Law and Chaos

Jaksot

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  Ep 263 — SCOTUS Saves The Midterms … Eventually 15.09.2026 1t 2min

  DOCKET ALERTS:   This podcast won a victory today in its lawsuit against the Trump administration to kick loose the document the DOJ used as the basis for a frivolous ethics complaint against Judge James Boasberg in DC. Judge Abelson ordered the DOJ to produce discovery to us so we can evaluate the administration's claims that "Attachment A" isn't subject to the Freedom of Information Act.   The hardware store Lowe's was hit with a consumer class action suit in Chicago alleging that it steals customers' voice prints when they call customer service.   A lawyer in New Mexico has been sanctioned for filing motions referring to fake witnesses hallucinated by ChatGPT. In a murder case!   DOOFUS OF THE DAY:   John Eastman, the election-denying crank lawyer, is now representing Amy Wax. Wax is a notorious racist whom the University of Pennsylvania law school has been trying to fire for years. Eastman entered his appearance on her behalf at the Third Circuit, which is weird because he was disbarred in California last year. But not to worry, he's filed a petition asking the Supreme Court to undo that!   MAIN SHOW:   While we were recording, the Supreme Court finally rejected Trump's plan to use the Post office to blow up the midterms. on whether it intends to stay a judicial order enjoining the US Postal Service from meddling with mail-in ballots during the 2026 midterms, but each new development seems to make it less likely that it will do so. Late Sunday night, Trump appointee Judge Carl Nichols in Washington DC issued his own injunction blocking the rule and smacking down the administration's arguments.   More details emerged over the weekend about the Grand Conspiracy investigation in Florida and why MAGA conspiracy lawyer Joe diGenova noped out. Apparently he didn't get the memo that the point was to indict a couple of Trump's enemies, declare victory, and be long gone before the charges imploded. Meanwhile, former CIA Director John Brennan has filed a lawsuit in DC seeking to head off his own prosecution.   Trump's offer of $5,000 checks to every citizen if Republicans hold the House and the Senate isn't bribery. And it isn't going to happen.   SUBSCRIBER BONUS:   In a supplement to our written blog post, we talk about all the weirdness in the DOJ's "Notice of Appeal" in the Trump v. IRS slush fund case, including how the administration's lawyers sound an awful lot like sovereign citizen nutjobs.   "Trump's DOJ Lawyers Leap In To Save Trump's Personal Lawyers" https://www.lawandchaospod.com/p/trumps-doj-lawyers-leap-in-to-save   Res Ipsa Media v. DOJ [docket Via CourtListener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71236135/res-ipsa-media-llc-v-department-of-justice/?order_by=desc   Perkins v. Lowe's [Complaint via Courthouse News] https://www.courthousenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Lowes-class-action-biometric-information.pdf   Attorney Sanctions Order [via Reuters] https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/legaldocs/gkplemoznvb/New%20Mexico%20sanctions%20order%20-%20AI.pdf   AFGE-AFL-CIO v. Kupor [Civil Service loyalty test] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71884278/american-federation-of-government-employees-afl-cio-v-kupor/   Eastman v. State Bar of California [Petition for Cert] https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/26/26-336/423876/20260911094527982_USSC%20Petition%20for%20Writ%20of%20Certiorari.pdf   Trump ally John Eastman joins UPenn professor's legal team, citing 'despicable cancel culture' https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/trump-ally-john-eastman-joins-upenn-professors-legal-team-citing-despicable-2026-09-14/   Trump v. League of Women Voters [Supreme Court docket] https://www.supremecourt.gov/search.aspx?filename=/docket/docketfiles/html/public/26a305.html   USPS Revised DMM [mail-in ballot regulations] https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/08/26/2026-17238/ballot-mail-for-federal-elections   DSCC v. Trump [DC mail-in ballot case injunction by Judge Nichols] https://ecf.dcd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/show_public_doc?2026cv1114-192   USPS v. California [Mail-in Ballots SCOTUS Docket] https://www.supremecourt.gov/search.aspx?filename=/docket/DocketFiles/html/Public/26A305.html   Brennan v. Blanche https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73562893/brennan-v-blanche/   Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod  
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  Ep 262 — Any Time Now, SCOTUS! 11.09.2026 59min

  DOCKET ALERTS:   The president is promising to send out $5,000 checks to every American if Republicans win the midterms.   The Fourth Circuit became the ninth appellate court to find that the Trump administration's mandatory detention policy for all immigrants without legal status is patently illegal.   The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to let it install US Attorneys without Senate confirmation. Time to bring back Alina Habba and Lindsey Halligan!   Andrew and Tristan Tate's motion for bail pending their extradition to the UK was denied by a federal magistrate in Miami.   Hasbro is the latest company to tell the White House to quit using its IP in racist AI slop memes — this time the government is molesting Optimus Prime!   DOOFUS OF THE DAY:    James Piereson has an editorial in the Wall Street Journal wondering if adding new Supreme Court justices is illegal. It's not, and neither is saying absolute drivel in public.   MAIN SHOW:   We're all waiting for SCOTUS to say whether they're planning to let Trump burn down the midterms and refuse to deliver mail-in ballots. In the meanwhile, the US Supreme Court teamed up with the Missouri state Supreme Court to prevent a harebrained scheme by Missouri's Republican Secretary of State, Denny Hoskins, to cram down an even-more-gerrymandered congressional map that would give Republicans an extra seat in the House of Representatives. The Missouri Supreme Court ruled that the new map needs to be approved by the voters before it can take effect, and held Hoskins in contempt for refusing to abide by their September 3 injunction. And the US Supreme Court put the kibosh on a crazy TRO issued by a rogue Trump appointee purporting to require Missouri to use the Trump map. So it looks like Missourians are going to head back to the polls in November under the existing 2022 maps.   Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick has a plan to hack the 2030 Census. And that plan is RACISM.   SUBSCRIBER BONUS:   We break down Law & Chaos's DOOFUS OF THE DAY, James Piereson, a non-lawyer who has the legal opinion that expanding the Supreme Court is unconstitutional, even though it definitely isn't.   Lopez Garcia v. Guadian [Fourth Circuit, mandatory detention] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72052515/oscar-lopez-garcia-v-robert-guadian/   Petition for Cert In US Attorneys Case https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/26/26-304/423324/20260908124848584_Jackson%20Petition.pdf   US v. Tate https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73656030/united-states-v-tate/   People Not Politicians v. Hoskins [MO Supreme Court] https://www.courts.mo.gov/file.jsp?id=239229   James Piereson, "Is Court Packing Constitutional? Don't Be So Sure," Wall Street Journal, Sep. 7, 2026 https://www.wsj.com/opinion/is-court-packing-constitutional-dont-be-so-sure-0e602345   Mail-In Ballots at SCOTUS https://www.supremecourt.gov/search.aspx?filename=/docket/DocketFiles/html/Public/26A305.html   Proposed Census Rule Change https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/09/10/2026-18481/decennial-census-of-the-population-of-americans-proposed-residence-criteria-and-proposed-regulations Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod  
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  Ep 261 — If You're Gonna Steal, Steal Big With AI 08.09.2026 54min

  DOCKET ALERTS:   New Jersey became the latest state to beat back a Trump administration challenge to its sanctuary jurisdiction laws.   After the Supreme Court's conservatives (less CJR) allowed Trump to build his ballroom, he's demanding to be able to go ahead and build the fascist arch.   A federal judge in Minnesota denied X.ai's motion to enjoin the state from enforcing a law barring AI nudification apps.   Maria Bartiromo hired Bryan Freedman, former counsel for Justin Baldoni, to represent her in her breakup with Fox.   DOOFUS OF THE DAY:   Former Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer is the subject of a report issued by Labor Department Inspector General Anthony D'Esposito. Is it bad when you're sleeping with your staffer, drinking on the job, and allowing your male relatives to sexually harass employees?    MAIN SHOW:   The Los Angeles Angels just sold for $4 billion. What does the city of Anaheim want out of it and how are they going to get it?   Finally, a country music star has just filed a class action lawsuit against the AI platform Suno for infringing on his right of publicity. When chatbots can write songs that sound exactly like any famous recording artist, can anyone sue to stop them?   SUBSCRIBER BONUS:   What is going on with Trump's effort to use the Post Office to bone the midterms?   US v. New Jersey https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72316303/united-states-v-new-jersey/   Lemmon v. Trump [Arch] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72301112/lemmon-v-trump/   REPORT OF INVESTIGATION: LORI CHAVEZ-DEREMER, FORMER SECRETARY U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR https://oig.dol.gov/public/oifindings/50-26-004-01-001.pdf   X.ai LLC v. Ellison https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73678486/xai-llc-v-ellison/   Lowery v. Suno [D. Mass. docket via CourtListener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/74728439/lowery-v-suno-inc/ Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod  
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  Ep 260 — The State of the Senate 2026 (feat. Joe Dye) 04.09.2026 1t 18min

  DOCKET ALERTS:   The fight over Trump's attempt to seize control of state mail-in ballots is headed for the Supreme Court. After a hearing before Judge Indira Talwani, the government didn't wait for a ruling — and it didn't wait for the First Circuit to weigh in either. It immediately demanded that the justices step in. Justice Jackson, who sits over the First Circuit, did not issue an admin stay. She's asked for the states' response by Tuesday.   According to ProPublica, ICE Agent Christian Castro has been federally charged with making false statements after shooting Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis in Minnesota in January. Castro was previously charged by state prosecutors with assault, but Texas Gov. Greg Abbott refused to extradite him to Minnesota.   DOOFUS OF THE DAY:   Maria Bartiromo has been fired from Fox Business. Apparently she did something worse than losing the network $787 million in a defamation suit.   MAIN SHOW:   Andrew talks midterms with Joe Dye.   League of Women Voters v. Trump [Mail-In Ballots] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73133197/league-of-women-voters-of-massachusetts-v-trump/   Emergency SCOTUS Petiton re Mail-In Ballots https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/26/26A297/422948/20260903154027877_USPS%20Final%20Rule%20Stay%20and%20Appx.pdf   Trump's DOJ Blocked Serious ICE Shooting Charge Over Federal Prosecutor's "Strongest Possible" Objections https://www.propublica.org/article/doj-blocks-charges-ice-agent-minneapolis-julio-cesar-sosa-celis   Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod  
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  Ep 259 — COINTELPRO 2: Defective Boogaloo 01.09.2026 54min

  The J. M. Smucker Company notched a win in its trademark dilution case against Trader Joe's over the Uncrustable dupes. A judge in Ohio refused to dismiss the case or transfer it to California.    For the third time, Judge Alvin Hellerstein rejected Trump's attempt to remove his hush money conviction case to federal court from New York State court.   The Supreme Court allowed Trump to build his monstrous bunker ballroom.   DOOFUS OF THE DAY: George Santos managed to get himself banned for life by Kalshi after he got caught better on his own attendance at the State of the Union.   MAIN SHOW:   Judge Rita Lin granted summary judgment to Anthropic in its case against the Defense Department. After the company objected to the use of its product for autonomous lethal targeting and mass surveillance of Americans, Pete Hegseth set out to destroy its business. He failed.   Judge Indira Talwani refused to stay her own order blocking the Post Office from implementing Trump's demand to seize control of mail-in ballots.    Prosecutors in Minnesota hope to criminalize protest by claiming that an entire network of people engaging in First Amendment-protected protest are responsible if one of them eventually commits a crime. Pursuant to a Trump directive known as NSPM-7, the DOJ instructed operatives to infiltrate and surveil affinity groups espousing "extreme viewpoints on immigration, radical gender ideology, and anti-American sentiment." None of which is a crime! They've charged 15 protesters in Minnesota as part of a conspiracy that includes major unions and the DSA — all of which they've snooped on using administrative warrants from DHS.   SUBSCRIBER BONUS: A gestational surrogate from Alaska is trying to steal a sick baby. And Ken Paxton wants to help her do it!   J.M. Smucker Co v. Trader Joe's https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71631587/jm-smucker-company-v-trader-joes-company/   People of The State of New York v. Trump https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/67326478/people-of-the-state-of-new-york-v-trump/   Anthropic PBC v. U.S. Department of War https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72379655/anthropic-pbc-v-us-department-of-war   US v. Sant [D. Minn. docket via CourtListener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73489661/united-states-v-sant/   National Park Service v. National Trust for Historic Preservation [Supreme Court order] https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/26a203_2b8e.pdf   League of Women Voters v. Trump https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73133197/league-of-women-voters-of-massachusetts-v-trump/?   NSPM-7 https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/09/countering-domestic-terrorism-and-organized-political-violence/   Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod  
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  Ep 258 — Florida Corruptionpalooza 28.08.2026 59min

  DOCKET ALERTS:   Washington Post opinion writer Karen Attiah, who was fired for her remarks after the death of Charlie Kirk, has been reinstated to her job after winning in arbitration.   Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook responded to Trump's latest effort to fire her by pointing out that multiple members of Trump's own cabinet made the same paperwork error she did on a mortgage application, and no one is accusing them of fraud.   Judge David Hittner, an 87-year-old Reagan appointee, struck down Texas's drag ban, finding that it would necessarily criminalize a lot of performances that are not obscene … including ones by Dolly Parton.   DOOFUS OF THE DAY:   Mike Lindell, the crackpot pillow pumper, lost his bid to be the Republican gubernatorial candidate in his home state of Minnesota. And he missed the deadline to pay for a recount. But he's not letting that stop him! He's suing everyone in sight demanding they surrender proof that the entire thing was rigged.   MAIN SHOW:   Florida Republicans are embroiled in a massive corruption scandal involving $10 million in taxpayer dollars for children's prescriptions, laundered through First Lady Casey Desantis's charity, and used for partisan political purposes, including defeating a marijuana legalization referendum. CBS in Miami got the grand jury report.   Judge Fernando Rodriguez, Jr. rebuffed Minnesota's motion to force Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to extradite ICE agent Christian Castro. Castro shot a man in Minneapolis and then lied about it, including filing a false police report. He was indicted in Minnesota, but Texas refuses to sign an extradition warrant, and now Castro has been released from jail.   Judge Cooper held a hearing today on the future of the Kennedy Center, after the board voted again to chisel Trump's name into the marble on the front of the place.   Judge Indira Talwani ordered the state plaintiffs to file an amended complaint in their effort to block the Trump administration seizing control of mail-in voting pursuant to Trump's executive order. Last week, the Supreme Court's conservatives blocked Judge Talwani's prior injunction on the theory that the states hadn't yet been harmed when they filed their original complaint.   SUBSCRIBER BONUS:   Update on Tuesday's hearing in our FOIA suit to get the evidence in the DOJ's ethics complaint against Judge Boasberg.   The Washington Post Fired Me. I Fought—and Won My Job Back. https://karenattiah.substack.com/p/the-washington-post-fired-me-i-foughtand   Extragrams LLC v. Paxton [TX drag ban] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/67660604/extragrams-llc-v-paxton   Walz v. Abbott [S.D. Tex. extradition case; docket via CourtListener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/74662182/walz-v-abbott/   Trump v. California [Supreme Court order re: voter lists EO] https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/26a124_hgci.pdf   League of Women Voters v. Trump [D. Mass. voter list case before Judge Talwani; docket via CourtListener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73133197/league-of-women-voters-of-massachusetts-v-trump/   Grand jury finds DeSantis administration "misappropriated" $10 million in taxpayer money to Hope Florida https://www.cbsnews.com/miami/news/grand-jury-report-hope-florida/   Res Ipsa Media LLC v. DOJ https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71236135/res-ipsa-media-llc-v-department-of-justice/ Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod  
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  Ep 257 — That Time When EBay Lost Its Mind 25.08.2026 42min

  DESCRIPTION:   It's a special episode today. We'll spend the whole show diving into the debacle of eBay, a $50 billion company, launching a harassment campaign against a middle-aged couple in Massachusetts. Come for the corporate bigwigs sending live roaches by mail, stay for the national security kerfuffle. It's a wild story, and it even has a happy ending. Steiner v. EBay https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/60073359/steiner-v-ebay-inc US v. Baugh https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/18602070/united-states-v-baugh Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod  
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  Ep 256 — Natalie, Hide the Ketchup! 20.08.2026 58min

  DOCKET ALERTS:   US Attorney Jeanine Pirro wants to leave the door open to re-charging David Hearn for damaging the reflecting pool, although she concedes that literally everything she said in her original indictment was a lie.   Pirro is also doing her darnedest to keep a lady locked up for the high crime of spraypainting.   Judge Reed O'Connor is trying for a third time to allow manufacturers to sell ghost guns, no matter what the Supreme Court says.   We're still waiting on the Supreme Court to say whether Trump can keep building his ballroom, or will have to cease above-ground construction as lower courts have ruled.   MAIN SHOW:   FCC Chair Brendan Carr is trying to burn down ABC for crimes of woke. But after he demanded that the ten local affiliates owned by the network renew their licenses early — likely a prelude to putting them out of business — ABC's parent company Disney swung into action. They sued the agency for retaliation in violation of the First Amendment.   The DOJ's "8647" indictment of James Comey is circling the drain. The government filed its responses to various motions today, and they are … creative! They quote at length from Comey's novel and his appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.    In January, ICE agent Christian Castro shot Minnesota man Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis and then filed a false report claiming that Sosa-Celis attacked him with a snow shovel. The charges against Sosa-Celis were quickly dropped, and in May state officials charged Castro with second-degree assault and one count of falsely reporting a crime and court issued a warrant for his arrest. By then, Castro was in Texas, where Governor Greg Abbott — the Law and Chaos DOOFUS OF THE DAY — has refused to extradite him to Minnesota as mandated by the Constitution's Extradition Clause. And so now Minnesota has sued Texas in federal court.    US v. Hearn Reply In Support of Motion to Dismiss Without Prejudice [via Marcy Wheeler] https://legacy.www.documentcloud.org/documents/28565563-260818-hearn-dismiss-reply   US v. Farris [spraypaint lady] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/74650269/united-states-v-farris/   Vanderstok v. Blanche [ghost guns] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/64886994/vanderstok-v-garland   National Park Service v. National Trust for Historic Preservation [SCOTUS Docket] https://www.supremecourt.gov/search.aspx?filename=/docket/docketfiles/html/public/26a203.html   ABC v. FCC https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/74661956/american-broadcasting-companies-inc-v-federal-communications-commission/   US v. Comey [docket via CourtListener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73256624/united-states-v-comey/?order_by=desc   Walz v. Abbott https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/74662182/walz-v-abbott/   Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod  
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  Ep 255 — Double the Jeopardy, Double the Fun 18.08.2026 1t 12min

  DOCKET ALERTS:   The Supreme Court denied Trump's motion for rehearing in the first E. Jean Carroll case. Time to pay up, creep!   Federal Judge Lynn Winmill invalidated Idaho's abortion ban insofar as it contains no exception to preserve the health of the pregnant person — including mental health. Along the way, he took apart the Supreme Court's hack historical analysis in Dobbs.   DOOFUS OF THE DAY: Josh Autenrieth, who bombed spectacularly on his first and only outing as an expert witness. During deposition, the plaintiffs lawyer Daniel Moye caught Autenreith fabricating his entire report exonerating 3M with the help of ChatGPT. Then Moye forced to testify for the plaintiffs at trial. On the stand Autenrieth discovered that there was a public link to all his chats live on the internet. Shout out to 404 Media for this wild story.   MAIN SHOW: US Attorney Andrew Boutros in Chicago continues to embarrass himself and demean his office. The New York Times reports that his office has been harassing the family of Justice Juan Merchan, who presided over Trump's false business records case in Manhattan. Merchan's daughter worked for a political firm in Illinois, and so Boutros decided he would use this as a lever to try to shake loose all kinds of political communications. And it turns out the same lawyers who worked on the Broadview 6 case, Matthew Skiba and William Hogan, had their prints all over this one.   Luigi Mangione pled guilty in federal court to two counts of stalking. But he did so in such a way as to make it much harder for the state to prosecute him for murder. Was this done with the connivance of the feds to get back at Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg?   Seyb v. Members of the Idaho Board of Medicine https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/68527351/seyb-v-members-of-the-idaho-board-of-medicine/   'Show How 3M Is 0% at Fault:' Expert Witness Used ChatGPT to Write Report Defending Company in Deadly Explosion Lawsuit https://www.404media.co/show-how-3m-is-0-at-fault-expert-witness-used-chatgpt-to-write-report-defending-company-in-deadly-explosion-lawsuit/   Prosecutors Examined Firm With Tie to Judge in Trump Hush Money Trial https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/15/us/politics/prosecutors-examined-firm-with-tie-to-judge-in-trump-hush-money-trial.html   US v. Mangione [federal court docket via CourtListener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69908890/united-states-v-mangione/   Luigi Mangione Pleads Guilty To Stalking, Admits To Murder Anyway, Argues This Makes Trial Double Jeopardy https://abovethelaw.com/2026/08/luigi-mangione-pleads-guilty-to-stalking-admits-to-murder-anyway-argues-this-makes-trial-double-jeopardy/   Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod  
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  Ep 254 — More Like the Department of Manifest Injustice 14.08.2026 1t 2min

  DOCKET ALERTS:   The Kennedy Center board of trustees is back on its BS. After being ordered to take Trump's name off the side of the building, they've now voted again to put it back on. They also voted to close the facility for two years. Rep. Joyce Beatty, who brought the lawsuit that forced them to back off the first time, vows to fight on.   Meanwhile musician Chuck Redd was just awarded $252,000 in attorneys fees after the Center sued him for breaching a contract he never signed.   Judge Roy Altman is Aileen Cannon-balling it up in Trump's trollsuit against the BBC. This week he allowed Trump to amend his complaint yet again for "good cause." What good cause could there be to sue a company which never broadcast the supposedly defamatory documentary in the US?   MAIN SHOW:   The Washington Post reports that Jeanine Pirro, the US Attorney for DC, has empaneled a special grand jury. Corruption incoming!   The DOJ has amended the indictment of the SPLC again. This time they've added a former employee who ran its Intelligence Project and managed its paid informants. The case is no less preposterous with an extra defendant and a couple more charges.   The Ninth Circuit issued a hugely consequential ruling on Section 230 immunity for websites, and Liz and Andrew do not agree at all about it.   SUBSCRIBER BONUS:   Judge Richard Stearns in Massachusetts swatted down the DOJ's effort to shout "antisemitism" and steal $950 million from Harvard.   Trump v. BBC https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72040010/trump-v-british-broadcasting-corporation/   Pirro, in rare move, convenes special grand jury in Washington https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2026/08/12/pirro-convenes-unusual-grand-jury-dc-that-can-focus-single-case-issue-report/   US v. Southern Poverty Law Center  https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73223865/united-states-v-southern-poverty-law-center-inc/   Colorado v. Meta [9th Circuit opinion] https://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2026/08/10/24-7265.pdf   US v. Harvard https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72520538/united-states-v-president-and-fellows-of-harvard-college/   Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod  
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  Ep 253 — The One Weird Trick Presidency 11.08.2026 53min

  DOCKET ALERTS:   Todd Blanche was confirmed as permanent attorney general after Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy remembered that he's an unprincipled hack.   Trump's lackey Will Scharf is being promoted from staff secretary to White House Counsel in advance of the midterms.   The White House is once again trying to fire Federal Reserve Board Member Lisa Cook after the Supreme Court blocked it the first time.   DOOFUS OF THE DAY: Senator Mike Lee, who vowed to block the Senate going into recess until it passed the SAVE America Act. He did not. Instead Majority Leader John Thune made him preside over the session, ensuring that he could not object.   MAIN SHOW:   On Friday, the DC Circuit affirmed the trial judge's order blocking Trump's tacky ballroom — at least the above-ground portion. The government tried to shield this project from judicial review by claiming that the Office of the Executive Residence, which manages floral arrangements and routine maintenance of the White House, was actually superintending the $600 million construction project. But the appeals court nixed it.    The administration hopes to use a similar ONE WEIRD TRICK to slap white paint all over the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. It claims that the project is being overseen by the White House Office of Administration, rather than the General Services Administration. TBD whether Judge Dabney Friedrich lets them get away with it.   Airlines hate Skiplagged.com, which tells consumers how to save money by hopping off flights at the layover. They've failed to shut the site down using various tort claims, and so they tried copyright and trademark.   SUBSCRIBER BONUS:   After the Supreme Court blocked him in June, Trump is once again trying to end birthright citizenship by executive order.   National Trust for Historic Preservation v. National Park Service [DC Circuit Docket] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73239730/national-trust-for-historic-preservation-v-nps   National Trust for Historic Preservation v. National Park Service [Trial Docket] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72028010/national-trust-for-historic-preservation-in-the-united-states-v-national/   Cultural Heritage Partners v. Trump  https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71918245/cultural-heritage-partners-pllc-v-trump/   American Airlines, Inc. v. Skiplagged, Inc.  https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/67699985/american-airlines-inc-v-skiplagged-inc/   United Airlines' Contract of Carriage https://www.united.com/en/us/fly/contract-of-carriage.html   Trump EO: "Ending Birth Tourism" https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/08/ending-birth-tourism/   Trump EO: "Continuing to Protect the Meaning and Value of American Citizenship" https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/08/continuing-to-protect-the-meaning-and-value-of-american-citizenship/ Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod  
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  Ep 252 — Blanche, Boutros, and Buc-ee's 07.08.2026 55min

  DOCKET ALERTS:   Todd Blanche advanced out of the Judiciary Committee and faces a vote by the full Senate on whether to confirm him as Attorney General. Will Republicans defy—JK,LOL.   Journalist Katie Phang's lawsuit against Blanche for failing to disclose all documents required under the Epstein Files Transparency Act hit a snag when the government just plum forgot to file an answer to her complaint. The DOJ also failed to provide unredacted documents to Judge Emmet Sullivan for review in chambers. Judge Sullivan ordered Blanche to personally appear in court on August. 13.   DOOFUS OF THE DAY: Third Circuit Judge Jennifer Mascott, who spent the first six months of her judicial tenure moonlighting as the head of a PR firm which solicited MAGA clients.   MAIN SHOW:   Trump's multitudinous trollsuits do much better in front of his own appointees than in front of normal judges. Judge Roy Altman has utterly beclowned himself in Trump's lawsuits against Capital One and the BBC. But his cases against the Wall Street Journal, JP Morgan, and the New York Times faced a much cooler reception.   Charges against the Broadview 6 for "conspiracy" to protest were dropped months ago. But the case goes on, as the former defendants ask Judge April Perry to appoint a special counsel to investigate and potentially prosecute the US Attorneys Office in Chicago for contempt of Court. Prosecutors counter that any investigation can be handled by the DOJ's Office of Professional Responsibility, which has been conveniently neutered under Trump.   And we're back on our Buc-ee's BS — can't get enough of those beaver nuggets! Has the convenience-store-on-steroids chain gone too far with its lawsuits against every animal mascot on earth? One plucky teddy bear is fighting back.   SUBSCRIBER BONUS:   Can John Oliver sell parody Buc-ee's merch? We consult a talking squirrel and the greatest amicus brief of all time!   LINKS:    Phang v. Blanche  https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73246595/phang-v-blanche/   US v. Rabbitt [Broadview 6] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71795281/united-states-v-rabbitt   At Trump's DOJ, watchdogs gutted as misconduct complaints soar https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/trumps-doj-watchdogs-gutted-misconduct-complaints-soar-2026-08-06/   'Is she even allowed to be doing this?': Inside a federal judge's side gig running a PR firm https://www.politico.com/news/2026/08/06/jennifer-mascott-federal-judge-adfero-pr-firm-01025871   Buc-ee's v. Teddy's Market [docket via CourtListener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73290962/buc-ees-ltd-v-teddys-market-llc/   THE GREATEST AMICUS BRIEF OF ALL TIME https://www.acluwv.org/app/uploads/2017/08/2017-08-17-Amended-Amicus-28File-Stamped29.pdf Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod  
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  Ep 251 — You Whack The Guy, You Don't 86 Him 04.08.2026 57min

  Andrew is flying solo today. He's got three stories about the petty incompetence of this administration. First, we start off with the likely impending confirmation of Todd Blanche as Attorney General after the DOJ finally put in writing that the $1.8 billion "Anti-Weaponization" slush fund is dead. The Trump tax giveaway is still alive, though, and that means so is Judge Williams's investigation as to whether the President committed a fraud on the court.   Next, we delve into the unraveling of DC US Attorney Jeanine Pirro's ham-handed efforts to try and indict a former Olympian for vandalizing the Reflecting Pool in Washington. Turns out, the problem was the contractor all along. Who knew? (We all knew, including Pirro.)   Finally, we take a look at a trio of motions filed by James Comey in his criminal case, all of which involve the central claim that the mafia uses the term "86" to mean "kill." Turns out, Comey secured an affidavit from the world's foremost expert on mafia code words, and he thinks that argument is "preposterous." How do all of these fundamental mistakes keep making their way into criminal indictments? Comey is the latest defendant who thinks prosecutors may not have been entirely candid with grand juries. Trump v. IRS [SDFL Docket via CourtListener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72207870/trump-v-internal-revenue-service/?filed_after=&filed_before=&entry_gte=&entry_lte=&order_by=asc   US v. Comey [docket via CourtListener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73256624/united-states-v-comey/?order_by=desc   John Gleeson affidavit https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nced.227449/gov.uscourts.nced.227449.40.3.pdf Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod  
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  Ep 250 — Trump Corruption-palooza (Ft. Zach Everson) 31.07.2026 1t 6min

  It's our semiquincentennial! And we're celebrating with a long-form interview with Zach Everson, research director of the Trump Accountability Project. Zach joins us to discuss how cryptocurrency powered Donald Trump's massively successful grift of billions of dollars, and what we can do about it. Along the way, we also discuss the proposed CLARITY ACT, and how the fake ethics provisions added by Republicans were so bad that the bill itself is likely to die on the vine.   Thank you for being with us for 250 episodes! CLARITY ACT- HR 3633 https://www.lummis.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/Clarity-Act.pdf Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod  
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  Ep 249 — DHS Voter Lists? 28.07.2026 52min

  DOCKET ALERTS:   The Paramount-Warner Bros. merger is on hold well into next year. The parties stipulated that the merger would not go through pending trial in the antitrust case brought by twelve state AGs, despite massive financial penalties for Paramount if the deal is delayed. Meanwhile, the Writers Guild of America has filed a similar antitrust action, which has also been assigned to Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín.   Trump's newest tariff scheme, based on findings of anticompetitive use of forced labor by our trade competitors, drew multiple legal challenges. Learning Resources v. US, Take 3!    Fired US Attorney for the Western District of Washington, Roger Rogoff, is suing to get his job back.   MAIN SHOW:   In March, Trump put out an executive order instructing DHS to compile a list of voters. The states would then be forced to submit all mail-in ballot recipients to a portal and supply each with an individual bar code. The Post Office was instructed to refuse to deliver ballots to anyone not on the list. That order is now being litigated in the US District Court for the District of Columbia, the DC Circuit, the US District for Massachusetts, the First Circuit and, as of today, the Supreme Court.   James Comey has moved to dismiss the two-count federal indictment against him for posting an instagram photo of seashells that spelled out "8647." We discuss the "true threat" doctrine and the administration's larger war on freedom of speech when it comes to his critics and journalists.   Speaking of which, in the subscriber bonus, we discuss the case of Atlanta "Stop Cop City" protester Sam Tunick, who was charged with destroying evidence when he tricked CBP agents into bricking his phone. California v. Paramount-Skydance https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73606877/the-state-of-california-v-paramount-skydance-corporation/   Writers Guild of America, West, Inc. v. Paramount Skydance Corporation https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73614167/writers-guild-of-america-west-inc-v-paramount-skydance-corporation/   Fact Sheet: USTR Section 301 Action in Response to the Failure of 60 Economies to Ban Imports Produced with Forced Labor https://ustr.gov/about/policy-offices/press-office/fact-sheets/2026/july/fact-sheet-ustr-section-301-action-response-failure-60-economies-ban-imports-produced-forced-labor   Learning Resources v. US [Section 301 tariffs] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73668290/learning-resources-inc-v-the-united-states-of-america/   Burlap and Barrel v. Greer [Section 301 tariffs] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73667352/burlap-and-barrel-inc-v-greer-in-his-official-capacity-as-united-states/   Rogoff v. Trump https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73647676/rogoff-v-trump   California v. Trump [Mail-in ballots, First Circuit] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73568304/state-of-california-v-trump/?order_by=desc   League of Women Voters v. Trump [Mail-in ballots, D. Mass.] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73133197/league-of-women-voters-of-massachusetts-v-trump   NAACP v. US [Mail-in ballots, D.D.C.] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/17461792/national-association-for-the-advancement-of-colored-people-v-united-states   NAACP v. USPS [Mail-in ballots, DC Circuit] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73595574/naacp-v-usps/   Trump v. California [Mail-in ballots, SCOTUS] https://www.supremecourt.gov/Search.aspx?FileName=/docket/docketfiles/html/public\26a124.html   US v. Comey [North Carolina criminal indictment for 8647; docket via CourtListener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73256624/united-states-v-comey/?order_by=desc   US v. Tunick [Georgia criminal indictment for bricked phone; docket via CourtListener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71998357/united-states-v-tunick/ Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod  
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  Ep 248 — Tariff Man Returns 24.07.2026 1t 4min

  DOCKET ALERTS:   After SecDef Hegseth ordered testosterone testing for all troops over 30 and offered hormone replacement therapy to all, Judge Ana Reyes ordered the government to explain how this is different from the healthcare for trans men which they just banned.    On Tuesday, a judge in Florida ordered Trump to turn over his financial records to the BBC in his defamation trollsuit. Turns out, when you say you've been damaged to the tune of a $10 billion, they make you show your work!   Every House Democrat signed a discharge petition to force a floor vote on Rep. Jamie Raskin's No Corrupt Agreements Requiring Taxpayer Expenditures Benefitting Lawbreakers and Assorted Non-Prosecution Covenants, Handouts, and Emoluments Act, AKA the NO CARTE BLANCHE Act.   MAIN SHOW:   After his first two attempts to steal Congress's tariff power were blocked in the courts, Trump has now reached back 90 years for the next tool. Sure the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act massively deepened and extended the Great Depression. But Trump is really mad at Canada, so maybe this time it won't massively backfire?   Meanwhile, the US Trade Representative announced a new wave of tariffs on 86 countries — putatively to retaliate against countries that sell or import goods created using child labor. Inflation is fun!   Nintendo is being sued by customers who bought Switch devices during the first round of illegal tariffs. They figure if the company is getting a refund from the government, they ought to get a refund from the company.   The FBI subpoenaed five New York Times journalists over reporting on the president's Qatari bribe jet. Claiming a national security emergency, the DOJ seized their phone records and demanded that they testify before a grand jury. This required prosecutors to disregard binding Second Circuit precedent and the DOJ's own published regulations — but Acting AG Todd Blanche said it was cool. At a hearing on Thursday over the motion to quash, Judge Arun Subramanian told the government to withdraw the subpoenas or he'd quash them. Eventually the DOJ agreed to withdraw, but now the court wants to know how the Justice Department came to tell so many whoppers to him, the magistrate, and opposing counsel.   Talbott v. Trump [Trans service members] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69583866/talbott-v-trump   Judge says Trump must hand over financial records to BBC https://www.politico.com/news/2026/07/21/trum-bbc-lawsuit-finances   Trump v. BBC https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72040010/trump-v-british-broadcasting-corporation/   Raskin HR 7007 [No CARTE BLANCHE Act] https://democrats-judiciary.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/democrats-judiciary.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/hr7007_ans.pdf   Ambassador Greer Issues Statement on President Trump Imposing Section 338 Tariffs on Canada https://ustr.gov/about/policy-offices/press-office/press-releases/2026/july/ambassador-greer-issues-statement-president-trump-imposing-section-338-tariffs-canada   Hoffert v. Nintendo [seeking consumer recovery of tariff refunds; docket via CourtListener] https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.wawd.361585/   Nintendo v. USA [seeking corporate IEEPA tariff refund; docket via CourtListener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72373888/nintendo-of-america-inc-v-united-states-of-america/   CIT Rule 25-02 https://www.cit.uscourts.gov/sites/cit/files/Administrative%20Order%2025-02.pdf   CIT Rule 26-01 (July 13, 2026) https://www.cit.uscourts.gov/sites/cit/files/Administrative%20Order%2026-01.pdf   In re Grand Jury Subpoenas Dated July 10, 2026 https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73641399/in-re-grand-jury-subpoenas-dated-july-10-2026/   Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod  
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  Ep 247 — They See Me Trollin' 21.07.2026 59min

  DOCKET ALERTS:   Minnesota passed the "Grandparents' Happy Hour" law making it legal to serve wine to grown adults in assisted living. Skol!   The DOJ's Civil Division got tossed out of court in Massachusetts because it failed to respond to a motion to dismiss its lawsuit over the state's refusal to issue undercover license plates to ICE.   Former Olympian David Hearn moved to dismiss the charge that he vandalized the Reflecting Pool since the government has drained the pool and is now destroying the evidence. Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín issued a temporary restraining order blocking the merger of Paramount and Warner Brothers in the antitrust case brought by California and eleven other states.   DOOFUS OF THE DAY: Senator Darline Graham Nordone who decided she'd like to be a real senator, not just a placeholder for her brother until the election. So now she's ditched her last name and gotten the nod from Trump.   MAIN SHOW:   Trump's defamation trollsuit against the BBC is going terribly. Who knew he'd have give discovery, not just take it? So now the DOJ is bigfooting in trying to save him.   There's a sealed proceeding in DC involving the Alien Terrorist Removal Court, a five-judge panel created in 1996 to hear secret cases against terrorists who need to be removed from the country immediately and without process. It has heard zero cases in the past 30 years, until last week, when the Trump administration tried to use it to deport someone without process. Is this a new ONE WEIRD TRICK the government will use to shove people out of the country?   Judge Todd Eddins of the Supreme Court of Hawai'i let loose on the Supreme Court for burning down democracy in an opinion interpreting the Due Process Clause in the state's constitution. State judges are not okay!   SUBSCRIBER BONUS:   Wired Magazine has published multiple stories about the massive data Madison Square Gardens collects on its patrons. The venue has filed a defamation lawsuit against Wired, its parent company Condé Nast, and journalists Noah Shachtman, Maddy Varner, and Katie Drummond. SLAPP-ity slap!   Andrew was a guest on the "Make It Make Sense" podcast with Grant Hermes.   Andrew's episode of Make It Make Sense https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-john-roberts-broke-the-supreme-court-this-term/id1756553746?i=1000777268503   US v. Massachusetts [Undercover plates] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73400637/united-states-v-the-commonwealth-of-massachusetts/   Hearn Motion to Dismiss https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/28498026-hearnmtd/   California v. Paramount-Skydance https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73606877/the-state-of-california-v-paramount-skydance-corporation/   Trump v. BBC https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72040010/trump-v-british-broadcasting-corporation/   Granillo v. Hawai'i https://www.courts.state.hi.us/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/SCWC-22-0000740.pdf   Granillo v. Hawaii [Supreme Court of Hawaii; majority opinion] chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.courts.state.hi.us/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/SCWC-22-0000740.pdf   Granillo v. Hawaii [Supreme Court of Hawaii; concurrence] https://www.courts.state.hi.us/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/SCWC-22-0000740con.pdf   Madison Square Gardens v. Advance Magazine Publishers [Wired/Shachtman] https://iapps.courts.state.ny.us/nyscef/ViewDocument?docIndex=L6rt5/_PLUS_WLpjJoHCLRczc_PLUS_A==   Alien Terrorist Removal Court [docket 2026-TRC-1] https://www.atrc.uscourts.gov/docs/2026-TRC-1-Order.pdf   Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod  
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  Ep 246 — Blanche and Buc-ee's 17.07.2026 53min

  DOCKET ALERTS:   This week, the Senate confirmed Jeffrey Kuntz as a judge in the Southern District of Florida, making him the second former Florida state jurist who did Trump a solid in his trollsuit against the Pulitzer Prize Board and got himself promoted to the federal bench. Also this week, the Senate confirmed Matthew Schwartz to the Second Circuit, making him the third of Trump's personal lawyers to be made appellate judges. This is fine!   The Trump administration sued Maryland to stop it providing in-state tuition to undocumented students.   Trump's media company plans to sell early access to his posts to high-frequency traders.    DOOFUS OF THE DAY:   Trump's teleprompter operator Gabriel Perez got caught betting on what his boss might say on Kalshi. He's negotiating a settlement with the CFTC, but is apparently still employed at the White House.   MAIN SHOW:   Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche had his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday. Any Republican defection will tank his nomination to be permanent AG. He got raked over the coals and forced to sit down with the Epstein survivors, but will probably make it through.   The beloved service station Buc-ee's is suing everyone and their mother for trademark infringement. But the Buc-ee Beaver may have bitten off more than he can chew picking a fight with Mickey the Moose.   SUBSCRIBER BONUS:   In December, X/Twitter rolled out new image generation capabilities for its AI Grok, after which users created an avalanche of non-consensual intimate images. The site is facing a class action by minor victims. But it hopes to avoid liability by seeking a ruling from a friendly judge in Texas that the blame lies with the users who generated the images, not the site itself.   US v. Maryland [In-state tuition] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73629368/united-states-v-state-of-maryland/   White House teleprompter operator made more than $100K betting on Trump's speeches: Sources https://abcnews.com/US/white-house-teleprompter-operator-made-100k-betting-trumps/story?id=134764573   Trump Media to Sell Faster Access to President's Social Posts https://www.wsj.com/tech/trump-media-to-sell-faster-access-to-presidents-social-posts-7a7054e8   xAI LLC v. Harwood https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73616819/xai-llc-v-harwood/   Doe v. XAI Corp https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72495765/doe-1-v-xai-corp/   Buc-ee's is on a Rampage and No Mascot is Safe, Wall Street Journal https://www.wsj.com/us-news/law/buc-ees-is-on-a-rampage-and-no-mascot-is-safe-80b7f03d   Buc-ee's, Ltd. v. Coles IP Holdings, LLC [2026 docket] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72296862/buc-ees-ltd-v-coles-ip-holdings-llc/   Buc-ee's, Ltd. v. Panjwani [2015 docket] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72296862/buc-ees-ltd-v-coles-ip-holdings-llc/ Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod  
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  Ep 245 — Lindsey Graham: Bad Lawyer 14.07.2026 58min

  DOCKET ALERTS:   Todd Blanche will appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee this week as it considers his nomination to be Attorney General. Can he advance without Senator Lindsey Graham, his biggest protector?   Judge Tim Kelly in DC reluctantly dismissed the charges against several Proud Boys gang members convicted for their roles in the January 6 assault on the Capitol after the Justice Department walked away from the appeal.   Twelve states filed an antitrust suit in California to block the merger of Paramount and Warner Brothers.   DOOFUS OF THE DAY: Patrick Byrne, the former CEO of Overstock.com, who managed to lose a defamation suit against Hunter Biden.   MAIN SHOW:   South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham passed away this weekend. We'll discuss his failures as a lawyer and the fight to replace him in Congress.   Open AI is having a rough week in court. Apple sued it in California under the Defend Trade Secrets Act, alleging that the company stole proprietary information to help it design a new phone-type gadget. And in New York, plaintiffs in a lawsuit accusing Open AI of scraping data in violation of copyright moved for sanctions because of systemic discovery violations.   SUBSCRIBER BONUS:    Trump's "settlement" with the IRS establishing the weaponization compensation fund for J6 criminals was ruled illegal by the court. Judge Kathleen Williams also referred Trump's lawyers, Alejandro Brito and Daniel Epstein, for bar discipline and sent records of this case to the courts considering discipline of Todd Blanche and Stanley Woodward.   US v. Nordean [Proud Boys] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/59704048/united-states-v-nordean   California v. Paramount-Skydance https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73606877/the-state-of-california-v-paramount-skydance-corporation/   Biden v. Byrne https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/67990012/robert-hunter-biden-v-patrick-m-byrne   In re OpenAI  https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69879510/in-re-openai-inc-copyright-infringement-litigation   Apple v. Liu  https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73602437/apple-inc-v-liu/   Trump v. IRS [docket via CourtListener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72207870/trump-v-internal-revenue-service/ Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod  
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  Ep 244 — Trump Says SCOTUS Must Reconsider 'IMMEDIATELY 10.07.2026 48min

  DOCKET ALERTS:   Trump says he's going to get the Supreme Court to reconsider its birthright citizenship ruling "IMMEDIATELY." (He's not.)   He also says he's going to get SCOTUS to reconsider its denial of certiorari in the E. Jean Carroll case, and thus he shouldn't have to pay the $5 million he owes her. (Again, he's not.) Judge Lewis Kaplan ordered the escrowed funds to be disbursed to Kaplan, holding that it was time for Trump to "do equity and pay the judgment." And the Second Circuit summarily refused his "emergency" request for an administrative stay of the disbursement order. Pay up, a-hole!   The DC Circuit rebuffed Trump's petition to get his name slapped back on the Kennedy Center pending appeal of the ruling that it was illegal to put it there in the first place. Olympian David Hearn was arraigned today in DC Superior Court on felony charges for having vandalized Trump's janky Reflecting Pool remodel.   Former Wisconsin judge Hannah Dugan was given a $5,000 fine but no jail time after being convicted of obstructing ICE by letting an immigrant defendant exit the courtroom using the jury door. The government had sought an eight to ten-month custodial sentence.   DOOFUS OF THE DAY: Ken Paxton, who separated from his wife two years ago, and still continues to use his former marital home as his address for voting purposes, according to ProPublica.   MAIN SHOW:   The Eleventh Circuit upheld an injunction blocking much of Florida's Stop WOKE Act (get it? get it?), which barred university professors from taking a position on "controversial" ideas like systemic racism. The state's theory is that professors are government employees, and employers can regulate speech, and thus teachers are just like Walmart greeters who can be given a strict script. The judges did not agree.   In Georgia, a federal judge quashed a subpoena for a vast trove of data on every person who worked on the 2020 election. Judge William Ray reasoned that any "crime" committed would be outside the statute of limitations, and so he need not reach the propriety of the subpoena to quash it.   According to a recently filed lawsuit, the Trump administration has been violating its own policies and handing Iranian asylum seekers over to the Iranian government — even after we started bombing the country.   Maine senatorial candidate Graham Platner has dropped out — sort of. We'll discuss the legal implications and what happens going forward.   SUBSCRIBER BONUS: Update on the "Judgefight" from Ep. 243. Judge Sparkle Sooknanan in DC says that the Trump administration cannot use the Social Security database to bulk-verify state voter rolls. Judge T. Kent Wetherell in Florida says that they must. Now what?   Carroll v. Trump [SDNY docket] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/65895581/carroll-v-trump   Carroll v. Trump [Second Circuit docket] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73589905/carroll-v-trump/   Beatty v. Trump [Kennedy Center, DC Circuit docket] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73477160/joyce-beatty-v-donald-trump   US v. Dugan  https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/70255566/united-states-v-dugan   Ken Paxton Vowed to Crack Down on "Illegal Voting." He May Have Violated Texas Election Law. https://www.propublica.org/article/ken-paxton-voter-registration-election-law   Pernell v. Commissioner of the FL State Board of Education [11th Circuit Stop WOKE] https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.ca11.80813/gov.uscourts.ca11.80813.11014486517.1.pdf   Iranian American Legal Defense Fund v. Rubio [docket via CourtListener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73581390/iranian-american-legal-defense-fund-v-rubio/   Maine Revised Statutes, Title 21-A, §374-A [candidate dropping out statute] https://legislature.maine.gov/statutes/21-a/title21-Asec374-A.html   League of Women Voters v. DHS (DC Cir appeal) [docket via CourtListener] https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cadc.43348/   League of Women Voters v. DHS (Sooknanan SAVE docket) [docket via CourtListener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71499795/league-of-women-voters-v-us-department-of-homeland-security/?order_by=desc   State of Florida v. DHS (Wetherell SAVE docket) [docket via CourtListener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69271601/state-of-florida-v-department-of-homeland-security/?order_by=desc   Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod