicus brief from 175 former judges points out that shadow docket orders are definitionally non-precedential.   The USDA is teaming up with Robert Kennedy and his team of freaks at Health and Human Services to Make America Healthy Again … by shaming poor people for their food choices. SNAP recipients sued in DC to block a "pilot" program to allow states to restrict food benefits to exclude sugary foods.   MAIN SHOW:   DOGE destroyed the National Endowment for the Humanities in three weeks last spring. We wrote about it on the blog, and discussed the ongoing litigation. Turns out, the DOGE dudes are pissed that the plaintiffs released video of them smirking their way through depositions.   On Monday, in the middle of trial, the Trump administration tried to blow up the antitrust lawsuit against Live Nation, the parent company of Ticketmaster. This leaves the 40 states which joined the suit as co-plaintiffs in the lurch. Judge Arun Subramanian has ordered the parties to huddle up and see if they can't negotiate a settlement. Will the case go forward next week without the lead plaintiff?   And Andrew has an extended exploration of Trump's plan to use a little known federal agency called the United States International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) to get oil tankers to cross the Strait of Hormuz. The DFC has released a plan (or at least, concepts of a plan) to reinsure insurance companies that issue war riders. Which might help if insurance companies were refusing to issue policies to ships at sea – except that insurance companies are still underwriting as many marine policies as ever. It's just that it costs more now, because of the war.   Plus for subscribers, we'll break down the bar complaint against fan favorite Ed Martin.   Kash Patel Confirms UFC Fighters Will Train FBI Agents This Week, Calling It A "Historic Opportunity" https://deadline.com/2026/03/kash-patel-ufc-fighters-train-fbi-agents-1236750897/   State of Maryland v. Noem [ICE Detention Center in Hagerstown] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72313096/state-of-maryland-v-noem   Lesly Miot v. Trump [Haitian TPS, Trial Docket] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/70965949/lesly-miot-v-trump/   Trump v. Miot [SCOTUS Docket] https://www.supremecourt.gov/search.aspx?filename=/docket/docketfiles/html/public/25a999.html   DOGE Bros Had More Fun Burning Down Government Than Testifying About It https://www.lawandchaospod.com/p/doge-bros-had-more-fun-burning-down   Authors Guild v. National Endowment for the Humanities https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/70243086/the-authors-guild-v-national-endowment-for-the-humanities   Amicus Brief of 175 Former Judges re Precedent of Shadow Docket Rulings https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/25/25A952/400077/20260305142419318_Amicus%20Brief%20of%20Former%20Judges%20re%20Dahlia%20Doe_FINAL.pdf   Aragon v. Rollins [SNAP Benefits] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72419889/aragon-v-rollins/   DOJ nopes out of Ticketmaster antitrust suit https://www.publicnotice.co/p/ticketmaster-suit-doj   US v. Live Nation https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/68557723/united-states-of-america-v-live-nation-entertainment-inc   Trump's 'free flow of energy' vow fails to restart shipping in strait of Hormuz [The Guardian] https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/mar/10/trump-free-flow-energy-fails-restart-shipping-strait-hormuz   DFC Reinsurance announcement [US International Development Finance Corporation] https://www.dfc.gov/media/press-releases/dfc-announces-chubb-lead-insurance-partner-maritime-reinsurance-plan   Gulf war risk premiums topping double-digit millions of dollars per trip [Lloyd's List] https://www.lloydslist.com/LL1156586/Gulf-war-risk-premiums-topping-double-digit-millions-of-dollars-per-trip   No, P&I clubs have not 'cancelled war risk cover' [Lloyd's List] https://www.lloydslist.com/LL1156515/No-PI-clubs-have-not-cancelled-war-risk-cover   Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod  

DOCKET ALERTS:   War Powers Resolution fails in both Houses of Congress.   DHS is ramping up for an immigration surge in Maryland and has purchased an 825,000-square-foot warehouse in Hagerstown. The state is suing to block the facility on environmental grounds. In Baltimore, Judge Julie Rubin joins judges in New York and Los Angeles in holding that ICE is systematically violating the Fifth Amendment rights of immigrants in "temporary" detention by holding them for days on end without hygiene, medical care, or access to counsel.   Kalshi customers have filed a class action suit over the company's refusal to pay out on bets — oops, we mean CONTRACT SWAPS — that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei would leave office as Supreme Leader of Iran before March 1.   Trump continues to defy the Constitution's requirement that he get Senate approval for principal officers. We discussed it in our post on Judge Lamberth holding that Kari Lake was never legally serving as head of the US Agency for Global Media, and thus her directives are null and void. And Judge Matthew Brann has ruled once again that Attorney General Pam Bondi can't evade senate confirmation for the US Attorney in New Jersey — no, not even if she spreads the appointment out among three lawyers, not just one.    And we'll talk about the Trump administration's humiliating U-turn as it tries to un-dismiss the appeal in the case of the executive orders targeting law firms, as well as Anthropic's complaint against the government. Turns out, defying Trump can be good for business!   Subscriber Bonus: The Trump administration just dismissed the antitrust suit against Live Nation mid-trial for, uh, reasons.    ICE awards $113 million to build out Hagerstown detention center https://www.thebanner.com/politics-power/national-politics/ice-hagerstown-detention-center-contract-AHIV2KEHQJAVFMWBYKO2YBWOCU/   Maryland v. Noem [ICE Warehouse] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72313096/state-of-maryland-v-noem/?order_by=desc   D.N.N. v. Liggins [ICE temporary holding facility in Baltimore] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/70321567/dnn-v-liggins/   Risch v. Kalshi https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72371954/risch-v-kalshiex-llc/   Judge Rules That Kari Lake Is Still A Loser [Law and Chaos] https://www.lawandchaospod.com/p/judge-rules-that-kari-lake-is-still   US v. Naviwala [US Attorney New Jersey] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/68269162/united-states-v-naviwala   Susman Godfrey v. Executive Office of the President (DC Cir. Appeal) [docket via CourtListener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71202175/susman-godfrey-llp-v-executive-office-of-the-president/   Anthropic v. US Dep't of War, [docket via CourtListener] https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cand.465515/   Business Insider, "Claude Hits Number One In The App Store" https://www.businessinsider.com/anthropic-claude-hits-number-one-app-store-openai-chatgpt-2026-2   US v. LiveNation Entertainment (Ticketmaster antitrust lawsuit) [docket via CourtListener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/68557723/united-states-of-america-v-live-nation-entertainment-inc/   Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod  

Law and Chaos wishes a big mazal tov to Kristi Noem on her new, very real job as assistant principal of the Yeehaw American Hegemony Club. And to Lindsey Halligan on catching a Florida Bar investigation.   We'll discuss our recent post on Pam Bondi's very timely announcement that she intends to take over state bar complaints against DOJ employees. It comes at a moment when district court judges are telegraphing very clearly that they are going to start holding DHS and DOJ in criminal contempt for rampant disregard of court orders. Specifically, Judge Michael Farbiarz of the District of New Jersey says he'll require sworn affidavits from officials at the US Attorneys Office and ICE for every habeas release case that comes before him. This will likely serve as a model for other judges whose dockets are buckling under the weight of habeas cases from all the immigrants ICE is illegally detaining.   Elections expert Joe Dye is back to discuss Tuesday's primary elections in Texas, Arkansas, and North Carolina.   And for subscribers, we'll discuss the shadow docket order in which the six conservative justices leapt in to save New York Rep. Nicole Malliotakis's seat.   Lindsey Halligan Is Under Investigation by the Florida Bar https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/05/us/politics/lindsey-halligan-investigation-florida-bar.html   Bondi Says She's The Bar Now https://www.lawandchaospod.com/p/bondi-says-shes-the-bar-now   Judge Farbiarz Order re Contempt https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.njd.590517/gov.uscourts.njd.590517.30.0.pdf   Malliotakis v. Williams [2026 Supreme Court New York redistricting decision] https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/25a914_1p24.pdf   Abbott v. LULAC [2025 Supreme Court stay of Texas map] https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/25a608_7khn.pdf   Rucho v. Common Cause [2019 Supreme Court gerrymandering opinion] https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=6090361490276671133   Steve Vladek, Bonus 214: Emergency Relief from State Courts [One First] https://www.stevevladeck.com/p/bonus-214-emergency-relief-from-state   Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod  

DOCKET ALERTS:   The Trump administration is tapping out on the lawsuits defending executive orders attacking law firms. Too bad, so sad for the Vichy law firms that pledged a billion dollars in "conservative pro bono" work. Justice Gorsuch says we can't take guns away from drug users because the Founders were drunk all the time.   The Federal Circuit declines a request by the Trump administration to delay tariff refunds.   Kansas's revocation of trans citizens' drivers licenses draws its first court challenge.   And Virginia's redistricting referendum can go ahead. MAIN SHOW:   We discuss the history of the president's power to commence hostilities and explain why Trump and his goons are so deeply invested in claiming that the war in Iran — which isn't a war at all! — was defensive, not offensive. Plus Andrew's got a deep dive into the War Powers Resolution and how it might bring about an end to this nightmare.   We've got clips from 60 Minutes's very good story on the danger federal judges face when they go against the Trump administration.    Judges in the Western District of West Virginia join the list of jurisdictions telling DHS/DOJ that contempt charges are coming if they keep relying on crackpot legal theories to kidnap residents.   Judge John Tunheim issues class relief to refugees in Minnesota, barring DHS from interning them for recertification.   And for subscribers: a discussion of the constitutionality of the War Powers Resolution.   Trump Administration to Drop Defense of Law Firm Sanctions https://www.wsj.com/us-news/law/trump-administration-to-drop-defense-of-law-firm-sanctions-cb839c39   US v. Hemani Oral Argument https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/audio/2025/24-1234   V.O.S. Selections [Tariff mandate] https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cafc.23105/gov.uscourts.cafc.23105.173.0_2.pdf   Doe v. Kansas [Trans drivers' licenses] https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2026/02/Complaint-1.pdf   Virginia redistricting election can move forward, court rules https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/virginia-redistricting-election-can-move-forward-court-rules   Federal judges who've ruled against Trump administration denounce threats against themselves, their families https://www.cbsnews.com/news/federal-judges-whove-ruled-against-trump-administration-denounce-threats-60-minutes-transcript/   Judges in a Trump stronghold condemn ICE tactics https://www.politico.com/news/2026/03/01/west-virginia-immigration-rulings-00804575   Dominguez Izaguirre v. Mason [West Virginia Habeas] https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.wvsd.243036/gov.uscourts.wvsd.243036.18.0.pdf   War Powers Resolution, 50 U.S.C. 1541 et seq. https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/50/chapter-33   "Trump Can't Declare War On Iran (or Anyone)" [lawandchaospod.com] https://www.lawandchaospod.com/p/trump-cant-declare-war-on-iran-or   Liz's YouTube video for Legal Eagle, "The Largest Bribe in American History" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RE2pm3omzMI&t=3s   Nat'l Treasury Employees' Union v. Nixon, 492 F.2d 587 (D.C. Cir. 1974) https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=4156385560315482496   INS v. Chadha, 462 U.S. 919 (1983) https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=2221871582286121199   Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod  

DOCKET ALERTS:   The Justice Department is suing New Jersey for not letting ICE use state buildings and parks for immigration enforcement. Because the Tenth Amendment is basically a suggestion?   CBP agents dumped a blind, sick, refugee who spoke no English outside a doughnut shop in Buffalo because they couldn't deport him. Local police are investigating his death.   Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is trying to manhandle Anthropic into letting it use Claude for domestic surveillance and autonomous targeting.    MAIN SHOW:   ICE's total refusal to follow the law has flooded federal courts with habeas corpus petitions, and judges are PISSED. On Thursday, two judges in Minnesota and one in New Jersey threatened to hold prosecutors in contempt of court over DOJ/DHS refusing to follow court orders in immigration cases.   The fascinating "Quince sues UGG" antitrust lawsuit is Last Brand, Inc. v. Deckers Outdoor Corporation. The (possibly even true) story of ugh, ugly, and finally ugg boots is told here by the Everything Australian company.   On Wednesday, Judge Brian Murphy ruled that the Trump administration's policy of third-country removals was illegal.   And for subscribers, we'll discuss Pete Hegseth's battle with Anthropic and DHS's theft of more than 42,000 tax returns from IRS's database.   Links   US v. New Jersey  https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72316303/united-states-v-new-jersey/   Nearly blind refugee found dead in New York days after immigration agents dropped him at a coffee shop alone, officials say https://www.cnn.com/2026/02/26/us/shah-alam-blind-refugee-border-patrol-hnk   'Incoherent': Hegseth's Anthropic ultimatum confounds AI policymakers  https://www.politico.com/news/2026/02/26/incoherent-hegseths-anthropic-ultimatum-confounds-ai-policymakers-00800135   Cartagena Hueso v. Soto https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72279969/cartagena-hueso-v-soto/ D.V.D. v. Dep't of Homeland Security (D. Mass. 2025) [docket via CourtListener] https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mad.282404/gov.uscourts.mad.282404.241.0.pdf   The Surprising History of the Aussie Ugg Boot https://everythingaustralian.com.au/blog/post/the-surprising-history-of-the-aussie-ugg-boot   Last Brand, Inc. v. Deckers Outdoor Corporation (N.D. Cal. 2026) [docket via CourtListener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72311102/last-brand-inc-v-deckers-outdoor-corporation/   Center for Taxpayer Rights v. IRS https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69646607/center-for-taxpayer-rights-v-internal-revenue-service   Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod  

DOCKET ALERTS:   Judge Aileen Cannon ruled that Special Counsel Jack Smith's report on the stolen documents case must remain sealed forever in perpetuity.   Kouri Richins goes on trial for murdering her husband in Utah. She's not being charged for writing a terrible children's book about dealing with grief over the loss of a parent … but maybe she should be?    The Fifth Circuit, sitting en banc, allowed Louisiana to require the display of the Ten Commandments in every classroom statewide. The law had been blocked, but the Court decided that no one had been injured yet, so the case is unripe.   Elon Musk is being sued for securities fraud in California. But they can't seat a jury because everyone hates him.   MAIN SHOW:   It's all about tariffs. We break down the Supreme Court's Learning Resources v. Trump, and explain why dragging this case out for a year ensures chaos as importers try to recoup money they've already paid. And we'll talk about Trump's plan to impose new illegal tariffs based on a  gross misinterpretation of yet another internal statute.   The opinion is particularly contentious, revealing the justices' angry, internal feuding over the future of the court. And subscribers will get a deep dive into the origins of this conflict, reaching back to Justice Kagan's famous 2015 "Antonin Scalia Lecture Series" lecture at Harvard Law School and extending through Justice Jackson's concurrence in Learning Resources.   US v. Trump [stolen documents case] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/67490070/united-states-v-trump   Kouri Richins Warrant https://www.scribd.com/document/654496602/Kouri-Richins-Warrant   Contempt for Musk clouds jury selection in Twitter takeover trial https://www.courthousenews.com/contempt-for-musk-clouds-jury-selection-in-twitter-takeover-trial/   Roake v. Brumley [Fifth Circuit Ten Commandments] https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.ca5.221848/gov.uscourts.ca5.221848.389.1.pdf   Learning Resources, Inc. v. Trump [tariffs case] https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/24-1287_4gcj.pdf   Congressional Research Service, "Congressional and Presidential Authority to Impose Import Tariffs" https://www.congress.gov/crs_external_products/R/PDF/R48435/R48435.1.pdf   Elena Kagan "Antonin Scalia Lecture Series," Harvard Law School (2015) [via YouTube] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpEtszFT0Tg   Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod  

DOCKET ALERTS:   Florida's Attorney General James Uthmeier is getting paid $50,000 a semester to teach a single class at University of Florida's law school.    The Trump Administration finally obeyed the court order and put the exhibit on enslaved people back at President's House in Philadelphia.   The Supreme Court has decided to eliminate corruption by asking litigants to add their stock ticker symbols to filing disclosures. Oh, you thought maybe the justices would agree to stop trading individual stocks? LOL.   And a JAG lawyer sent to help out the US Attorneys Office in Minnesota got cited for contempt after ICE responded to a habeas order by dumping a Minnesota man on the street in El Paso without his identity documents. Judge Laura Provinzino ordered the lawyer to pay $500 per day until the petitioner got his ID back.   MAIN SHOW:   In California, Judge Sunshine Sykes issued a major benchslap to the Trump administration's claim that it can — or must! — detain immigrants who haven't been granted permanent residence. In December, she granted class certification and ordered the government to give everyone not detained at the border a bond hearing. The government ignored her ruling, based on a decision by the immigration courts housed inside the Justice Department. Separation of powers, how does it go?   And Andrew and Liz talk about two "surveillance" issues: commercially-aggregated data tracking our every movement and "dynamic" pricing.   The Supreme Court first started considering surveillance in US v. Jones, 565 U.S. 400 (2012) and endorsed the "mosaic theory" of the Fourth Amendment in Carpenter v. US, 585 US 296 (2018).   Sens. Lujan and Merkley have co-sponsored the Stop Price Gouging in Grocery Stores Act of 2026. Gizmodo recently ran a story about it, referencing prior research into dynamic pricing. Florida's attorney general gets $100K part-time teaching job at UF https://www.tampabay.com/news/florida-politics/2026/02/17/uthmeier-uf-adjunct-teaching-contract-pay-attorney-general/   Soto Jimenez v. Bondi https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72221590/soto-jimenez-v-bondi/   Matter of Yajure Hurtado https://www.justice.gov/eoir/media/1413311/dl?inline   Maldonado Bautista v. Noem https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/70895584/lazaro-maldonado-bautista-v-ernesto-santacruz-jr/   US v. Jones, 565 U.S. 400 (2012) https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=3066032366235422373   Carpenter v. US, 585 US 296 (2018) https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=853695326923033538 Text of the Stop Price Gouging in Grocery Stores Act of 2026 https://www.lujan.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/MUR26086-1.pdf   Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod  

DOCKET ALERTS:   Trump celebrated President's Day by filing a trademark for Donald J. Trump International Airport — just in time for Florida's move to rename Palm Beach International Airport in his honor. KA-CHING!   In Colorado, a state judge ruled that throwing prisoners in solitary confinement as a penalty for refusing to work violates the state constitution's ban on involuntary servitude. It's a start!   And in Philadelphia, Judge Cynthia Rufe ordered the Trump administration to restore an exhibit on the enslaved people who lived at President's House under George Washington: "Each person who visits the President's House and does not learn of the realities of founding-era slavery receives a false account of this country's history."   MAIN SHOW:   In Minnesota, Judge Nancy Brasel ordered DHS to grant detainees in "holding rooms" at the Whipple Building in Minneapolis meaningful access to counsel. The ruling bars ICE from removing immigrants from the state for 72 hours after they are originally picked up. We'll discuss the cracks appearing between DHS, which ignores court orders, and DOJ, which has to show up in court and take the blame for it.   In New York, Judge Lewis Kaplan issued a similar order in September with respect to temporary "holding rooms" on the 9th floor at 26 Federal Plaza in Manhattan, with additional requirements that DHS provide for detainees' hygiene, nutrition, and medical needs. The plaintiffs say ICE has not complied and moved for contempt. The City reports that DHS opened up new temporary detention facilities on the 10th floor, but claims the injunction doesn't apply there for, uh, REASONS.   And we break down all the ways Republicans are trying to suppress the vote with the SAVE America Act, which solves the nonexistent problem of noncitizens voting illegally by imposing a series of restrictions on citizens registering and voting.   In the subscriber bonus, we discuss a district court's decision in Massachusetts enjoining the Trump administration from deploying ICE in and around churches.  Trump's Private Company Files Trademark for 'President Donald J. Trump International Airport' https://www.gerbenlaw.com/blog/trumps-private-company-files-trademark-for-president-donald-j-trump-international-airport/   Buried in the budget: Mike Huckabee, Donald Trump and Newsmax https://jasongarcia.substack.com/p/buried-in-the-budget-mike-huckabee   Mortis v. Polis [Colorado Prison Labor] https://towardsjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Findings-of-Fact-and-Conclusions-of-Law.pdf   Philadelphia v. Burgum  https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72178941/city-of-philadelphia-v-burgum/   Advocates for Human Rights v. DHS [Whipple Building] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72196538/the-advocates-for-human-rights-v-us-department-of-homeland-securit   Barco Mercado v. Noem [26 Federal Plaza] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71065570/barco-mercado-v-noem   ICE Moved Detainees to Previously Undisclosed Floor of 26 Federal Plaza https://www.thecity.nyc/2026/02/09/26-federal-plaza-jail-conditions-ice-judge-kaplan-ruling/   Text of S.1383, the "SAVE America" Act https://docs.house.gov/billsthisweek/20260209/RCP_S1383_xml.pdf   New England Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America v. DHS https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/70939776/new-england-synod-evangelical-lutheran-church-in-america-v-department-of/   Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod  

Docket Alerts:   Exactly zero grand jurors voted to indict the members of Congress who made a video in November reminding active duty service members of their duty to refuse illegal orders. And Judge Richard Leon told Secretary Hegseth to pound "Horsefeathers!" with his attempt to demote Senator Mark Kelly and dock his naval retirement.   The Justice Department hasn't stopped trying to evade senate confirmation for US Attorneys. Hours after judges in New York exercised their legal right to appoint someone competent to run the office, the Trump administration fired him.    Subscribers will get a deep dive into AG Bondi's efforts to ONE WEIRD TRICK a "triumvirate" of lawyers into the US Attorney spot.   MAIN SHOW:   Two hundred federal and state agents descended on a Mexican heritage festival in Idaho in October. They leveraged five arrest warrants for illegal gambling into a massive detention operation to brutalize hundreds of families. Now those families are suing under 42 USC § 1983, alleging a conspiracy between the feds and local law enforcement.   In DC, Trump appointee Judge Tim Kelly blocked the administration from taking revenge on inmates whose death sentences were commuted by President Biden by moving them all to Supermax.   After the Fifth Circuit's terrible ruling last week allowing for indefinite detention of all non-citizens, district court judges are still finding ways to grant habeas petitions.   Back in DC, Judge Ana Reyes barred Secretary Noem from ending temporary protected status for 350,000 Haitians. She also had some frank words about the threats that rain down on judges who rule against the Trump administration – and why they won't succeed.   Rodriguez v. Porter https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72256071/rodriguez-v-porter/   Taylor v. Trump [Death Row Commutations] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71717101/taylor-v-trump/   Kelly v. Hegseth https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72131361/kelly-v-hegseth/   US v. Naviwala [US Attorney New Jersey] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/68269162/united-states-v-naviwala   Cumbe Lema v. De Anda-Ybarra [Texas Habeas] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72210802/cumbe-lema-v-de-anda-ybarra/   Hassen v. Noem [Texas Habeas] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72143519/hassen-v-noem-secretary-us-department-of-homeland-security/   Lesly Miot v. Trump [Haitian TPS] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/70965949/lesly-miot-v-trump/   Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod  

Docket Alerts:   In Jeffrey Epstein news: Ghislaine Maxwell showed up for congressional testimony, but says she's taking the Fifth unless and until she gets a pardon. Bill and Hillary Clinton agreed to testify, averting a vote to refer them to DOJ for contempt of Congress. Paul Weiss managing partner Brad Karp stepped down after his emails to the noted pedophile were published.    Luigi Mangione will not face the death penalty, but will face trial this summer.   Main Show:   The Trump administration is trying to magic away Steve Bannon's contempt of Congress conviction with an assist from SCOTUS. It's called a GVR, and it's filthy.   The DOJ sued in state court to get Fulton County's 2020 ballots. They sued in federal court. And then they got a criminal warrant and just took them. Now Georgia election officials are suing to get their ballots back.   What is going on with that Tulsi Gabbard whistleblower report?   The Fifth Circuit greenlights ICE's batcrap insane legal theory that the government must hold immigrants in detention indefinitely without a hearing. Should the challengers petition for en banc review, or go straight to SCOTUS?   And for subscribers, we'll break down FCC Chair Brendan Carr's threat to investigate the ladies at The View for daring to interview Texas Senate candidate James Talarico — a known Democrat!   Bannon Rule 48(a) Motion to Dismiss  https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.237437/gov.uscourts.dcd.237437.207.0.pdf   Bannon Cert Petition https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/25/25-453/395803/20260209141144273_25-453_Bannon_cert_resp_file.pdf   US v. Alexander [DOJ civil suit to see Fulton County ballots] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72028229/united-states-v-alexander/   Pitts v. US [Fulton County suit to recover ballots] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72247417/pitts-v-united-states/   NSA detected foreign intelligence phone call about a person close to Trump https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/feb/07/nsa-foreign-intelligence-trump-whistleblower   Whistle-Blower Report Involved Intelligence About a Trump Contact https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/07/us/politics/whistle-blower-gabbard-trump.html   Buenrostro Mendez v. Bondi https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71870107/buenrostro-mendez-v-bondi/   Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod  

Andrew flies solo on today's show, which… coincidentally features a bunch of law from the 1980s. Learn how a 1981 advertisement for a soon-to-be defunct video game system shaped the law of copyright into what it is today after Atari sued Magnavox to pull a Pac-Man clone off the shelves.     In the second story, we talk about the death of antitrust law. What once broke up the phone company's monopoly is now so defanged that just two companies control almost all of the components that go into your PC. Oh, and the phone company basically reassembled itself.   The computer graphics monopoly set us on the path where computer are rented, not owned. And taking advantage of that was a company that targeted teenagers who want the latest and greatest gaming rig (but can't afford it). Learn about the consumer fraud lawsuit, potential settlement, and the future of computers. Have we gone backwards since the 1980s? (Yes.)   Check out the independent reporting of Steve Burke at GamersNexus.   Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod   Atari, Inc. v. North American Philips Consumer Electronics Corp., 672 F.2d 607 (1982) https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=16433139020722034724   Burns v. Fragile, Inc. [docket via CourtListener] https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cand.454102/   Steve Burke, GamersNexus YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@GamersNexus Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod  

DOCKET ALERTS:   We bid a fond goodbye to Ed Martin … well, fond-ish.   Liam Ramos, the little boy kidnapped by ICE in Minneapolis along with his father is back home after a judge in Texas granted his habeas petition. Read the scathing order here.   Judge Jia Cobb re-imposed a temporary restraining order barring DHS from excluding legislators from immigrant detention facilities.    Two immigrant rights groups challenged ICE's homebrew arrest warrants.   The Trump administration finally got that perp walk of Don Lemon. Two weeks ago, a federal magistrate refused to issue an arrest warrant for Lemon, Minnesota journalist Georgia Fort, and three others who were present at the MLK Day protest at a church whose pastor David Easterbrook is an ICE supervisor. Now a grand jury has indicted all eight of the DOJ's original targets.   Chief Judge Jeffrey Sutton of the Sixth Circuit dropkicked the DOJ's judicial ethics complaint against Chief Judge James Boasberg of the US District Court in DC. The complaint is based on leaked notes from a closed judicial conference in March, which Law and Chaos is suing to kick loose under FOIA. The Signalgate administration says it has no idea how this judicial record wound up on its servers.    Liz and Andrew sound off on Chief Justice Roberts forcing SCOTUS employees to sign NDAs.   Donald Trump sues the IRS — it's like suing himself, but you get to foot the bill.   And we ponder whether Trump can legally burn down the Kennedy Center Make the Kennedy Center Great Again.   Plus for subscribers: Andrew's got a deep dive into the Death on the High Seas Act and the lawsuit filed by survivors of two men murdered in the Caribbean boat strikes.   Justice Dept. demotes Ed Martin, stripping Trump ally of most authority https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2026/02/02/ed-martin-demoted-justice-department   Liam Ramos Habeas Order https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.txwd.1172886492/gov.uscourts.txwd.1172886492.9.0_3.pdf   TRO Enjoining DHS from Excluding Legislators From Immigration Facilities https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.283200/gov.uscourts.dcd.283200.52.0.pdf   The Perp Walk Is The Point https://www.lawandchaospod.com/p/the-perp-walk-is-the-point   US v. Armstrong [Don Lemon Indictment] https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mnd.231103/gov.uscourts.mnd.231103.39.0_1.pdf   DOJ Attacks Judge, Claims Judicial Immunity For Itself https://www.lawandchaospod.com/p/doj-attacks-judge-using-leaked-doc   Judge Sutton Dismissed DOJ Complaint Re Judge Boasberg https://www.opn.ca6.uscourts.gov/internet/judicial_complaints/files/2025/06-25-90173(Chad.MO.pdf   Res Ipsa Media v. DOJ [L&C FOIA suit] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71236135/res-ipsa-media-llc-v-department-of-justice   How the Supreme Court Secretly Made Itself Even More Secretive https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/02/us/supreme-court-nondisclosure-agreements.html   Trump v. IRS https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.flsd.706172/gov.uscourts.flsd.706172.1.0_4.pdf   Boat Strike Complaint https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mad.294916/gov.uscourts.mad.294916.1.0_1.pdf   Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod  

Docket Alerts:   Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard led a raid on the Fulton County Election Hub and Operating Center in Atlanta. ProPublica got the warrant. Mo Ivory, a Democratic commissioner for Fulton County, breaks it down on Instagram.   In Chicago, Marimar Martinez has moved to unseal evidence from DOJ's failed effort to prosecute her for getting shot by ICE.   Reuters reports that Marcos Charles, the top official in ICE's Enforcement and Removal Operations division, issued new guidance instructing ICE to target only immigrants who have been arrested or convicted of crimes. This would be a huge improvement, but DHS won't comment.   Main Show:   Once again, this is all the Supreme Court's fault. Specifically, its rulings in J.G.G. v. Trump and Trump v. CASA led directly to the mayhem in Minnesota. First the Court forced immigrants challenging their detention to file thousands of individual habeas cases. And then they drastically limited the power of federal judges to issue relief when it "discovered" that nationwide injunctions are illegal.    The Trump administration took this as an invitation to break the law, irrespective of how many courts tell them not to, on the theory that CASA means precedent doesn't count any more. DHS dummied up a memo saying that actually everyone without a green card must be held indefinitely. This is a gross misstatement of the law, as literally hundreds of courts have already ruled. But the Trump administration says because of CASA, they can continue to lock up people who've lived here for decades, checking in with DHS, working, paying taxes, and taking care of their families.   Judges are deluged with habeas petitions, which differ from each other only in the particulars of the cruelty being visited upon the individual immigrant. After ICE failed to obey a court order to release a habeas petitioner, Chief Judge Patrick Schiltz in the District Court of Minnesota ordered Todd Lyons, the Acting Director of ICE, to either release the guy or show up and explain why he shouldn't be held in contempt of court.    ICE released the petitioner, but Judge Schiltz was still furious. He published a list of 96 violations of court orders in January alone — and that's only in Minnesota! Thanks, Chief Justice Roberts!   On the plus side, Judge Schiltz's colleague Judge John Tunheim issued a TRO ordering ICE to release every refugee detained under the erroneous memo and quit kidnapping them and spiriting them away to Texas.   And for subscribers, we'll discuss the Ninth Circuit's ruling that bars Kristi Noem from unilaterally canceling temporary protected status for a million Venezuelans and Haitians.   Hundreds of judges reject Trump's mandatory detention policy, with no end in sight https://www.politico.com/news/2026/01/05/trump-administration-immigrants-mandatory-detention-00709494   Fulton County Election Hub Warrant https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/26513986-1-28-26-fulton-warrant/   Marimar Martinez Motion to Unseal https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.ilnd.487595/gov.uscourts.ilnd.487595.100.0.pdf   Exclusive: ICE officers in Minnesota directed not to interact with 'agitators' in new orders https://www.reuters.com/world/ice-officers-minnesota-directed-not-interact-with-agitators-new-orders-2026-01-29/   J.G.G. v. Trump https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24pdf/24a931_2c83.pdf   Trump v. CASA https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24pdf/24a884_8n59.pdf   Tobay Robles v. Noem https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72120823/tobay-robles-v-noem   Judge Tunheim TRO https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mnd.230526/gov.uscourts.mnd.230526.41.0.pdf   Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod  

Hats off to Minnesota! The Twin Cities kicked Greg Bovino's a** so hard he's limping back to California and then retiring altogether. We'll discuss the Trump administration's apparent pivot on the invasion of Minneapolis and the many legal cases pending there.   First up, Minnesota v. Noem, where the state is trying to convince Judge Katherine Menendez to order DHS out of Minneapolis. Their Tenth Amendment argument got a big boost from Attorney General Pam Bondi, who actually sent Governor Walz a letter offering to pull back ICE's goons if the state would surrender its legal rights.   Then we'll discuss Minnesota's lawsuit to preserve the evidence from the murder of Alex Pretti. The FBI says they've got it locked down, but Judge Eric Tostrud isn't so sure.   Finally we've got a deep dive into the DOJ's effort to turn a protest at a church into a criminal conspiracy to oppress Christians.   Show Links:   Minnesota v. Noem  https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72132615/state-of-minnesota-v-noem/?order_by=desc   Bondi-Walz Letter https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mnd.230268/gov.uscourts.mnd.230268.114.1_1.pdf   Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension v. Noem https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72185880/minnesota-bureau-of-criminal-apprehension-v-noem/   US vs SEALED [Nekima Levy-Armstrong] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72181995/united-states-v-sealed/?order_by=desc   https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod  

An ICE whistleblower reveals a secret memo where DHS lawyers say agents can arrest people in their homes without a warrant. The Fourth Amendment says otherwise! And the Supreme Court's conservatives were extremely unimpressed with Trump's plan to fire Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook on Truth Social. We'll break down Wednesday's oral argument in detail but first, we've got approximately one million ...   DOCKET ALERTS (Dun dun DUNNNN):   Former Special Counsel Jack Smith testified before the House Judiciary Committee. Watch it for yourself here.   The Justice Department arrested three people in relation to the protest on January 18 at Cities Church in St. Paul. Nothing has appeared on the docket, but the DOJ claims to have charged them under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act of 1994, meant to protect women seeking abortion care.   The Eighth Circuit administratively stayed District Judge Katherine Menendez's preliminary injunction barring DHS goons from brutalizing protesters.   A jury in Chicago took just three hours to acquit a man of trying to hire someone to murder CBP's head thug Greg Bovino. Don't drunk text!    Donald Trump's latest trollsuit targets JP Morgan Chase and its CEO Jamie Dimon. It's filed in state court in Miami and seeks $5 billion for tortious debanking.   Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson secured a standstill order barring the government from looking at the computers and hard drives it seized from her house in Virginia as part of its investigation into classified leaks by government contractor Aurelio Luis Perez-Lugones.    The Fifth Circuit, sitting en banc, reheard a challenge to Louisiana's HB71, which required every public school classroom to display the Ten Commandments. Background here.   Judge Paul Engelmayer rebuffed a request by Reps. Thomas Massie and Ro Khanna to enforce the Epstein Files Transparency Act and order the government to disclose all materials on Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. Remember this next time you hear some rightwing pundit railing against "activist judges."   And we bid a fond farewell to Lindsey Halligan, who finally quit trying to pass herself off as US Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. Well … fond-ish. After getting benchslapped by a federal judge and seeing her job posted online by the chief judge in EDVA, she finally took the hint.   Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod  

Breaking! The president is bugf*** insane! But first … docket alerts. Dun-dun-DUNNNNN.   We've reached the "yelling at chestnuts for being lazy" stage of the presidency, as Trump barks out ever-nuttier orders.    Meanwhile in Texas, Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk managed to moot the appeal of an LGBTQ+ student group at West Texas A&M which sued in 2023 to enjoin their school's ban on drag shows. All he had to do was rush out an opinion in 48 hours saying that drag shows are not expressive conduct covered by the First Amendment. And lie about Fifth Circuit precedent!   TG we have at least one good legal development, this time out of Minnesota!   For the main show, we'll break down the legal implications of Elon Musk building a chatbot in his own abusive troll image. Will the Take It Down Act put a stop to AI generation of deepfake CSAM and NCII?    Meanwhile over at the Department of Homeland Security, Secretary Kristi Noem and her minions are a wee smidge confused about the Fourth Amendment. If you can even believe it! But even a blind squirrel gets a nut once in a while. DHS wins a round against legislators seeking to inspect ICE detention facilities thanks to some creative accounting. But the victory may be short-lived.]   And subscribers will get another visit with that Overstock.com weirdo Patrick Byrne, who managed to lose a defamation case against the most defamation-proof defendant in America. Guest starring: Stefanie Lambert. Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod  

The Trump administration's war on Minnesota continues, and now the president is threatening to invoke the Insurrection Act. Clearly he thinks that is synonymous with declaring THE PURGE. But he's wrong, and we'll tell you why. Plus we've got good news(!) on California redistricting, green energy, and voting rights.   Links:   Tangipa v. Newsom [CA gerrymander] https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cacd.994285   The Atlantic Monthly v. Google [Google ad antitrust] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72135468/the-atlantic-monthly-group-llc-v-google-llc/   US v. Oregon [DOJ demands OR voter rolls] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71363789/united-states-v-state-of-oregon/   US v. Weber [DOJ demands CA voter rolls] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71452580/united-states-v-shirley-weber   Minnesota v. USDA  https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72074911/state-of-minnesota-v-united-states-department-of-agriculture/   Minnesota v. Noem https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72132615/state-of-minnesota-v-noem/?order_by=desc   Tincher v. Noem https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72047643/tincher-v-noem/   Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod  

Markets are freaked out about the DOJ's threats to Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. And so are we! We've got a deep dive into a court order barring Trump from adding an extra-legal proof of citizenship requirement to voter registration forms and a breakdown of Illinois and Minnesota's respective lawsuits against ICE and CBP. And for subscribers, we'll explain why JD Vance's claim that "Every president, Democrat or Republican, believes the War Powers Act is fundamentally a fake and unconstitutional law," is utter BS.   Links:   Kelly v. Hegseth https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72131361/kelly-v-hegseth/   Neguse v. ICE https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/70964222/neguse-v-us-immigration-and-customs-enforcement   New York v. Burgum [Nichols] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72126766/state-of-new-york-v-burgum/   New York v. Burgum [Lamberth] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72126847/state-of-new-york-v-burgum/   Federal prosecutor in Virginia fired after refusing to lead Comey case https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/12/us-attorney-virginia-fired-j   Trump DOJ fires prosecutor who declined to pursue James Comey case https://www.ms.now/news/trump-doj-fires-prosecutor-who-declined-to-pursue-james-comey-case   Washington v. Trump [Election EO] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69845185/state-of-washington-v-trump/   Illinois v. DHS https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72131845/state-of-illinois-v-department-of-homeland-security/   Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod  

Congressional Republicans defect to support two Democratic resolutions. It's not exactly a show of spine — maybe a vertebrae — but is it the beginning of something? Yet another US Attorney gets disqualified, this time in New York. Meanwhile Judges in Virginia wonder how it's remotely ethical for Lindsey Halligan to present herself in court filings as a US Attorney. The DOJ is violating the Epstein Files Transparency Act. And what legal recourse is there for the family of Renee Good, who was executed by ICE officers in Minneapolis. Plus for subscribers: Dominion tries to get Mike Lindell and Patrick Byrne to STFU long enough to wind down their litigation.   Links: War Powers Resolution https://www.kaine.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/dav25m71.pdf   Massachusetts v. NIH [Indirect Costs] https://www.ca1.uscourts.gov/sites/ca1/files/opnfiles/25-1343P-01A.pdf   American Hospital Association v. HHS [Drug Rebates] https://www.ca1.uscourts.gov/sites/ca1/files/opnfiles/25-2236O-01A.pdf   In Re Grand Jury Subpoenas to the Office of the New York State Attorney General v. US [Disqualification US Atty NDNY] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71844954/in-re-grand-jury-subpoenas-to-the-office-of-the-new-york-state-attorney   US v. Jefferson [Halligan signature challenge] https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.vaed.586310   US v. Comey [4th Circuit appeal] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72065969/united-states-v-james-comey-jr/?order_by=desc   US v. James [4th Circuit appeal] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72065734/united-states-v-letitia-james/?order_by=desc   Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod  

On our first show back after the holidays, Brian Finucane, a senior advisor at the International Crisis Group, explains the legal ramifications of invading Venezuela and kidnapping its leader for "law enforcement." We'll break down the Supreme Court's ruling eviscerating Trump's effort to conscript National Guard troops to terrorize cities. And for subscribers, Justin Baldoni will once again teach us (how not to) CivPro.   Links: Trump v. Illinois [Supreme Court] https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/25a443_new_b07d.pdf   Brian Finucane, Presidential War Powers, the Take Care Clause, and Article 2(4) of the UN Charter, Cornell Law Review (2020) https://live-cornell-law-review.pantheonsite.io/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Finucane-final.pdf   1989 OLC Memorandum https://www.justice.gov/olc/opinion/authority-federal-bureau-investigation-override-international-law-extraterritorial-law   US v. Commonwealth of Virginia [In-state tuition for immigrant children] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72085714/united-states-v-commonwealth-of-virginia/   JGG v. Trump https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69741724/jgg-v-trump/?order_by=desc   Lively v. Baldoni https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69741724/jgg-v-trump/?order_by=desc   Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod  

We come full circle, discussing the most important cases of the year and what we expect to happen in 2026. Kilmar Abrego Garcia is home with his family. The Epstein files are out … sort of. Lindsey Halligan is out … again, sort of. And the Alien Enemies Act case that started it all, J.G.G. v. Trump, comes roaring back to life.    Links:   US v. Abrego Garcia https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/70476164/united-states-v-abrego-garcia   US v. Dugan https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/70255703/united-states-v-dugan   US justice official leading prosecutions of minor crimes pleaded guilty to DUI https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/23/doj-official-dui   Billups v. Louisville Municipal School District [Grok can make it worse!]  https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/68658788/billups-v-louisville-municipal-school-district   US v. Abrego Garcia https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/70476164/united-states-v-abrego-garcia/   J.G.G. v. Trump https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69741724/jgg-v-trump/   Epstein Files Transparency Act https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/4405   Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod  

Liz and Andrew discuss the state of legal journalism. Trump is attacking the judiciary in the media — sometimes both at once. How is covering Trump different this time around? And what gives us hope for journalism and democracy? Plus: what's going on in the trial of Wisconsin judge Hannah Dugan?   Links:   AllRiseNews.com   US v. Dugan https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/70255566/united-states-v-dugan/?order_by=desc   America First Legal Foundation v. Trump https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69924761/america-first-legal-foundation-v-roberts/?order_by=desc   US v. James [Yet another botched no bill] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72052126/united-states-v-james/ Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod  

What do the National Labor Relations Board, Blake Lively's lawsuit against Justin Baldoni, and Lindsey Halligan have in common? They're all swimming in the chaos soup cooked up by a Supreme Court that engages in motivated reasoning and jettisons precedent whenever it gets in the way. Eat up!   Links:    Richman v. US https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71982634/richman-v-united-states/?order_by=desc   Corporate Union Busting in Plain Sight, Economic Policy Institute, January 28, 2025 https://www.epi.org/publication/corporate-union-busting/   Amazon Services LLC v. New York State Public Employment Relations Board (New York Litigation) [docket via CourtListener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71421477/amazoncom-services-llc-v-new-york-state-public-employment-relations-board/   National Labor Relations Board v. State of California (California Litigaton) [docket via CourtListener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71657795/national-labor-relations-board-v-state-of-california/   National Trust for Historic Preservation v. National Parks Service https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72028010/national-trust-for-historic-preservation-in-the-united-states-v-national/   List of Trump Clemency Grants https://www.justice.gov/pardon/clemency-grants-president-donald-j-trump-2025-present   US v. Abrego  https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/70475970/united-states-v-abrego-garcia/?order_by=desc   Abrego Garcia v. Noem  https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71191591/abrego-garcia-v-noem Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod  

Today the government is getting sued by an app developer, Capitol Cops, FBI agents, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, California, Daniel Richman, Mike Flynn, and a boatload of January 6 rioters — although those last two are basically sham lawsuits seeking to raid the US Treasury with the help of President Treasonweasel. Two judges in DC seem perilously close to holding the DOJ in contempt. And for subscribers, the unbearable cognitive dissonance of Tina Peters.   Links:   NRSC v. FEC [SCOTUS Docket] https://www.supremecourt.gov/search.aspx?filename=/docket/docketfiles/html/public/24-621.html   Does v. Patel [wrongfully fired FBI agents] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72004388/does-v-patel/   Aaron v. Bondi [ICEBlock] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72003579/aaron-v-bondi/?order_by=desc   Flynn v. US https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/66930673/flynn-v-united-states/?order_by=desc   Trump Pardoned Them for Jan. 6. Now They Want Millions of Dollars https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-12-10/trump-pardoned-them-for-jan-6-now-they-want-millions-of-dollars   Richman v. US https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71982634/richman-v-united-states/?order_by=desc   Newsom v. Trump https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/70496361/newsom-v-trump/?order_by=desc   J.G.G. v. Trump https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69741724/jgg-v-trump/?order_by=desc   Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod  

Alina Habba has finally tapped out. No more cosplaying as US Attorney for New Jersey for her! Attorney General Pam Bondi promptly declared victory and vowed to appeal. But strangely that vow was not followed by any federal filings. Subscribers will get a deep dive into the Supreme Court's wild hearing in Trump v. Slaughter, as they gleefully contemplated a world where the president staffs his entire administration with hacks.   Links:   Halligan Continues as U.S. Attorney, Prompting Criticism From Judges https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/05/us/politics/halligan-us-attorney-judiciary.html   Oral Argument, Supreme Court, Trump v. Slaughter https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2025/25-332_p8k0.pdf   J.G.G. v. Trump https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69741724/jgg-v-trump/?order_by=desc   Escobar v. Molina v. DHS https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71452519/escobar-molina-v-us-department-of-homeland-security/?order_by=desc   Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod  

DOCKET ALERTS:   Doofus of the Day: Alexis Wilkins, girlfriend of FBI Director Kash Patel. She's filed a bumptious defamation suit against MSNOW for reporting that she asked her security detail to drive her drunk pals home. Like her boyfriend, Wilkins is represented by MAGA lawyer Jesse Binnall. Maybe they got a sweetheart package deal?   The New York Times reports that the Trump administration has lost 10,000 lawyers, 2,500 at the Justice Department alone. No one wants to put the DOJ on their resume, or sign up to work environmental cases and then find themselves seconded to handle immigration. This has been a boon for state law enforcement agencies, which have their pick of newbie prosecutors.   And the government filed a superseding indictment of former NBA point guard Terry Rozier, who is accused of fixing games for online bets.   MAIN SHOW:   Trump's slush fund is dead … maybe. Was it the judge in Florida potentially reopening his fake lawsuit against the IRS to explore the possibility of Rule 11 sanctions against the lawyers? Was it the judge in Virginia imposing a temporary restraining order on dispensing money? Or was it the refusal of congressional Republicans to eat the sh*t sandwich on command?   Both Kalshi and the Trump administration have sued Minnesota seeking to invalidate its new ban on prediction markets in the state. Is Kalshi a gambling site or some kind of securities exchange?   And Judge Chris Cooper ruled that Trump cannot just slap his name on the Kennedy Center and shut it down on command. Fiduciary duty applies, even if you're a MAGA board member. Naturally, the president is taking the ruling in stride.    Wilkins v. MSNOW [Alexis Wilkins defamation] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73418392/wilkins-v-versant-media-group-inc/   Trump Administration Sees Striking Exodus of Legal Talent https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/31/us/politics/trump-administration-exodus-of-lawyers.html   Trump v. IRS https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72207870/trump-v-internal-revenue-service/   Floyd v. DOJ [Slush fund suit] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73383692/floyd-v-department-of-justice/   Minnesota prediction markets ban https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mnd.234000/gov.uscourts.mnd.234000.1.1.pdf   KalshiEX, LLC v. Ellison (Kalshi sues over ban on prediction markets) [docket via CourtListener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73402180/kalshiex-llc-v-ellison/   US v. Minnesota (Trump admin sues over ban on prediction markets) [docket via CourtListener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73361329/united-states-of-america-the-v-state-of-minnesota/   Beatty v. Trump [Kennedy Center] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72069932/beatty-v-trump/   Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod

DOCKET ALERTS:Joe Dye begins a series on the second phase of the redistricting wars at his Substack. Multiple states are threatening to tax payouts from Trump's slush fund at 100 percent. The Trump Administration is suing Massachusetts for failing to give “confidential,” hard to trace license plates to ICE and CBP.A panel of federal judges in Alabama once again rejected the state's congressional map as an illegal racial gerrymander. The state has appealed to SCOTUS.Don Lemon moved to unseal the grand jury transcript in the Cities Church protest prosecution. He cited the recently unsealed magistrate's docket, showing the government's wild overreach — not to mention incompetence — in its warrant applications, along with the many cases where courts have said the DOJ is currently lawless and entitled to no presumption of regularity.The New York Times had a wild story this week about the Justice Department's total loss of credibility with grand juries, including in Wyoming, where the US Attorney's total violation of grand jury rules led to the dismissal of nine indictments.MAIN SHOW:The US Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois is reportedly investigating E. Jean Carroll for perjury. In a deposition in 2022, Carroll misspoke and said that her litigation was not being funded by anyone else. She later corrected the record to say that some of her fees were being paid by a nonprofit associated with LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman. The government is trying to do to that nonprofit what it's done to the Southern Poverty Law Center, alleging that it somehow conspired to hide its activities by getting Carroll to lie under oath.Meanwhile, the SPLC is moving to dismiss its case based on vindictive prosecution. Luckily it has eleventy-seven clips of Trump officials declaring that they're on a revenge mission to take out the civil rights organization.In non-political news, a drag queen named Pattie Gonia is in a trademark dispute with the brand Patagonia. SUBSCRIBER BONUS:Trump is making NDAs great again.How Democrats Can Take Back the Redistricting Wars Pt. 1https://josephdye.substack.com/p/how-democrats-can-take-back-the-redistrictingUS v. Massachusetts [Confidential License Plates]https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73400637/united-states-v-the-commonwealth-of-massachusetts/Milligan v. Allenhttps://www.courtlistener.com/docket/61494291/milligan-v-allenUS v. Levy-Armstrong [Cities Church/Don Lemon]https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72212459/united-states-v-levy-armstrong/In re Search Warrant [Cities Church/Don Lemon magistrate docket]https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72323660/in-re-search-warrant/As Trump Politicizes Justice Dept., Prosecutors Struggle With Grand Jurieshttps://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/26/us/politics/trump-justice-department-grand-juries.htmlDOJ probes Democratic-allied nonprofit that helped fund E. Jean Carroll's legal billshttps://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2026/05/28/doj-probes-reid-hoffmans-nonprofit-funding-e-jean-carrolls-legal-bills/US v. Southern Poverty Law Center [docket via CourtListener]https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73223865/united-states-v-southern-poverty-law-center-inc/Patagonia, Inc. v. Entrepreneur Enterprises, Inc. (“Patty Gonia”) [docket via CourtListener]https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72169060/patagonia-inc-v-entrepreneur-enterprises-inc/Pattie Gonia Instagram responding to lawsuithttps://www.instagram.com/p/DY2L725tVow/Show Links:https://www.lawandchaospod.com/BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPodThreads: @LawAndChaosPodTwitter: @LawAndChaosPodSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.