Law and Chaos

Jaksot

• Ep 242 — SCOTUS Wanders Off For Summer, But State Judges Keep Delivering 03.07.2026 1t 7min

  DOCKET ALERTS:   House Speaker Mike Johnson sent everyone home for vacation rather than deal with a dissident faction in his own caucus that keeps demanding a vote on the vote-suppressing SAVE America Act Trump keeps braying for.   A federal judge in New Hampshire became the tenth to dismiss a DOJ lawsuit seeking full, unredacted state voter rolls — or eleventh if you include the Sixth Circuit.   In 2024, Florida sued to force DHS to bulk verify citizenship data so states could "audit" their voter rolls. In 2025, DHS entered into a "settlement" with Florida, Iowa, Ohio, and Indiana agreeing to do it, and handing power to a Trump-appointed judge in Florida to ensure compliance. But that database has now been enjoined by a judge in DC for violating the Privacy Act of 1974, so Florida is moving to enforce the settlement in Florida.    And in DC, Judge Emmet Sullivan barred the Post Office from complying with Trump's executive order requiring the mailman to claw back ballots from any voter not on an approved list. This order violates a 2021 settlement the government made with the NAACP after Trump's last postmaster general tried to mess with mail-in ballots.   A judge in Louisiana has dismissed a lawsuit against several academics associated with the now-shuttered Stanford Internet Observatory. The online wingnut plaintiffs alleged that they had been "censored" by scholars who pointed out that they were violating Facebook's TOS.   Former CIA Director John Brennan is suing Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche in DC, seeking an injunction forcing prosecutors investigating him to retain all records. He hasn't been indicted yet, but, with Trump's minions planning a giant conspiracy indictment in Florida, he wants an order to preserve evidence for an eventual motion to dismiss for vindictive prosecution.   Prosecutors trying to convict a former US Attorney in Florida for emailing herself a copy of Special Counsel Jack Smith's report on the stolen documents case were forced to admit that they'd done the exact same thing, sending copies of it to defense counsel in discovery disclosures.    MAIN SHOW:   The Supreme Court issued its final opinions of the term.    In Trump v. Barbara, a narrow majority upheld birthright citizenship, refusing to invent some kind of exception to the plain terms of the 14th Amendment.   The conservative justices continued to tear down barriers to corruption in politics, invalidating the Federal Elections Campaign Act's bar on campaigns coordinating spending with outside committees in NRSC v. FEC.    And in West Virginia v. BPJ/Little v. Hecox, the six conservatives allowed states to ban trans athletes from sports.   Finally, we discuss a new class action lawsuit challenging labor practices at the online gaming platform Roblox for violating child labor laws.   US v. New Hampshire Secretary of State [Voter rolls] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71453646/united-states-v-nh-secretary-of-state/   State of Florida v. DHS [SAVE voter verification database] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69271601/state-of-florida-v-department-of-homeland-security   Hines v. Stamos [Stanford Internet Observatory] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/67310145/hines-v-stamos   NAACP v. US [Mail-in ballots] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/17461792/national-association-for-the-advancement-of-colored-people-v-united-states   Brennan v. Blanche https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73562893/brennan-v-blanche/   SCOTUS Trump v. Barbara (14th Amdt birthright citizenship) https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/25-365_4hdj.pdf   NRSC v. FEC (PAC Coordination/campaign finance) https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/24-621_h315.pdf   West Virginia v. BPJ/Little v. Hecox (trans athletes) https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/24-43_2b35.pdf   Doe B.D. v. Roblox Corp. [docket via CourtListener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73332976/doe-bd-v-roblox-corporation/   Eurogamer, Roblox Studio boss: children making money on the platform isn't exploitation, it's a gift [April 4, 2024] https://www.eurogamer.net/roblox-studio-boss-children-making-money-on-the-platform-isnt-exploitation-its-a-gift Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod  
• Ep 241 — SCOTUS Burns Down The Government For Sport 30.06.2026 56min

  DOCKET ALERTS: From the SCOTUS orders list, petitions for certiorari denied in E. Jean Carroll's defamation suit against Trump and Alan Dershowitz's defamation suit against CNN. Pay up, a-hole! And of course, a big Nelson Muntz HA HA for Dersh.   The DC man who followed National Guard troops around while playing the Imperial March from Star Wars has settled his lawsuit against DC cops, but not against the guardsmen who called them.   John "Torture Memos" Yoo has been sworn in as a constitutional "advisor" to the farcical conspiracy investigation in South Florida being led by conspiracy-flogging lawyer Joe diGenova.   We discuss our post on the NRA trying to sue itself into oblivion.   DOOFUS OF THE DAY: Mehmet Oz   MAIN SHOW: Journalist Katie Phang sued the Justice Department to make it release the remaining Epstein files, and she won!   Associate Attorney General Stan Woodward told a federal judge in Virginia to get bent in the slush fund case. Big fail!   The Supreme Court rules that states can accept ballots that are postmarked by election day and arrive a few days late.    But SCOTUS went on to gut the administrative state in a case called Trump v. Slaughter, overturning a seminal 1935 case that allowed Congress to protect federal agencies and ensure partisan continuity by barring the president from firing agency heads and board members. The Court did carve out an exception for the Federal Reserve in Trump v. Cook, which is different for, uh, REASONS.    SUBSCRIBER EDITION: We'll break down the Supreme Court's ruling in Chatrie v. US, a case involving geofencing warrants for cellphone location data.   SCOTUS orders list https://www.supremecourt.gov/orders/courtorders/062926zor_1bn2.pdf   O'Hara v. Beck https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71730267/ohara-v-beck/   Yoo to advise diGenova on probe into inquiries of Trump's 2016 campaign and Russia https://www.politico.com/news/2026/06/28/yoo-to-advise-digenova-on-probe-into-inquiries-of-trumps-2016-campaign-and-russia-00979585   The NRA Is Suing Itself In All The Courts At Once https://www.lawandchaospod.com/p/the-nra-is-suing-itself-in-all-the   Phang v. Blanche https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73246595/phang-v-blanche/   Floyd v. DOJ [Slush Fund] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73383692/floyd-v-department-of-justice/   Watson v. RNC [late ballots] https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/24-1260_g3cn.pdf   Trump v. Cook [Federal Reserve Board] https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/25a312_5468.pdf   Trump v. Slaughter [FTC] https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/25-332_qn12.pdf   Chatrie v. US https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/slipopinion/25#:~:text=Chatrie%20v.%20United%20States Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod  
• Ep 240 — The Only Consistent Thing About The Supreme Court 26.06.2026 1t

  DOCKET ALERTS: The administration says it's going to prosecute anyone who touches the algae-ridden Reflecting Pool at the Lincoln Memorial. So far, that seems to be more bluster than reality.   Sadly, what isn't bluster is that Judges Reed O'Connor and Mark Pittman in Texas are handing down extraordinarily long punitive sentences for Antifa protestors to "send a message" not to criticize the government.   DOOFUS OF THE DAY: Postmaster General David Steiner, who tried to pass off voter suppression efforts to not distribute ballots as just "best practices" for the USPS. Fortunately, Judge Indira Talwani in Massachusetts permanently enjoined that part of Trump's plan to steal the midterms and ordered declared Trump's executive order unconstitutional and void.   MAIN SHOW: It was a rough week at the Supreme Court, with SEVEN decisions all reaching extreme right-wing outcomes, all by the exact same 6-3 margin, and using contradictory legal "reasoning" to get there. The Supreme Court prevented victims of human rights abuses from suing the US company Cisco, while permitting Exxon Mobil to sue the Cuban government.   US v. Song [antifa protestors, docket via CourtListener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71912958/united-states-v-arnold/   California v. Trump [post office injunction, docket via CourtListener] https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mad.298518/   Exxon Mobil v. Corporation CIMEX [Supreme Court suits against Cuba] https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/24-699_f204.pdf   Cisco Systems v. Doe [Supreme Court human rights suits] https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/24-856_kjfm.pdf   Landor v. Louisiana Dep't of Corrections [Supreme Court Rastafarian religious liberty] https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/23-1197_h3ci.pdf   Blanche v. Lau [Supreme Court lawful permanent residents] https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/25-429_h3ci.pdf   Mullin v. Al Otro Lado [Supreme Court asylum applications] https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/25-5_86qd.pdf   Mullin v. Doe [Supreme Court TPS] https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/25-1083_f204.pdf   US v. Southern Poverty Law Center [criminal indictment of SPLC; docket via CourtListener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73223865/united-states-v-southern-poverty-law-center-inc/?filed_after=&filed_before=&entry_gte=&entry_lte=&order_by=desc Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod  
• Ep 239 — Slush Fund Funtimes 23.06.2026 56min

  DOCKET ALERTS: Maryland became the ninth state to beat back a lawsuit from the DOJ's Civil Division seeking to seize its full, unredacted voter rolls.   In Massachusetts, a judge allowed states to proceed with a lawsuit to block an executive order requiring DHS to maintain a master list of voters and barring USPS from delivering mail-in ballots from anyone on the list.    DOOFUS OF THE DAY: Sixth Circuit Judge Amul Thapar, who was featured in a Bloomberg Law story about judges embarrassing themselves by trying to get nominated for SCOTUS if/when Justice Alito announces his retirement in July. Thapar, who is 56, started a Substack to talk about how his fitness regimen means he's really only 43.   MAIN SHOW:   In Minnesota, Chief Judge Patrick Schiltz quashed DOJ subpoenas for Gov. Tim Walz, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, AG Keith Ellison, and several other state officials. The court held that the subpoenas were plainly levied for an improper purpose, namely to punish state officials for refusing to cooperate with Trump's immigration raids. That's a violation of the Tenth Amendment.   Also in Minnesota, charges were dropped against yet another protester from the winter immigration surge into the Twin Cities. ICE/CBP conduct here was egregious, and the US Attorney claims to be investigating.   Since the satirical newspaper The Onion is planning to launch an InfoWars parody on July 2, we revisit all of the bankruptcy court shenanigans to date and talk about what might happen next in court.   Finally, we check in on the Trump insurrectionist slush fund and the administration's continued refusal to actually promise in court, under oath, that it won't resurrect the idea. In the Eastern District of Virginia, the administration simply refused to file declarations ordered by the presiding judge. And in the original lawsuit Trump filed against the IRS in Florida, 35 eminent judges filed their reply brief urging the judge to reopen the case and inspect the settlement.   In the Subscriber Bonus, we break down a lawsuit filed by the Ford Motor Company against a law firm in California that has an… aggressive approach to trying to get its attorneys' fees reimbursed for representing consumers who get their cars replaced under the state's "Lemon Law."   US v. DeMarinis [Maryland voter rolls] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71980724/united-states-v-demarinis/   League of Women Voters v. Trump [Mail-in ballot EO] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73133197/league-of-women-voters-of-massachusetts-v-trump/   In re Subpoenas [MN subpoenas quashed] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73512670/in-re-subpoenas/   US v. Johnson [MN protester, charges dropped] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72200628/united-states-v-johnson/   Judges Jockey for Potential Trump Supreme Court Appointment https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/judges-jockey-for-potential-trump-supreme-court-appointment   Floyd v. DOJ [lawsuit challenging Slush Fund; docket via CourtListener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73383692/floyd-v-department-of-justice/   Trump v. IRS [docket via CourtListener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72040010/trump-v-british-broadcasting-corporation/?order_by=desc   Ford Motor Company v. Quill & Arrow LLP [fee-shifting in Lemon Law cases; docket via CourtListener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73503023/ford-motor-company-v-quill-arrow-llp/ Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod  
• Ep 238 — Speech Crimes 19.06.2026 51min

  DOCKET ALERTS:   Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville is facing a residency challenge to his gubernatorial campaign.   The Justice Department dismissed a case seeking to enforce a moratorium on offshore and onshore windfarm permits. Instead they're buying back leases for windfarms, so that energy companies can develop natural gas plants in the midwest. Murica!   The DOJ is trying to take advantage of a half-assed plot to attack Trump's UFC to get the court to let him build his ballroom.    Doofus of the Day: Covid denier Alex Berenson, who got a $150,000 payout from the Trump administration because he got booted from Twitter in 2021.   MAIN SHOW:   It was an opinion day at SCOTUS, and every decision was authored by a bizarre coalition of justices. Of most interest was US v. Hemani, in which the Court held that regular marijuana use cannot be a reason to deny Americans the right to own a gun.   The US Attorneys Office in Minnesota announced conspiracy charges against protesters of the immigration surge into Minneapolis earlier this year. Like the Broadview 6 case, it's a transparent attempt to criminalize activities protected by the First Amendment and impose collective punishment on opponents of the administration's policies.   The Federal Trade Commission sued the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) in Texas, alleging that its Standards of Care document (SOC-8) violates Section 5 of the FTC Act.   SUBSCRIBERS: No FISA for you! Trump just blew up the deal to get FISA reauthorized and his new Director of National Intelligence confirmed.   Tuberville Residency Challenge [via ALReporter] https://www.alreporter.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Tuberville-Filings.pdf   US v. Hemani [Supreme Court] https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/24-1234_g2bh.pdf   Hunter v. US [Supreme Court] https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/24-1063_5ifl.pdf   T.M. v. Univ. of Maryland Medical System [Supreme Court] https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/25-197_bp7c.pdf   US v. Sant [MN protesters] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73489496/united-states-v-sant   FTC v. WPATH [docket via CourtListener] https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.txnd.421590/   WPATH SOC-8 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/26895269.2022.2100644   HHS's "Treatment for Pediatric Gender Dysphoria: Review of Evidence and Best Practices." https://opa.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/2025-11/gender-dysphoria-report.pdf Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod  
• Ep 237 — A Slush Fund By Any Other Name Would Still Reek 16.06.2026 55min

  DOCKET ALERTS:   The Supreme Court issued orders today, opinions coming Thursday.   The Wall Street Journal reports that Jeanine Pirro, the US Attorney for DC, is investigating banks for "debanking" conservatives.    Judge James Boasberg benchslapped Pirro's effort to magic away his order quashing her abusive subpoena on the Federal Reserve.   DOOFUS OF THE DAY: A judge in Mississippi disqualified all the lawyers in a case after finding that both sides cited fake cases hallucinated by AI.   MAIN SHOW:   The battle over the Kennedy Center continues. At the eleventh hour, the Center's Board appealed the order to take Trump's name off the building, citing a new rule that would strip all funding from the institution if Trump's name came down. The trial judge denied the requested stay, and so did the Circuit Court. Meanwhile, the Washington National Opera is suing the Kennedy Center for expropriating its $17 million endowment.   In the Eastern District of Virginia, Judge Leonie Brinkema issued a preliminary injunction blocking the administration from implementing the Anti-Weaponization Fund whether under a new name or not.   New reporting from Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan in the New York Times reveals two revealing memos from White House advisor Will Scharf on suspending the writ of habeas corpus and the Insurrection Act.   SUBSCRIBER BONUS:   A federal judge in Massachusetts blocked Texas AG Ken Paxton's investigation into the Democratic fundraising platform ActBlue, holding that it was plainly retaliatory for its support for his Democratic Senate rival James Talarico.   SCOTUS Orders List June 15 https://www.supremecourt.gov/orders/courtorders/061526zor_5if6.pdf   Jeanine Pirro's Prosecutors Probe Big Banks for Alleged 'Debanking' https://www.wsj.com/finance/regulation/jeanine-pirros-prosecutors-probe-big-banks-for-alleged-debanking-13568e9b   Powell/Fed Reserve Subpoenas https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72490330/in-re-grand-jury-subpoenas   ActBlue v. Paxton https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73285205/actblue-llc-v-paxton/   Washington National Opera v. US https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73476333/washington-national-opera-v-united-states/   Beatty v. Trump [DC Circuit] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73477160/joyce-beatty-v-donald-trump   Withers v. City of Aberdeen [AI Attorney Sanctions] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69485760/withers-v-city-of-aberdeen   Floyd v. DOJ [docket via CourtListener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73383692/floyd-v-department-of-justice/?order_by=desc   Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan,"Frustrated by Courts, Trump Weighed Suspending a Constitutional Right," New York Times, June 15, 2026 https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/15/us/politics/trump-scharf-habeas-corpus-insurrection-act.html   Will Scharf Habeas Corpus memo https://static01.nyt.com/newsgraphics/documenttools/2afc51a03e41c257/7f0f0dff-full.pdf   Will Scharf Insurrection Act memo https://static01.nyt.com/newsgraphics/documenttools/ab7a26e5d4b63268/402f052f-full.pdf   Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod  
• Ep 236 — Is Trump's Newest Lawyer WORSE Than Alina Habba? 12.06.2026 52min

  DOCKET ALERTS:   Will Trump's name come off the Kennedy Center in time for the court-ordered deadline?   New York congressional candidate Brad Lander was acquitted of charges related to a peaceful protest inside the federal building where ICE is warehousing immigrants.   The House failed to reauthorize Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. We'll explain what this has to do with Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte.   MAIN SHOW:   Doofus of the Day Alejandro Brito, Trump's lawyer on the defamation trollsuit against the BBC, is inventing new ways to piss off the judge. But he's teaching us a lot about CivPro!   The grand jury transcripts are here in the Broadview 6 case, and they are somehow even worse than we expected. We'll break down all the vouching/ex parte/voir dire action, and the rapidly expanding blast radius.    SUBSCRIBERS:   Is the Trump slush fund alive or dead? Acting AG Todd Blanche says it's over, but he won't put it in writing.   US v. Rabbitt https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71795281/united-states-v-rabbitt/   Sarah Fitzpatrick, The Atlantic, "Trump Isn't Giving Up on His Slush Fund" https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/2026/06/trump-anti-weaponization-fund/687500/   'Broadview 6' repeat? Loretto Hospital exec's fraud case could crumble amid claims of prosecutors' misconduct https://chicago.suntimes.com/crime/2026/06/10/hearing-in-loretto-hospital-case-could-address-claims-of-prosecutors-misconduct-if-feds-dont-drop-it   Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod  
• Ep 235 — The Only Thing Bigger Than The UFC Claw Is The Grift 09.06.2026 59min

  DOCKET ALERTS:   Doofus of the Day: George Santos, who is clearly trying to get himself back into jail. NPR reported that the former congressman bet against his own appearance at the State of the Union in February. After NPR reported that Kalshi had frozen his accounts and referred him to the CFTC and DOJ, Santos called up journalist Bobby Allyn and threatened him with "a gun in your face."   Also seeking a pardon: Sam Bankman-Fried.   Judge Leo Sorokin in Massachusetts blocked Trump's attempt to tax H-1B visas out of existence by imposing a $100,000 "fee."   MAIN SHOW:   Trump's lawyer Alejandro Brito is finding new and creative ways to piss off the judge in Trump's trollsuit against the BBC.   The DOJ is broken! Today's examples include: The DOJ telling the DC Circuit that it would be just fine for Trump to bulldoze the Statue of Liberty. A judge in Rhode Island referring DOJ lawyers for attorney discipline and sanctions. And a story from the New York Times about all the prosecutors who got pushed out because they wouldn't indict Trump's enemies.   Plaintiffs are trying to stop Donald Trump from hosting a UFC fight on the White House lawn.   SUBSCRIBER BONUS: The Department of Defense reduced the number of recognized religious faiths from 211 to 31 — they kept all the good non-woke ones, it's fine. I wrote about George Santos. Then he made a violent threat and lied about it https://www.npr.org/2026/06/04/nx-s1-5846966/george-santos-kalshi-threats   California v. Noem [H-1B visas] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72031571/state-of-california-v-noem/   Trump v. BBC https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72040010/trump-v-british-broadcasting-corporation   How the Drive to Find a Conspiracy Against Trump Rocked the Justice Dept. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/08/us/politics/justice-department-trump-patel-conspiracy.html   Douglas v. National Park Service (UFC) [docket via CourtListener] https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.293217/gov.uscourts.dcd.293217.3.1.pdf   Forbes, "Trump Says UFC Arena Could Be Permanent At White House—Everything We Know About The Upcoming Event"  https://www.forbes.com/sites/maryroeloffs/2026/06/04/trump-says-ufc-arena-could-be-permanent-at-white-house-everything-we-know-about-the-upcoming-event/   Pete Hegseth on the chaplain corps https://www.war.gov/News/News-Stories/Article/Article/4444113/hegseth-announces-reforms-to-chaplain-corps/   Sean Parnell announcement re: DOD religious codes [via X.com] https://x.com/SeanParnellASW/status/2062964159222874227   Pew Research Center Religious Landscape Study https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2025/02/26/religious-landscape-study-executive-summary/   Military.com, "DOD Officially Drops 180 Faiths From Military's Recognized Religion List" https://www.military.com/dod-officially-drops-180-faiths-from-militarys-recognized-religion-list   Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod
• Ep 234 — Holy Grand Jury, Batman! 05.06.2026 1t 12min

  DOCKET ALERTS: A federal judge in Colorado enjoined the National Science Foundation from shutting down the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder. APA, FTW!   The DC Circuit ruled that Pete Hegseth's policy kicking out all trans service members and barring enlistment by anyone who ever had a diagnosis of gender dysphoria is rooted in animus and cannot stand. But the remedy was narrowly cabined to the plaintiffs in this case, and only those who are currency active duty.   The Supreme Court let Alabama redraw its Congressional maps while primary voting was already underway and use a racially-discriminatory map in order to squeeze one more Republican seat in Congress out for the 2026 midterms.   Doofus of the Day: BATMAN! Eric Batman, some whiny dork in LA who says his Christian faith means that he has to work from home during June lest he be oppressed by a trans flag flying outside his office. The grifters at Liberty Counsel eagerly fundraising off their preposterous trollsuit on Doofus's behalf.   MAIN SHOW:   The DOJ filed a superseding indictment against the Southern Poverty Law Center. It's meant to remedy the obvious deficiencies in the first indictment, but it actually seems to bolster the SPLC's claim that they were trying to protect informants, not take down donors.   Meanwhile, DOJ seems to have leaked a draft version of the new indictment to reporters before presenting it to the grand jurors, potentially violating grand jury secrecy. SPLC moved for a show cause order forcing DOJ to explain "its conduct and why it should not be sanctioned considering the prejudicial consequences at stake here."   Back in Chicago, US Attorney Andrew Boutros explained that he wasn't inappropriately trying to voir dire the grand jury. Perish the thought! And how very dare you, sir! He was just advising them that if they didn't think they could convict, they should put their hands up and explain themselves. Ummmmm…..    On May 1, NASDAQ implemented major rule changes to the way in which newly-public companies can join the Nasdaq 100 index.   University Corporation for Atmospheric Research v. National Science Foundation https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72496922/university-corporation-for-atmospheric-research-v-national-science/   Talbott v. USA [Trans Troops DC Circuit] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69800554/nicolas-talbott-v-usa/   Allen v. Milligan (Alabama redistricting) [Supreme Court stay] https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/25a1314_7m58.pdf   SpaceX Prospectus https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1181412/000162828026036936/spaceexplorationtechnologi.htm   NASDAQ 100 New Methodology https://indexes.nasdaq.com/docs/Methodology_NDX.pdf   Liberty Counsel's press release (Batman v. Los Angeles County) https://lc.org/newsroom/details/260530-la-to-christians-youre-mentally-ill   Batman v. LA County [docket via CourtListener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72385442/eric-batman-v-los-angeles-county/?filed_after=&filed_before=&entry_gte=&entry_lte=&order_by=desc   Copy of Batman's complaint [via Liberty Counsel] https://lc.org/PDFs/Attachments2PRsLAs/2026/031026-1VerifiedComplaint.pdf   US v. SPLC https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73223865/united-states-v-southern-poverty-law-center-inc/   US Attorney Andrew Boutros Statement https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndil/media/1443716/dl?inline   Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod
• Ep 232 — The Vindictive DOJ 04.06.2026 1t 9min

  DOCKET ALERTS:   Joe Dye begins a series on the second phase of the redistricting wars at his Substack.    Multiple states are threatening to tax payouts from Trump's slush fund at 100 percent.    The Trump Administration is suing Massachusetts for failing to give "confidential," hard to trace license plates to ICE and CBP.   A panel of federal judges in Alabama once again rejected the state's congressional map as an illegal racial gerrymander. The state has appealed to SCOTUS.   Don Lemon moved to unseal the grand jury transcript in the Cities Church protest prosecution. He cited the recently unsealed magistrate's docket, showing the government's wild overreach — not to mention incompetence — in its warrant applications, along with the many cases where courts have said the DOJ is currently lawless and entitled to no presumption of regularity.   The New York Times had a wild story this week about the Justice Department's total loss of credibility with grand juries, including in Wyoming, where the US Attorney's total violation of grand jury rules led to the dismissal of nine indictments.   MAIN SHOW:   The US Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois is reportedly investigating E. Jean Carroll for perjury. In a deposition in 2022, Carroll misspoke and said that her litigation was not being funded by anyone else. She later corrected the record to say that some of her fees were being paid by a nonprofit associated with LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman. The government is trying to do to that nonprofit what it's done to the Southern Poverty Law Center, alleging that it somehow conspired to hide its activities by getting Carroll to lie under oath.   Meanwhile, the SPLC is moving to dismiss its case based on vindictive prosecution. Luckily it has eleventy-seven clips of Trump officials declaring that they're on a revenge mission to take out the civil rights organization.   In non-political news, a drag queen named Pattie Gonia is in a trademark dispute with the brand Patagonia.    SUBSCRIBER BONUS:   Trump is making NDAs great again.   How Democrats Can Take Back the Redistricting Wars Pt. 1 https://josephdye.substack.com/p/how-democrats-can-take-back-the-redistricting   US v. Massachusetts [Confidential License Plates] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73400637/united-states-v-the-commonwealth-of-massachusetts/   Milligan v. Allen https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/61494291/milligan-v-allen   US v. Levy-Armstrong [Cities Church/Don Lemon] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72212459/united-states-v-levy-armstrong/   In re Search Warrant [Cities Church/Don Lemon magistrate docket] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72323660/in-re-search-warrant/   As Trump Politicizes Justice Dept., Prosecutors Struggle With Grand Juries https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/26/us/politics/trump-justice-department-grand-juries.html DOJ probes Democratic-allied nonprofit that helped fund E. Jean Carroll's legal bills https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2026/05/28/doj-probes-reid-hoffmans-nonprofit-funding-e-jean-carrolls-legal-bills/   US v. Southern Poverty Law Center [docket via CourtListener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73223865/united-states-v-southern-poverty-law-center-inc/   Patagonia, Inc. v. Entrepreneur Enterprises, Inc. ("Patty Gonia") [docket via CourtListener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72169060/patagonia-inc-v-entrepreneur-enterprises-inc/   Pattie Gonia Instagram responding to lawsuit https://www.instagram.com/p/DY2L725tVow/   Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod
• Ep 231 — Abrego Garcia Wins Again 04.06.2026 48min

  DOCKET ALERTS: Judges in Maine and Wisconsin hand DOJ two more losses as they sue to get access to state voter rolls to check for non-existent election fraud.   Associate Attorney General Stan Woodward is back with another batsh*t ballroom filing.   DOOFUS OF THE DAY:   Attorney D. Hayden Fisher, who filed a bumptious SLAPP suit against locals in Norfolk who dared to disparage a MAGA-coded brewery for perceived anti-LGBTQ+ bias.   MAIN SHOW:   We'll revisit the implosion of the Broadview 6 prosecution. Turns out, the government's main goal all along was to hide the corruption and misconduct at the heart of this case.   And Kilmar Abrego Garcia is free! Judge Waverly Crenshaw dismissed his criminal case on the basis of vindictive prosecution.   US v. Bellows [Maine Voter Rolls] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71367730/united-states-v-bellows/   US v. Wisconsin Elections Commission [Wisconsin Voter Rolls] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72055967/united-states-v-wisconsin-elections-commission   National Trust for Historic Preservation v. National Park Service [Ballroom] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72028010/national-trust-for-historic-preservation-in-the-united-states-v-national/   Armed Forces Brewing Co. v. Coplon [Doofus SLAPP suit] https://armedforcesbrewingco.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Complaint-26-5-18-Final.pdf   Broadview 6 May 21 Hearing https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/95/75/a403b7674c31b8f5bb0ecae58921/25cr693-usa-v-rabbitt-052126.pdf   US v. Rabbit [Broadview 6] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71795281/parties/united-states-v-rabbitt/   United States v. Abrego (TN criminal docket) [docket via CourtListener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/70475970/united-states-v-abrego-garcia/?order_by=desc   Abrego Garcia v. Noem (MD Civil litigation) [docket via CourtListener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71191591/abrego-garcia-v-noem/?order_by=desc   United States v. Carey (DC flag burning) [docket via CourtListener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71223464/united-states-v-carey/   Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod
• Ep 230 — DOJ Tiptoes Around The Sh*tpile! 04.06.2026 1t 5min

  DOCKET ALERTS:   Congressional Republicans abstain courteously from blessing Trump's ICE/CBP allocation after Trump torpedoes several sitting GOP politicians and demands cash for the ballroom and the $1.8 billion J6 slush fund. They're heading home until June, TYVM.   DOJ indicts former Cuban leader Raúl Castro, age 94, for shooting down two flights of dissident exiles dropping leaflets back in 1996. Is this a prelude to Bay of Pigs 2?   Officials in Florida and Tennessee discover that the First Amendment applies to everyone, even people who criticize Charlie Kirk. Good thing it's taxpayers picking up the tab for this little life lesson!   And Acting AG Todd Blanche adds a codicil to the slush fund settlement granting amnesty to Trump and his kids for past tax crimes — but not future ones! (Don't believe everything you read on the internet.)   DOOFUS OF THE DAY: Todd Blanche.   MAIN SHOW:   Judge Leo Sorokin in Massachusetts sanctions ICE for lying to the court about the time an immigrant detainee left the jurisdiction. This one will make you mad!   And the indictment against the "Broadview 6" for protesting outside an ICE detention center implodes after the grand jury transcripts reveal a dumpsterfire of impropriety and potentially sanctionable misconduct by the prosecution. Read this hearing transcript — but not after taking a giant swig of milk!   SUBSCRIBER BONUS:   Meet the new tariffs! Same as the old tariffs! (Illegal.) And NO the administration can't keep collecting them right now because they're too busy trying to figure out how to refund the last batch of illegal tariffs to figure it out.   US v. Perez-Perez [Raul Castro indictment] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/31009891/united-states-v-perez-perez/   Civil Rights Lawyers Secure $485,000 Settlement for FWC Biologist Fired Over Charlie Kirk Social Media Post https://www.aclufl.org/press-releases/civil-rights-lawyers-secure-485000-settlement-for-fwc-biologist-fired-over-charlie-kirk-social-media-post/   He Was Jailed Over a Charlie Kirk Post. The Sheriff Now Owes Him $835,000. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/20/us/larry-bushart-charlie-kirk-facebook-settlement.html   Slush Fund Codicil https://www.justice.gov/opa/media/1441216/dl   Guevara Peruano v. Wesling [ICE Sanctions] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72181340/guevara-peruano-v-wesling/   Oregon v. Trump [Tarriffs] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72368522/the-state-of-oregon-v-trump/   Broadview 6 May 21 Hearing https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/95/75/a403b7674c31b8f5bb0ecae58921/25cr693-usa-v-rabbitt-052126.pdf US v. Rabbit [Broadview 6] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71795281/parties/united-states-v-rabbitt/   Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod
• Ep 229 — Judicial Warfare 04.06.2026 57min

  DOCKET ALERTS: The Supreme Court stayed a lower court decision out of Texas banning doctors from dispensing the abortion drug mifepristone. The Colorado Supreme Court barred Children's Hospital from cutting gender-affirming care, calling it a denial of treatment on the basis of sex and gender identity.   The DOJ is suing the DC Bar to stop it disciplining upstanding government lawyers like Ed Martin and Jeff Clark. The case has been assigned to Judge Richard Leon!!!   Elon Musk lost his lawsuit against Sam Altman and OpenAI.   MAIN SHOW:   The DOJ's effort to harass trans kids and their medical providers is escalating into a judicial crisis as Judge Reed O'Connor in the Northern District of Texas purports to bar Rhode Island Hospital from seeking redress in any other court or from "aiding and abetting" anyone else in seeking redress. Meanwhile in Rhode Island, Judge Mary McElroy says the Hospital does not have to comply.   Trump purports to "settle" his lawsuit against the IRS over the 2020 disclosure of his tax returns by establishing a $1.8 billion slush fund for the "victims of weaponization" of the DOJ under Biden. Is that legal? (No.)   Danco Labs v. Louisiana [US Supreme Court - mifepristone] https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/25a1207_21p3.pdf   Boe v. Children's Hospital Colorado [Colorado Supreme Court - gender affirming care] https://www.coloradojudicial.gov/system/files/opinions-2026-05/26SA66.pdf   US v. Fox [DOJ sues DC Bar] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73338949/united-states-v-fox/?order_by=desc   In Re: Administrative Subpoena 25-1431-032 [Texas action] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73276712/in-re-administrative-subpoena-25-1431-032/   In Re: Motion to Quash Administrative Subpoena to Rhode Island Hospital [Rhode Island action] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73290254/in-re-motion-to-quash-administrative-subpoena-to-rhode-island-hospital/   Trump v. IRS [docket via CourtListener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72207870/trump-v-internal-revenue-service/   DOJ Notice of Settlement - administration of "Anti-Weaponization Fund" https://www.justice.gov/opa/media/1441086/dl   OLC Memorandum, "Availability of Judgement Fund in Cases Not Involving a Money Judgment Claim" https://www.justice.gov/file/151086/dl?inline   Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod
• Ep 228 — Gerrymanders For Me But Not For Thee 04.06.2026 1t 5min

  DOCKET ALERTS:   As Trump rants at "Neil and Amy" for betraying him in the IEEPA tariffs case, the next tariff battle is already taking shape.   Reuters legal reporters analyzed court stats in Minnesota and proved that federal prosecutions cratered during the immigration surge. So much for "cleaning up" crime.   Doofus of the Day: Pete Hegseth, who is vowing to put Senator Mark Kelly in jail … again.   Judge Melissa Dubose referred the head of the Civil Division at the US Attorney's Office for Rhode Island for possible sanctions due to lack of candor. Chief Judge John McConnell appointed a special counsel to review.   Justice Alito extended the stay in the mifepristone case until Thursday.   MAIN SHOW:   The Virginia Supreme Court struck down the Democratic gerrymander on a technicality. Now the state's legislators have filed a longshot emergency application for stay at the Supreme Court.   And FCC Chair Brendan Carr is lying about the equal time rule as an excuse to go after the ladies at The View.    Oregon v. Trump [Tariffs] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72368522/the-state-of-oregon-v-trump   Trump vowed to fight crime in Minneapolis. Prosecutions plunged https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/how-trumps-minneapolis-immigration-blitz-hobbled-federal-crime-fighting-2026-05-07/   Gomez v. Nessinger [Rhode Island Attorney Sanctions] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73235898/gomez-v-nessinger/   Mifepristone SCOTUS Docket https://www.supremecourt.gov/search.aspx?filename=/docket/docketfiles/html/public/25a1208.html   Scott v. McDougle (Virginia Supreme Court) https://www.vacourts.gov/static/opinions/opnscvwp/1260127.pdf   Scott v. McDougle [US Supreme Court petition for stay] https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/25/25A1240/408563/20260511151941216_25A%20Application%20for%20Stay.pdf   FCC Petition by KTRK-TV (The View) https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/document/10507899614175/1   FCC Chair Brandon Carr letter (DA 26-68) https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DA-26-68A1.pdf   Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod
• Ep 227 — Presumption of Irregularity 04.06.2026 1t 4min

  DESCRIPTION:   Kash Patel is not as think as you drunk he is … again. And if you tell someone about it, he'll strap you to a polygraph.   The DC Circuit seems likely to side with Senator Mark Kelly in his lawsuit against Pete Hegseth for trying to steal his pension.   The DOJ subpoenaed a hospital in Rhode Island for medical records of kids receiving gender affirming care. While the parties were negotiating, the DOJ filed a petition to enforce in Texas, which their hand-picked Judge Reed O'Connor instantly granted. Now the hospital has appealed to the Fifth Circuit (ughhh) and the Rhode Island Child Advocate has filed a motion to quash in the District of Rhode Island.   Our Doofus of the Day is Chief Justice John Roberts. It won't always be someone on the Supreme Court, but when you stand up in front of hundreds of lawyers to whine about how unfair it is that people think your obviously political Supreme Court is political, how could we resist?   MAIN SHOW:   The 11th Circuit has joined two other circuit courts of appeal in ruling that the Trump administration cannot use the mandatory detention provisions of the Immigration and Naturalization Act to hold any immigrant, anywhere in the US, for any length of time and with no opportunity for a bond hearing.   The DOJ is so desperate to hire lawyers that they're offering signing bonuses and tipping current employees with "retention incentive allowances" to keep them from fleeing. Turns out, competent lawyers don't like harassing trans kids for sport and indicting Democratic politicians on spurious grounds.   Judge Coleen McMahon ruled that DOGE illegally dismantled the National Endowment for the Humanities when the bros fed the grantee database into ChatGPT with an instruction to find grants were "DEI."   The Southern Poverty Law Center says the government's public lies about the case — lookin' at you, Todd Blanche — are so egregious that the court should hand over the grand jury transcript.   Judges in Rhode Island and Texas are dueling over the DOJ's subpoena for the medical record for transgender minors.   READING LIST: How Professional Wrestling Prepared Linda McMahon for Trump's Cabinet   Kash Patel's Personalized Bourbon Stash https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/2026/05/kash-patel-fbi-bourbon/687066/   Kash Patel ordered polygraphs of more than two dozen members of his team, sources tell MS NOW https://www.ms.now/news/kash-patel-ordered-polygraphs-of-more-than-two-dozen-members-of-his-team-sources-tell-ms-now   DOJ Offers Lawyers $25,000 Signing Bonuses as Hiring Lags https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/doj-offers-lawyers-25-000-signing-bonuses-as-recruitment-lags   US. SPLC https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73223865/united-states-v-southern-poverty-law-center-inc   In Re: Administrative Subpoena 25-1431-032 [Texas action] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73276712/in-re-administrative-subpoena-25-1431-032/   In Re: Motion to Quash Administrative Subpoena to Rhode Island Hospital [Rhode Island action] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73290254/in-re-motion-to-quash-administrative-subpoena-to-rhode-island-hospital/   "Chief Justice John Roberts says American public wrongly views the justices as 'political actors'" [NBC News] https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/supreme-court/chief-justice-john-roberts-says-justices-are-not-political-actors-rcna343958   Hernandez Alvarez v. Warden (11th Cir. immigration) [docket via CourtListener] https://storage.courtlistener.com/pdf/2026/05/06/ismael_perez_v._assistant_field_office_director_krome_north_service.pdf   American Council of Learned Societies v. McDonald https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/70035052/american-council-of-learned-societies-v-mcdonald/   How Professional Wrestling Prepared Linda McMahon for Trump's Cabinet https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/04/27/linda-mcmahon-profile   Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod
• Ep 226 — SCOTUS and Louisiana Go Mask Off 04.06.2026 56min

  DOCKET ALERTS:    Sadly, recurring L&C segment "Justin Baldoni Teaches CivPro" is canceled. He and Blake Lively settled their civil suit today. Now we'll just have to rely on Trump and his minions to show us how law does not work.   The DOJ subpoenaed a Rhode Island hospital for patient records on gender affirming care. When the hospital failed to respond (oh no!), the DOJ moved to enforce the subpoena … in Texas, before a hand-picked conservative jurist. Judge Reed O'Connor granted the motion, and now the hospital is seeking to block the demand in a Rhode Island federal court.   Trump says the War Powers Resolution doesn't count because of the ceasefire. He's full of s***.   Law and Chaos's first inaugural Doofus of the Day is Justice Neil Gorsuch, who went on Fox News to hawk his book and tell us all about the Christian Founding Fathers.   MAIN SHOW:   On Friday the Fifth Circuit purported to ban the abortion drug mifepristone nationwide based on a letter from HHS Secretary Robert "Bear Carcass" Kennedy implying that the dispensing protocol had been arbitrarily decided. On Monday, the Supreme Court stayed that order temporarily.    Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and Alina Habba — what even is her job these days??? — both appeared on TV and undermined the Comey seashells case.    Democratic candidate Lindsay Garcia and a local voter have sued Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry over his executive order that suspends that state's primary elections – but only for the US House of Representatives races.   And for subscribers: US Attorney for DC Jeanine Pirro is ready to pick up the slack for Justin Baldoni. Today she'll teach us how Munsinwear vacatur doesn't work.    In Re: Administrative Subpoena 25-1431-032 [Texas action] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73276712/in-re-administrative-subpoena-25-1431-032/   In Re: Motion to Quash Administrative Subpoena to Rhode Island Hospital [Rhode Island action] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73290254/in-re-motion-to-quash-administrative-subpoena-to-rhode-island-hospital/   US v. Russotto https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/70649950/united-states-v-russotto/   Collins v. Landry (Louisiana elections lawsuit) [Docket via CourtListener] https://gov.louisiana.gov/assets/2026-Executive-Orders/JML-Exective-Order-26-038.pdf   Executive Order 26-038 (order suspending elections) https://gov.louisiana.gov/assets/2026-Executive-Orders/JML-Exective-Order-26-038.pdf   Louisiana v. FDA (5th Cir) [docket via CourtListener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73207799/state-of-louisiana-v-fda/   Louisiana v. FDA (W.D. La. trial court) [docket via CourtListener] https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.lawd.213952/   Sec. Kennedy Letter re: Mifepristone https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.lawd.213952/gov.uscourts.lawd.213952.1.110.pdf   Supreme Court stay order https://www.supremecourt.gov/orders/courtorders/050426zr_l5gm.pdf   In re grand jury subpoenas [Federal Reserve] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72490330/in-re-grand-jury-subpoenas/   Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod
• Ep 225 — SCOTUS Breaks Democracy 04.06.2026 59min

  DESCRIPTION:   Elon Musk discovers that filing a lawsuit against Sam Altman and sh*tposting about it on social media is a lot more fun than testifying   Alex Jones is back on his BS. He managed to delay a proposed deal to license InfoWars assets to the satirical news outlet The Onion. Again.   The judge presiding over Trump's shakedown case against the IRS for the wrongful disclosure of his tax returns in 2020 has appointed a whole squad of lawyers to serve as amici. They'll brief the issue of whether the court has jurisdiction to preside over a case where the president appears to be suing himself.   L&C's Doofus of the Day is Pete Hegseth.   MAIN SHOW:   James Comey has been indicted again. This time his "crime" is posting a picture of seashells arranged to say "8647." It is exceptionally stupid, but we will break it down in exceptional detail.   As a companion to our written post, we unpack Wednesday's Supreme Court decision in Louisiana v. Callais effectively gutting Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. Subscribers will get a deep dive into what the new districts might look like with Joe Dye.   Finally, we'll cringe our way through the DOJ's latest motion in the ballroom case — it's the most inappropriate, unprofessional thing we've ever seen, including from pro se litigants. Louisiana v. Callais [Supreme Court opinion] https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/24-109_21o3.pdf   The Supreme Court Just Effectively Repealed The Voting Rights Act  https://www.lawandchaospod.com/p/the-supreme-court-just-effectively   US v. Comey https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73256624/united-states-v-comey   Trump DOJ Pursuing Separate Comey Probe for Classified Leaks https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/trump-doj-pursuing-separate-comey-probe-for-classified-leaks   Trump v. IRS https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72207870/trump-v-internal-revenue-service   Live updates from Elon Musk and Sam Altman's court battle over the future of OpenAI https://www.theverge.com/tech/917225/sam-altman-elon-musk-openai-lawsuit   National Trust for Historic Preservation v. National Park Service https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72028010/national-trust-for-historic-preservation-in-the-united-states-v-national/   Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod
• Ep 224 — Musk v. Altman … May The Best Asteroid Win 04.06.2026 1t 1min

  DOCKET ALERTS:   Never one to let a good crisis go to waste, Republicans are insisting that the lone gunman at the White House Correspondents Dinner means that Trump can — in fact, must! — build his illegal ballroom. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche tweeted out a demand for the National Historic Trust to drop its lawsuit. The Trust told him to get bent.     Trump's shakedown of the IRS hit a snag as a federal judge in Florida said she may not have jurisdiction over a case where the plaintiff and the defendant are the same person — Donald Trump.   And EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin is being so weird at Congress. Is he bad at law, or just lying?   MAIN SHOW:    It's a courtroom brawl between Elon Musk and Sam Altman over the past and future of AI. Musk claims he was swindled out of seed money by claims that OpenAI would be operated as a non-profit, only to watch the company pivot to a trillion-dollar for-profit enterprise. The jury is empaneled, and the trial begins this week.     The Supreme Court heard oral argument Monday in Chatrie v. US. The case involves law enforcement's use of "geofencing" data to find criminal suspects based on their cell phone location data. Should the government have to get a warrant to collect that info? What should those warrants look like?   Court Side-Eyes Trump's Plan To Sue Himself And Loot The Treasury https://www.lawandchaospod.com/p/court-side-eyes-trumps-plan-to-sue   Shuffle Up And Deal [Subscriber Bonus Episode] https://www.patreon.com/posts/ep-subscriber-up-156633231   Musk v. Altman https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69013420/musk-v-altman   National Trust rejects Trump demand to drop ballroom suit in wake of shooting https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/04/27/trump-ballroom-national-trust-lawsuit/   Oral argument in Chatrie v. US [geofencing warrants] https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2025/25-112_o758.pdf   Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod
• Ep 223 — They Started It. We Finished It. (Ft. Joe Dye) 04.06.2026 1t 7min

  DESCRIPTION:   Capitol police officer Shauni Kerkhoff has sued Glenn Beck's outfit The Blaze for defamation after they said she "kinda walked like a criminal" – and she's brought out the big guns. The Trump administration funneled another $1.25 million in taxpayer dollars to campaign stooge Carter Page. The Fifth Circuit hit us with another terrible decision, this one permitting states to force public schools to display the Ten Commandments. We wrote about it on the blog, and it's even worse than you imagine. And   And   In the main show, we have an extended interview with electoral maps expert Joe Dye over the Virginia Constitutional Amendment that passed on Tuesday and will replace Virginia's existing Congressional districts (that are 6 Democratic and 5 Republican) with a new map that is 10-1 Democratic. For now, a Republican judge in Tazewell County has enjoined the amendment.\   SUBSCRIBER BONUS:   We discuss the Trump administration's bogus indictment of the Southern Poverty Law Center. Kerkhoff v. Blaze Media, LLC [docket via CourtListener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73220023/kerkhoff-v-blaze-media-llc/   "Fifth Circuit Cosplays As Historians So It Can Burn Down The Wall Between Church And State" [lawandchaospod.com] https://www.lawandchaospod.com/p/fifth-circuit-cosplays-as-historians   Rosado v. Bondi [docket via CourtListener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72259284/rosado-v-bondi/   Text of Virginia's Constitutional Amendment https://www.elections.virginia.gov/election-law/proposed-amendment-for-april-2026-special-election/   Existing Virginia Congressional District Map (6-5 Democratic, drawn by independent commission) https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/90/Virginia_Congressional_Districts%2C_118th_Congress_%282%29.svg   New Virginia Congressional District Map (10-1 Democratic) https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a9/Virginia_Congressional_Districts%2C_120th_Congress_%282026_Redistricting_Amendment%29.svg   Judge Hurley's injunction issued in Tazewell County, Virginia [text via Meidas Touch News] https://meidasnews.com/news/virginia-judge-voids-redistricting-amendment-invalidates-all-votes-from-tuesdays-special-election   Indictment of Southern Poverty Law Center [via CourtListener] https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.almd.90264/gov.uscourts.almd.90264.1.0.pdf   Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod
• Ep 222 — Chief Justice Roberts Burned Down Democracy To Save Coal Plants 04.06.2026 59min

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