Serious Trouble

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.serioustrouble.showThis week Ken and Josh discuss the Afroman trial and also look at a rough hearing for AUSAs in New Jersey, as the Trump administration decides it will hire candidates straight out of law school to work in US Attorneys’ offices.That’s for all subscribers. Paying subscribers will also hear our conversations about:* Judge James Boasberg’s order quashing subpoenas to the Federal Reserve, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s choice to appeal that order, and Boasberg’s other order requiring the disclosure of grand jury no-bills.* Capitol pipe bomber defendant Brian Cole, who has made his anticipated claim that the president’s pardon of January 6 rioters also applies to him (even though this seems to go against the plain language of the pardon, which applies only to those “convicted” of offenses related to January 6.)* Sam Bankman-Fried’s mom, who got slapped down for trying to have ex-parte communications with the judge overseeing his case; Judge Lewis Kaplan reminded Prof. Barbara Fried that she might be a lawyer, but she’s not her son’s lawyer, at least not in this case.* Defendants convicted of terrorism-related offenses in Texas over an anti-ICE action where they set off fireworks and one defendant shot a law enforcement officer in the neck; as Ken notes, despite the rhetoric on both sides, this trial was never really about whether ‘Antifa’ constitutes a terror organization.* More hot hot administrative procedure action, with Judge Brian Murphy issuing a preliminary injunction against the new, laxer child vaccination guidelines from Robert F. Kennedy Jr’.s Department of Health and Human Services.* And dog-fashion magazine Dogue, which is being sued by Condé Nast for infringing the Vogue trademark.Upgrade your subscription to receive all of our episodes at serioustrouble.show.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.serioustrouble.showThis week Ken and Josh discuss the Customs Service saying its computers won't let it refund IEEPA tariffs, more situations where courts are telling the Trump Administration it can’t just ignore the need to get officials confirmed by the Senate, and another decision about ICE.That's for all subscribers. Paying subscribers will also hear our conversations about a number of additional lawsuits, including some especially weird ones:* Voting machine maker Smartmatic’s parent company under indictment over bribes its former executives are alleged to have paid in the Philippines, alleges that it is being selectively and vindictively prosecuted.* Anthropic suing over the Pentagon’s “supply chain risk” designation that threatens the company’s business. The company makes First Amendment claims, but Ken thinks its less glamorous arguments — like that the designation violated everyone’s favorite law, the Administrative Procedure Act — are more persuasive.* Nippon Life Insurance Company of America suing OpenAI, the makers of the ChatGPT AI engine. Nippon says it has been dogged by a vexatious litigant — she decided she didn’t like the settlement she’d signed with the company, and when her human lawyer advised her that settlements are a no-backsies kind of situation, she fired him in favor of the AI engine that gave her the advice she wanted to hear: sue, sue, sue. Nippon says this is tortious interference with the valid settlement contract they’d entered with their aggrieved former policyholder. Because tortious interference requires knowledge of the contract you’re interfering with, this lawsuit turns an interesting philosophical question into an interesting legal one — did OpenAI “know” that Nippon had a settlement, simply because their former policyholder told ChatGPT about it?* And Ed Martin appears to be the Justice Department official with some especially stupid bar trouble.Upgrade your subscription to receive all of our episodes at serioustrouble.show.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.serioustrouble.showThis week Ken and Josh discuss how The Trump Administration surprised observers by withdrawing its efforts to appeal its losses against all four law firms that challenged its legal orders against them. Then, it surprised observers again by changing its mind and asking to appeal the cases after all. We discuss why, whether you’re allowed to do that, and what happens to the nine firms that didn’t fight when the other firms win.We also look at a strange letter from the Department of Justice to state bar associations, telling them they’ll have to pause investigations into DOJ lawyers, or else. It’s unclear what authority DOJ thinks it has here, but they may be upset about a Florida Bar investigation into Lindsey Halligan. And we talk about news that DOJ tried to come up with a way to do a criminal prosecution related to President Biden’s autopen, but didn’t.That’s for all listeners. Paying subscribers get a whole lot more this week:* You’d think, now that the IEEPA tariffs have been thrown out, customs would stop charging them to importers. You’d be wrong! The customs bureau keeps finalizing tariff payments including the now-barred IEEPA charges — in a filing issued after we taped, they argued their computers won’t let them stop — but Judge Richard Eaton from the U.S. Court of International Trade has told them to cut the crap and refund taxpayers’ money. Ken and I discuss how this episode might affect the next round of tariff litigation over the new legal authorities the administration is leaning on to replace IEEPA.* There’s Administrative Procedure Act news! Judge Lewis Liman says the Trump Department of Transportation can’t end New York’s congestion pricing program, in an order that Ken calls “149 pages of pain.” One of the issues? As often happens with APA cases, the DOT said New York couldn’t challenge its move because they hadn’t actually imposed a “final” agency action. Unfortunately for DOT, President Trump last February tweeted a picture of himself wearing a crown and declaring “CONGESTION PRICING IS DEAD,” which sounded pretty final to Liman.* We have an update on West Virginia judges resisting the Trump administration on ICE.* We look at why Tom Goldstein couldn’t save his own ass in court, discuss the superseding indictment with a whopping 39 defendants in the St. Paul ICE Church protest case, and we discuss the prosecution in Alabama of a woman who dressed up as a giant penis for a No Kings protest. Local prosecutors argue, among other claims, that she sought to mislead officers as to her identity by saying her name was “Antifa,” and that her huge penis costume was so distracting that it constituted a criminal traffic hazard.Upgrade your subscription to receive all of our episodes at serioustrouble.show.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.serioustrouble.showThis week Ken and Josh discuss more on tariffs — what awaits litigants like FedEx who seek refunds of payments they made under President Trump’s now-invalidated tariffs, and what courts might do with his efforts to reconstruct the tariffs under non-IEEPA legal authorities that come with their own difficulties. We discuss news that Jeanine Pirro has given up on indicting the Democrats who made the “you must refuse illegal orders” video, and we have an update on Matthew Isihara, the SAUSA who was held in contempt of court in Minneapolis. (At least the detainee who got dumped in El Paso without his documents will get his plane ticket paid for.)That’s for all subscribers. Paying subscribers (thank you for your support!) also get our looks at:* The magistrate judge who authorized a search of a Washington Post reporter’s home but is now angry that the government failed to alert him to a law that appears to make their search illegal. (Isn’t it his job to know the law?)* Aileen Cannon’s efforts to block the release of Jack Smith’s report on the Mar-a-Lago documents investigation.* A ruling from a federal judge in West Virginia with a novel Fourth Amendment theory prohibiting certain ICE tactics (this is likely to get a lot of appellate action).* A ruling that it’s not misleading for Buffalo Wild Wings to market its “boneless wings” which aren’t actually made from wing meat.Upgrade your subscription to receive all of our episodes at www.serioustrouble.show.

This week Ken and Josh discuss the Supreme Court's ruling in Learning Resources v. Trump, throwing out the massive country-specific tariffs the president purported to impose under the Nixon-era International Emergency Economic Powers Act. The opinion was messy: 6-3, but with the six-justice majority not agreeing on exactly why the tariffs were illegal. Also this week, we look at a contempt order from Judge Laura Provenzino, putting a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney in contempt over the government’s failure to return identification documents to a non-citizen released from immigration custody on her orders. We discuss how an order like this matters, and how judges could further escalate in the face of widespread noncompliance by the federal government in these immigration cases.Plus, we discuss a mistrial over a defense attorney’s t-shirt, Judge Paula Xinis’s rejection of yet another effort to detain Kilmar Abrego Garcia, Sen. Mark Kelly’s exclamation-mark-laden preliminary win against efforts to reduce his military rank and pension, and a Minnesota judge’s order directing the government to let ICE detainees talk with their lawyers. And we look at an all-timer performance from billionaire Les Wexner’s attorney, who whispered in his ear during a congressional deposition, threatening to kill him if he says any more answers longer than five words.Upgrade your subscription to receive all of our episodes at serioustrouble.show. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.serioustrouble.show/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.serioustrouble.showThis week Ken and Josh discuss a D.C. grand jury declining to indict Democrats in Congress, Don Lemon's new high-profile lawyer, and Trump's lawsuit against the IRS.That’s for all subscribers this week. Paying subscribers get more conversation:* A look at a highly consequential ruling from the Fifth Circuit, upholding the Trump Administration’s novel and very aggressive views on what aliens it may detain pending deportation. Most other courts have rejected these theories — including a majority of Trump’s own trial court appointees who have heard relevant cases — and there’s some skepticism that the Supreme Court will go along.* The DOJ seized 2020 election ballots from Fulton County, with a fairly batshit search warrant that Ken is surprised got approval from a magistrate judge. Fulton wants its ballots back; we discuss whether they’ll get them and what might happen if Trump tries to get a warrant for ballots in an election where a count is ongoing rather than complete.* We look at an alleged jewel thief who had the option of going to prison or Ecuador and unsurprisingly chose Ecuador — reflecting a serious failure of coordination between prosecutors and immigration authorities.* And finally, is murder a crime of violence? The answer might surprise you.Upgrade your subscription to receive all of our episodes at serioustrouble.show.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.serioustrouble.showThis week, Ken and Josh discuss Julie Le, the DOJ lawyer who vented in court that it "sucks" to represent this government. They cover what you should do if you’re a lawyer whose client is frustratingly non-compliant and taking actions that bother you; venting to the judge is the wrong course of action, but there are other options available.That’s for all subscribers. Paying subscribers will also get our takes on other topics, including:* Judge Kate Menendez’s ruling that denied Minnesota the preliminary injunction it sought against Operation Metro Surge. As we expected, the state’s novel theory that federal government’s actions are a 10th Amendment violation was a bridge too far, even for a judge who seemed to be looking for some avenue to rein in the operation.* Judge Ana Reyes’s grant of a temporary restraining order on the grounds that the Trump Administration may have violated the Administrative Procedure Act by revoking Temporary Protected Status for hundreds of thousands of Haitians, and the limits of using the APA to litigate substantive questions about immigration policy.* Bill and Hillary Clinton’s emerging deal to testify before the House Oversight Committee and avoid the otherwise-likely prospect of contempt of congress prosecutions.* Former Minnesota Vikings offensive tackle Matt Kalil’s lawsuit against his ex-wife Haley, over her disclosure on a podcast that his incredibly large penis made their sex life impractical and was a major driver of their divorce. He says this was an invasion of privacy; she argues in a motion to dismiss that the story is about her sex life too and she’s free to tell whoever she wants. Is this the first case of a reverse Streisand Effect, where you litigate because you want to draw more attention to an allegation that’s been made about you? What even are the damages at issue here? Would Matt Kalil like to visit Fire Island this summer? Ken and I discuss.Upgrade your subscription to receive all of our episodes at serioustrouble.show.

This week Ken and Josh discuss how the Feds got an arrest warrant for Don Lemon after all. Before prosecutors got the grand jury indictment, they tried through some really irregular channels to get Lemon arrested more quickly. When a magistrate judge rejected an arrest warrant application for Lemon last week, rather than applying again or proceeding to the grand jury, prosecutors asked Judge Patrick Schiltz to overrule the magistrate, then asked an appellate panel to force Schiltz to rule on their motion right away, fearing that if Lemon wasn’t arrested immediately, there would be an epidemic of illegal church invasions. Schiltz took exception to this, and the appeals panel backed him up, though one of the appellate judges remarked that he thought all the arrest warrants were sufficiently supported but the government just didn’t need the weird emergency relief it was seeking.Also this week: we look at federal judges (including Schiltz) who are incensed that ICE isn’t promptly complying with their habeas corpus orders, and how this mess is downstream of rules that prohibit nationwide injunctions and are clogging some courts with individual lawsuits seeking relief from immigration detentions. We have an update on Minnesota’s 10th Amendment case — Judge Kate Menendez appears skeptical that she is in a position to provide the sweeping relief the state wants, though she does want more briefing on the threat letter from Attorney General Pam Bondi to the state. And in another case, an order from Menendez restricting ICE tactics has been stayed.In non-ICE news, it appears likely that Jeffrey Toobin will have to testify at Tom Goldstein’s criminal trial, though he has a good argument for limiting his testimony to fairly boring topics. Candace Owens says Turning Point USA has sent her a letter threatening to enforce a non-disparagement agreement they say she has violated by spreading conspiracy theories about Charlie Kirk’s death. And a defendant in Northern California called up a local news station during her trial to protest that she only threw parties where she gave alcohol to minors because of COVID.Upgrade your subscription to receive all of our episodes at serioustrouble.show. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.serioustrouble.show/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.serioustrouble.showThis week, Ken and Josh discuss the end of Lindsey Halligan's purported reign in the Eastern District of Virginia, and news reports that ICE is relying on a secret legal memorandum asserting that it can enter homes to search for aliens subject to final orders of removal, even if there’s no warrant from an Article III judge authorizing them to do so. That's for all subscribers. Paying subscribers also get: * A look at the order enjoining ICE from certain enforcement tactics in Minnesota, but it’s subject to an administrative stay, for now — and, since this is Fourth Amendment Fun week, we have another opportunity to discuss how you might have a Fourth Amendment right, but that doesn’t mean you’ll get to use it.* The case of Geraldo Lunas Campos, a Cuban national who died in ICE custody earlier this month. ICE says his death was a suicide, but his family disputes that, citing other detainees who claim he was choked by guards. (A county medical examiner’s report also deemed his death a homicide — a determination of manner of death, not a finding of legal culpability.) Alas, it’s up to DOJ to keep those witnesses available to testify, and if DOJ doesn’t want to, they’ll likely be deported.* The federal charges for anti-ICE activists who are accused of disrupting a Twin Cities church service this past weekend — they were charged under the so-called Klan Act, and the charges were obtained via criminal complaint to a magistrate judge, which means prosecutors will still need to get a grand jury to agree to indict — and prosecutors’ failure so far to charge journalist Don Lemon.* The Supreme Court’s ongoing effort to carve out the Federal Reserve from its plans to neuter independent boards and commissions (special unique historical tradition etc etc).* And a weird one: former Sen. Kyrsten Sinema has been sued for alienation of affection — still an available tort in North Carolina and five other states! — by the estranged wife of one of her former staffers, who says Sinema stole her man.Upgrade your subscription to receive all of our episodes at serioustrouble.show.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.serioustrouble.showFed Chair Jerome Powell dropped a bombshell on Sunday: a video disclosing the Fed had been subpoenaed in a criminal investigation related to his congressional testimony about cost overruns in the Fed’s headquarters renovation. Powell said bluntly that the investigation is an effort to use the DOJ to assert control over the Fed and its interest-rate setting apparatus. Did this make Ken scream "shut up!!!!" at Powell's video? Meanwhile, Minnesota and some of its municipalities have sued the federal government, arguing that the ICE surge in the state is illegal and unconstitutional. Those discussions are for all listeners. Paying subscribers also get:* A look at intensifying turnover in US Attorneys’ offices, including the resignation of top prosecutors who had been leading the investigations into welfare fraud in Minnesota that was concentrated in the state’s Somali-American community.* DOJ’s argument for why Lindsey Halligan can keep calling herself a US Attorney after a judge ruled she isn’t one.* Senator Mark Kelly’s many arguments for why Pete Hegseth can’t reduce his rank and pension.* Some “shut up” news: prosecutors want to admit several incriminating statements from defendant Thomas Goldstein’s pre-trial New York Times profile.* And a look at a bizarre situation where Bruce Fein insists he somehow became Nicolas Maduro’s lawyer even though Maduro says he never hired him.Upgrade your subscription now at serioustrouble.show.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.serioustrouble.showThis week’s episode starts with the arrest and indictment of Nicolas Maduro, and the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good at the hands of an ICE agent in Minneapolis. That’s for free subscribers. Paying subscribers also get a look at a shadow docket ruling from the Supreme Court that curtailed Trump’s ability to deploy the national guard, and the surprising statutory reading that got a majority of the court there. We look at a dismissal of criminal charges from another scrap with ICE in Los Angeles, we discuss Mark Kelly’s legal options for fighting the reduction of his pension (and why he might choose not to use them), we consider why Lindsey Halligan keeps insisting she’s the US Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, we look at the bizarre upcoming criminal trial of Scotusblog co-founder Thomas Goldstein, and we have an update on the saga of the still-held-in-contempt Charles C. Johnson.Upgrade your subscription at serioustrouble.show

Some of the Epstein files have been released, but there's a lot of blacked-out text and pictures. The Justice Department is supposed to redact certain information but of course there’s the ever-present question of whether all redaction “errors” are errors, or whether this administration has its thumb on the scale for the president.Also in this episode: the Pulitzer Board requests President Trump's medical, financial and tax records, an LA man who towed an ICE vehicle around the block during a raid was acquitted of stealing government property, Milwaukee Judge Hannah Dugan was convicted in federal court of obstructing an effort by federal immigration agents to detain someone she had called to her courtroom. And Caroline Ellison, former partner to Sam Bankman-Fried in multiple senses of the term, has been sprung from Club Fed in Danbury, Connecticut. Speaking of SBF: apparently he’s transformed himself into something of a jailhouse lawyer but he seems to be about as good at jailhouse lawyering as he was at crypto investing. Finally, we look at a maybe-not-so-fearsome terrorism indictment and we discuss the ongoing contempt saga that has caused Ken to feel a surprising emotion regarding Charles C. Johnson: pity. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.serioustrouble.show/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.serioustrouble.showA grand jury has refused to indict Letitia James — no, this isn’t a repeat of last week’s email; it just happened again since we last recorded. This time, it’s a different grand jury, and we discuss further impediments to the resurrection of the cases against her and James Comey. That, plus a discussion of the unlikely-to-matter pardon of former Colorado election official Tina Peters, is for free subscribers this week. Paid subscribers also get:* A look at a lawsuit from the National Trust for Historic Preservation which aims to stop the construction of Trump’s new White House ballroom.* Another trial court win for Gavin Newsom as he tries to end Trump’s activation of the California National Guard (though the outlook in the appeals courts is more dubious).* Costco’s lawsuit seeking return of its tariff payments under IEEPA, and why Costco would sue now, long after a few plaintiffs stood up to bring a test case but before the Supreme Court rules on it.* And the order that has, for now, freed Kilmar Abrego Garcia to return to Maryland.Upgrade your subscription at serioustrouble.show.

This week: more news in the Letitia James and James Comey cases. DOJ tried to re-indict James, but they got a no-bill, and in the Comey case, the government is a bit held up by a motion from Comey's sometime-lawyer and friend. Meanwhile, Lindsey Halligan is still running around, acting like she’s the U.S. Attorney (even though the fact that she isn’t is why these cases got dismissed), but Alina Habba has thrown in the towel, moving to main Justice to advise Pam Bondi and declaring “you can take the girl out of New Jersey, but you cannot take the New Jersey out of the girl.”Also this week: charges against Brian Cole Jr., who’s accused of the attempted pipe bombings at the RNC and DNC nearly five years ago; shadow docket action that saved Republicans’ Texas remap; super troll Charles C. Johnson’s latest misadventures that have landed him in jail for contempt of court; and why an embarrassing policy report about Rep. Nancy Mace's airport meltdown became public.Find links and a transcript of this episode and sign up for our newsletter at serioustrouble.show. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.serioustrouble.show/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.serioustrouble.showThe criminal cases against James Comey and Letitia James were both dismissed, without prejudice, on the grounds that former insurance attorney Lindsey Halligan was never properly appointed as an interim US Attorney. Trump’s Justice Department has options, and we talk through them. That conversation is for free listeners. For paid subscribers this week, we also address:* A rare favorable ruling for the Trump administration from Judge James Boasberg.* Eric Swalwell’s lawsuit against Bill Pulte* Peter Skandalakis’s tortured-but-ultimately-convincing, argument that the Georgia RICO case is terminal and should be taken off life support.* Megan Thee Stallion’s “big” ($59,000) win in her defamation lawsuit against a live-streamer* Probation for Jacob Wohl and Jack Burkman, and* A sharply-worded minute order from Judge Amy Berman Jackson trying to ensure that she won’t be the only long-suffering person around these parts.Upgrade your subscription today at serioustrouble.show.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.serioustrouble.showNow that Congress has voted overwhelmingly to require the release of the Epstein files, we discuss what’s likely to be in those files, what the administration might do to undermine the intent of the law requiring release, and whether we really ought to learn so much about this case. That conversation is for free subscribers. Paying subscribers get much more this week — a look at the rapidly increasing number of problems with the James Comey indictment, an update on the National Guard cases, and an interesting question from the Supreme Court about the meaning of a law restricting the president’s ability to deploy it over a governor’s objection. We look at a really, really intemperate dissent in the Texas redistricting case, an update on Tina Peters, and we look at two defamation cases, one where Trump has again lost to CNN, and one brought by rapper Megan Thee Stallion against a Twitch streamer who, in the eyes of the state of Florida, does not count as a media outlet.Upgrade your subscription now at serioustrouble.show

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.serioustrouble.showSandwich Guy is free! Sean Dunn was acquitted of simple assault by a jury of his peers. Meanwhile, Lindsey Halligan continues to face difficulties in her case against James Comey, and the Justice Department generally is having trouble finding a sufficient number of qualified attorneys. That’s all in this week’s free show.There’s much more this week for paying subscribers, including:* A look at why Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson chose to delay a ruling that would have forced the Trump administration to pay SNAP benefits.* U.S. Senators voted themselves a legal right to sue if the government obtains their phone records, and the House grudgingly went along. The provision might get repealed after an outcry. But if it doesn't, does that violate the 27th Amendment? And even if it does, is there any recourse?* The adventures of Bill Pulte.* Federal pardons for participants in fake elector conspiracies (who really mostly need to worry about state charges anyway).* Another victory for Ann Selzer.Visit serioustrouble.show to upgrade your subscription to get the whole episode.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.serioustrouble.showOn this week's show for everyone: two court decisions direct the Trump administration to continue sending SNAP (food stamp) funds to states and the administration has chosen not to appeal these orders — likely not relishing the politics of withholding SNAP funds — but the legal situation may get more complicated if the shutdown does not end soon. Plus: more motions from James Comey.For paying subscribers: legal wrangling over federal immigration enforcement in Chicago; some AUSAs who were placed on leave for daring to call January 6 a “mob” “riot” in a sentencing memo; a Tennessee man who spent a month in jail on the extremely thin claim that a political meme he posted was a terroristic threat; and the strange scandal of now-former FDA official George Tidmarsh and Aurinia.Upgrade your subscription at serioustrouble.show.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.serioustrouble.showThis week, both James Comey and Letitia James continue to seek dismissal of the criminal charges brought against them, and one argument they’ve both made will be considered by a judge from another state. We talk about why that's happening, we also discuss a lesson from the Barry Bonds steroids case that could be relevant for Comey, and we look at a complaint James has made about Halligan’s communications about grand jury proceedings to a reporter. That, plus a look at Ninth Circuit action in the national guard cases and a look at a sloppy defamation lawsuit from Paul Ingrassia, constitutes this week’s free show.Beyond the paywall, we talk about an effort from the D.C. bar to impose new burdens on law firms that might, theoretically, enter into settlement deals with the government, an dwhen a state could prosecute an ICE officer for breaking state law (not never, is the short answer), and our discussion of how some judges are now getting in trouble for their misuse of AI in drafting opinions.Upgrade your subscription at serioustrouble.show.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.serioustrouble.showThis week in the free episode: the indictment of John Bolton and how it's pretty different from the Comey indictment, plus Trump's apparent demand that the Justice Department pay him $230 million for the indignity of being prosecuted.Paying subscribers also get to hear a dive into two wild NBA-related indictments that came down this week in the Eastern District of New York. One indictment alleges that conspirators, including an NBA coach and members of four of New York’s Italian mafia families, ran rigged poker games to fleece unsuspecting players out of millions of dollars. The other alleges a conspiracy to fraudulently bet on NBA games — or more specifically, on propositions about NBA games — through the use of inside information. Both of these cases have crazy factual details, and the NBA betting one also involves some interesting, novel legal issues.Also: an update on lawsuits over National Guard deployments (and some theories about why an unfavorable ruling for Gavin Newsom did not get a rehearing en banc), a look at the case demanding that Speaker Mike Johnson hurry up and seat the Democrat who won a special election in Arizona several weeks ago, and an update on Hunter Biden-related litigation.Visit serioustrouble.show to upgrade your subscription.