Law and Chaos

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 Nosehttps://lawandchaospod.substack.com/p/blanche-steals-bondis-brown-noseJustice Dept.’s Civil Rights Division Is Investigating Star Witness Against Trumphttps://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/07/us/doj-cassidy-hutchinson-investigation-trump.htmlKilmar 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-13https://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 citieshttps://www.foxnews.com/politics/mullin-weighs-using-airport-customs-leverage-against-sanctuary-citiesJudge Jeanine’s Big Auditionhttps://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/judge-jeanine-pirro-attorney-general-trump-jerome-powell.htmlInside the battle to be Trump’s next attorney general​​https://www.politico.com/news/2026/04/09/trump-attorney-general-blanche-dhillion-pirro-00864988Show 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.

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, 2026https://www.supremecourt.gov/orders/courtorders/040626zor_5iek.pdfTrump Executive Order to De-Woke the NCAAhttps://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. Wayfarerhttps://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69510553/lively-v-wayfarer-studios-llc/?order_by=descBlake Lively’s (unsigned) Actor Loan-Out Agreement [Exhibit 263]https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.634304/gov.uscourts.nysd.634304.964.121.pdfBirthright Citizenship SCOTUS Transcripthttps://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2025/25-365_l6gn.pdfBirthright Citizenship SCOTUS Audiohttps://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/audio/2025/25-365Show 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.

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. Bidenhttps://www.courtlistener.com/docket/67089647/kennedy-v-biden/?order_by=descMissouri v. Bidenhttps://www.courtlistener.com/docket/63290154/missouri-v-biden/?order_by=descUS v. Bankman-Friedhttps://www.courtlistener.com/docket/66631292/united-states-v-bankman-friedTarrio v. US [Proud Boys Bivens Suit]https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/70474277/tarrio-v-united-states-of-americaSullivan 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-statesDred Scott v. Sandford, 60 US 393 (1857)https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=3231372247892780026US v. Wong Kim Ark, 169 US 649 (1898)https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=3381955771263111765Indian Citizenship Act of 1924https://www.archives.gov/files/historical-docs/doc-content/images/indian-citizenship-act-1924.pdfIndian Law Scholars’ Amicus Brief [via SCOTUS]https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/25/25-365/399370/20260226125541217_Barbara%20Amicus%20Brief.pdfThe Nationality Act of 1940 [student Note]https://www.jstor.org/stable/1335062Trump v. Barbarahttps://www.supremecourt.gov/search.aspx?filename=/docket/docketfiles/html/public/25-365.htmlShow 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.

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 elsewhereTrump 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 Jameshttps://www.ms.now/news/trump-housing-chief-doj-new-york-letitia-james-pulteAnthropic Injunctionhttps://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cand.465515/gov.uscourts.cand.465515.134.0.pdfX Corp v. World Federation of Advertisershttps://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69017972/x-corp-v-world-federation-of-advertisers/ Pampena v Muskhttps://www.courtlistener.com/docket/65412803/giuseppe-pampena-v-elon-rmuskFlorida 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. DOJhttps://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72590076/state-of-minnesota-v-us-department-of-justice/African Communities Together v. Lyonshttps://www.courtlistener.com/docket/70993525/african-communities-together-v-lyonsAvila v. ICE (8th Cir. mandatory detention) [docket via CourtListener]https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.ca8.113186/gov.uscourts.ca8.113186.00805482414.3.pdfState 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.pdfSmith v. TikTok (CA state lawsuit against social media addiction)https://www.courthousenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/social-media-lawsuits-kgm-motion-denied.pdfShow 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.

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-lakeWidakuswara v. Lake II [DC Circuit]https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72528662/widakuswara-v-lake/District New Jersey Appointment Orderhttps://www.njd.uscourts.gov/sites/njd/files/STANDINGORDER2026-03.pdfTrump Suit Against Capital One Dismissed But Can Be Refiledhttps://finance.yahoo.com/news/trump-suit-against-capital-one-200454780.html Trump v. BBChttps://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72040010/trump-v-british-broadcasting-corporationTrump v. Capital Onehttps://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69853458/the-donald-j-trump-revocable-trust-v-capital-one-naUS v. Harvardhttps://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=descZadvydas v. Davis, 533 U.S. 678 (2001)https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=16478079160883986502Kennedy v. Bremerton School Dist., 597 U.S. _____ (2022)https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/21pdf/21-418_i425.pdfOlivier v. City of Brandon [US Supreme Court]https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/24-993_10n2.pdfOlivier v. City of Brandon (Appendix containing ordinance) [US Supreme Court]https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/24/24-993/352124/20250314105732247_Olivier%20Pet.%20App.pdfShow 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.

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=u4AiuqQpB1UShow 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.

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 Judgmenthttps://www.supremecourt.gov/orders/courtorders/031626zr1_5h25.pdfUS v. Carey [Flag burning]https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71223464/united-states-v-careyAmerican 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 Authorityhttps://www.uscourts.gov/data-news/judiciary-news/2026/02/24/judiciary-says-courthouses-are-crisis-seeks-real-property-authorityUS judiciary approves new public defender office focused on US Supreme Court advocacyhttps://www.reuters.com/legal/government/us-judiciary-approves-new-public-defender-office-focused-us-supreme-court-2026-03-10DOJ to Allow Hiring of US Prosecutors Straight Out of Law Schoolhttps://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/doj-to-allow-hiring-of-us-prosecutors-straight-out-of-law-schoolLaw School Tells Students, ‘You MUST Be Aligned Politically With President Trump,’ For Summer Jobhttps://abovethelaw.com/2026/03/law-school-tells-students-you-must-be-aligned-politically-with-president-trump-for-summer-job/Jeanine Pirro Crashes Outhttps://www.lawandchaospod.com/p/jeanine-pirro-crashes-outIn re Grand Jury Subpoenas [Jerome Powell]https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72490330/in-re-grand-jury-subpoenasThe Rule of Law Versus the Rule of Lobbyists [Roger Alford]https://assets.bwbx.io/documents/users/iqjWHBFdfxIU/rqWZHzWNbqZc/v0Proposal to Give Judiciary Real Property Authorityhttps://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/judiciary-real-property-authority-legislative-package.pdfShow 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.

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-noemLesly 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.htmlDOGE Bros Had More Fun Burning Down Government Than Testifying About Ithttps://www.lawandchaospod.com/p/doge-bros-had-more-fun-burning-downAuthors Guild v. National Endowment for the Humanitieshttps://www.courtlistener.com/docket/70243086/the-authors-guild-v-national-endowment-for-the-humanitiesAmicus Brief of 175 Former Judges re Precedent of Shadow Docket Rulingshttps://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/25/25A952/400077/20260305142419318_Amicus%20Brief%20of%20Former%20Judges%20re%20Dahlia%20Doe_FINAL.pdfAragon v. Rollins [SNAP Benefits]https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72419889/aragon-v-rollins/DOJ nopes out of Ticketmaster antitrust suithttps://www.publicnotice.co/p/ticketmaster-suit-dojUS v. Live Nationhttps://www.courtlistener.com/docket/68557723/united-states-of-america-v-live-nation-entertainment-incTrump’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-hormuzDFC Reinsurance announcement [US International Development Finance Corporation]https://www.dfc.gov/media/press-releases/dfc-announces-chubb-lead-insurance-partner-maritime-reinsurance-planGulf 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-tripNo, 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-coverShow 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.

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 centerhttps://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=descD.N.N. v. Liggins [ICE temporary holding facility in Baltimore]https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/70321567/dnn-v-liggins/Risch v. Kalshihttps://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-stillUS v. Naviwala [US Attorney New Jersey]https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/68269162/united-states-v-naviwalaSusman 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-2026-2US 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: @LawAndChaosPodThreads: @LawAndChaosPodTwitter: @LawAndChaosPodSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 Barhttps://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/05/us/politics/lindsey-halligan-investigation-florida-bar.htmlBondi Says She's The Bar Nowhttps://www.lawandchaospod.com/p/bondi-says-shes-the-bar-nowJudge Farbiarz Order re Contempthttps://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.njd.590517/gov.uscourts.njd.590517.30.0.pdfMalliotakis v. Williams [2026 Supreme Court New York redistricting decision]https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/25a914_1p24.pdfAbbott v. LULAC [2025 Supreme Court stay of Texas map]https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/25a608_7khn.pdfRucho v. Common Cause [2019 Supreme Court gerrymandering opinion]https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=6090361490276671133Steve Vladek, Bonus 214: Emergency Relief from State Courts [One First]https://www.stevevladeck.com/p/bonus-214-emergency-relief-from-stateShow 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.

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 Sanctionshttps://www.wsj.com/us-news/law/trump-administration-to-drop-defense-of-law-firm-sanctions-cb839c39US v. Hemani Oral Argumenthttps://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/audio/2025/24-1234V.O.S. Selections [Tariff mandate]https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cafc.23105/gov.uscourts.cafc.23105.173.0_2.pdfDoe v. Kansas [Trans drivers’ licenses]https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2026/02/Complaint-1.pdfVirginia redistricting election can move forward, court ruleshttps://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/virginia-redistricting-election-can-move-forward-court-rulesFederal judges who've ruled against Trump administration denounce threats against themselves, their familieshttps://www.cbsnews.com/news/federal-judges-whove-ruled-against-trump-administration-denounce-threats-60-minutes-transcript/Judges in a Trump stronghold condemn ICE tacticshttps://www.politico.com/news/2026/03/01/west-virginia-immigration-rulings-00804575Dominguez Izaguirre v. Mason [West Virginia Habeas]https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.wvsd.243036/gov.uscourts.wvsd.243036.18.0.pdfWar 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-orLiz’s YouTube video for Legal Eagle, “The Largest Bribe in American History”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RE2pm3omzMI&t=3sNat’l Treasury Employees’ Union v. Nixon, 492 F.2d 587 (D.C. Cir. 1974)https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=4156385560315482496INS v. Chadha, 462 U.S. 919 (1983)https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=2221871582286121199Show 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.

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.LinksUS 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 sayhttps://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-00800135Cartagena Hueso v. Sotohttps://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.pdfThe Surprising History of the Aussie Ugg Boothttps://everythingaustralian.com.au/blog/post/the-surprising-history-of-the-aussie-ugg-bootLast 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. IRShttps://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69646607/center-for-taxpayer-rights-v-internal-revenue-serviceShow 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.

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-trumpKouri Richins Warranthttps://www.scribd.com/document/654496602/Kouri-Richins-WarrantContempt for Musk clouds jury selection in Twitter takeover trialhttps://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.pdfLearning Resources, Inc. v. Trump [tariffs case]https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/24-1287_4gcj.pdfCongressional Research Service, “Congressional and Presidential Authority to Impose Import Tariffs”https://www.congress.gov/crs_external_products/R/PDF/R48435/R48435.1.pdfElena Kagan “Antonin Scalia Lecture Series,” Harvard Law School (2015) [via YouTube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpEtszFT0TgShow 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.

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 UFhttps://www.tampabay.com/news/florida-politics/2026/02/17/uthmeier-uf-adjunct-teaching-contract-pay-attorney-general/Soto Jimenez v. Bondihttps://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72221590/soto-jimenez-v-bondi/Matter of Yajure Hurtadohttps://www.justice.gov/eoir/media/1413311/dl?inlineMaldonado Bautista v. Noemhttps://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=3066032366235422373Carpenter v. US, 585 US 296 (2018)https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=853695326923033538Text of the Stop Price Gouging in Grocery Stores Act of 2026https://www.lujan.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/MUR26086-1.pdfShow 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.

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 Newsmaxhttps://jasongarcia.substack.com/p/buried-in-the-budget-mike-huckabeeMortis v. Polis [Colorado Prison Labor]https://towardsjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Findings-of-Fact-and-Conclusions-of-Law.pdfPhiladelphia 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-securitBarco Mercado v. Noem [26 Federal Plaza]https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71065570/barco-mercado-v-noemICE Moved Detainees to Previously Undisclosed Floor of 26 Federal Plazahttps://www.thecity.nyc/2026/02/09/26-federal-plaza-jail-conditions-ice-judge-kaplan-ruling/Text of S.1383, the “SAVE America” Acthttps://docs.house.gov/billsthisweek/20260209/RCP_S1383_xml.pdfNew England Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America v. DHShttps://www.courtlistener.com/docket/70939776/new-england-synod-evangelical-lutheran-church-in-america-v-department-of/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.

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. Porterhttps://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. Hegsethhttps://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72131361/kelly-v-hegseth/US v. Naviwala [US Attorney New Jersey]https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/68269162/united-states-v-naviwalaCumbe 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: @LawAndChaosPodThreads: @LawAndChaosPodTwitter: @LawAndChaosPodSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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.pdfBannon Cert Petitionhttps://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/25/25-453/395803/20260209141144273_25-453_Bannon_cert_resp_file.pdfUS 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 Trumphttps://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/feb/07/nsa-foreign-intelligence-trump-whistleblower Whistle-Blower Report Involved Intelligence About a Trump Contacthttps://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/07/us/politics/whistle-blower-gabbard-trump.htmlBuenrostro Mendez v. Bondihttps://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71870107/buenrostro-mendez-v-bondi/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.

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.Atari, Inc. v. North American Philips Consumer Electronics Corp., 672 F.2d 607 (1982)https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=16433139020722034724Burns v. Fragile, Inc. [docket via CourtListener]https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cand.454102/Steve Burke, GamersNexus YouTube channelhttps://www.youtube.com/@GamersNexusShow 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.

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 authorityhttps://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2026/02/02/ed-martin-demoted-justice-departmentLiam Ramos Habeas Orderhttps://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.txwd.1172886492/gov.uscourts.txwd.1172886492.9.0_3.pdfTRO Enjoining DHS from Excluding Legislators From Immigration Facilitieshttps://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.283200/gov.uscourts.dcd.283200.52.0.pdfThe Perp Walk Is The Pointhttps://www.lawandchaospod.com/p/the-perp-walk-is-the-pointUS v. Armstrong [Don Lemon Indictment]https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mnd.231103/gov.uscourts.mnd.231103.39.0_1.pdfDOJ Attacks Judge, Claims Judicial Immunity For Itselfhttps://www.lawandchaospod.com/p/doj-attacks-judge-using-leaked-docJudge Sutton Dismissed DOJ Complaint Re Judge Boasberghttps://www.opn.ca6.uscourts.gov/internet/judicial_complaints/files/2025/06-25-90173(Chad.MO.pdfRes Ipsa Media v. DOJ [L&C FOIA suit]https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71236135/res-ipsa-media-llc-v-department-of-justiceHow the Supreme Court Secretly Made Itself Even More Secretivehttps://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/02/us/supreme-court-nondisclosure-agreements.htmlTrump v. IRShttps://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.flsd.706172/gov.uscourts.flsd.706172.1.0_4.pdfBoat Strike Complainthttps://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mad.294916/gov.uscourts.mad.294916.1.0_1.pdfShow 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.

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 sighthttps://www.politico.com/news/2026/01/05/trump-administration-immigrants-mandatory-detention-00709494Fulton County Election Hub Warranthttps://www.documentcloud.org/documents/26513986-1-28-26-fulton-warrant/Marimar Martinez Motion to Unsealhttps://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.ilnd.487595/gov.uscourts.ilnd.487595.100.0.pdfExclusive: ICE officers in Minnesota directed not to interact with 'agitators' in new ordershttps://www.reuters.com/world/ice-officers-minnesota-directed-not-interact-with-agitators-new-orders-2026-01-29/J.G.G. v. Trumphttps://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24pdf/24a931_2c83.pdfTrump v. CASAhttps://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24pdf/24a884_8n59.pdfTobay Robles v. Noemhttps://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72120823/tobay-robles-v-noemJudge Tunheim TROhttps://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mnd.230526/gov.uscourts.mnd.230526.41.0.pdfShow 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.