New, with more to come: DOJ under Biden is keeping up the previous admin's effort to take over Trump's defense against a defamation lawsuit filed by writer E. Jean Carroll — an effort Biden criticized during the campaign.
Story: DOJ is keeping up an effort to try to take over Donald Trump's defense against a defamation case filed by writer E. Jean Carroll — an effort Biden criticized as a candidate last fall.
This is the latest case that tests DOJ's traditional role of defending the power and prerogatives of the executive branch — any executive branch, regardless of president. What's unusual is that Biden had weighed in on this case specifically. buzzfeednews.com/article/zoetil…
DOJ says Trump's comments about Carroll — who accused him of raping her more than 20 years ago — were "crude and disrespectful." Notably, that language does not appear in DOJ's prev. brief filed 1/15. But DOJ says the case isn't about what's "appropriate" buzzfeednews.com/article/zoetil…
A federal district judge in Manhattan had rebuffed DOJ's effort last fall to substitute the US govt for Trump as the defendant. If the government ultimately wins, it would likely spell the end of Carroll's suit, since the US is immune against libel suits buzzfeednews.com/article/zoetil…
Two big Qs in Carroll's case: 1) Is a president covered by the same protections against being sued that apply to fed employees? 2) Was Trump acting w/in scope of his job when he denied a rape allegation?
DOJ strives to condemn Trump in as many ways as possible ("crude" "disrespectful" "unncessary" "unwarranted" "inappropriate") while trying to stress that this isn't about Trump, but about making sure all officials get robust protection against being sued buzzfeednews.com/article/zoetil…
DOJ also wrote that its effort to intervene in the case does not "turn on the truthfulness of Ms. Carroll’s allegations" buzzfeednews.com/article/zoetil…
White House spox defers to DOJ re: Carroll's case, and says they weren't consulted.
"...the American people know well that President Biden and his team have utterly different standards from their predecessors for what qualify as acceptable statements" buzzfeednews.com/article/zoetil…
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Interesting hearing this evening in Missouri’s lawsuit seeking to block DOJ from sending two election observers to monitor a St. Louis polling site on Election Day. No ruling from the bench (recap below)
Complaint: assets.bwbx.io/documents/user…
DOJ oppo: assets.bwbx.io/documents/user…
Missouri argues state law spells out who can enter a polling place to observe and DOJ monitors aren’t covered. DOJ says there’s a 2021 settlement with the St. Louis board of elections for ADA violations re: disability access that allows this
But Missouri AG says it appeared it was news to state officials that this agreement was in effect, and more broadly, that the board lacked authority to enter into the monitoring term in the first place. Which raises some Qs for the judge...
Hello on this stunning September morning from the DC federal courthouse, where Judge Tanya Chutkan is holding the first hearing in the Trump case since SCOTUS kicked it back to her. Trump won't be here. Waiting to see what kind of schedule Chutkan will set for the next round of fights over the future of the indictment bloomberg.com/news/articles/…
Trump's lawyers all just entered the courtroom, and also thrilled to report that courthouse security dog Legend is here and continues to be a Very Good Dog (no pics allowed I'm afraid)
Hello from the DC federal courthouse, where Rudy Giuliani is waiting to get through security as jury selection is set to begin this a.m. to determine how much in damages he'll owe two Georgia election workers who sued him for defamation. Stay tuned.
And jury selection is just getting underway in Rudy Giuliani's damages trial -- Judge Beryl Howell, who was not amused that Giuliani was not in the courtroom at 9am when they were supposed to begin, is presiding
After a few hiccups related to the list of prospective jurors, *now* voir dire is officially underway in the defamation damages trial against Rudy Giuliani
BREAKING: A Colorado judge has ruled that Donald Trump can appear on 2024 ballots - she found that he *did* engage in insurrection by inciting the Jan. 6 attack, *but* that the Constitutional prohibition does not apply to the presidency. More to come. assets.bwbx.io/documents/user…
NEW: A Colorado judge found Donald Trump engaged in insurrection by inciting the Jan. 6 attack.
But she held the Constitution's insurrectionist ban didn't apply to a president/the presidency, meaning he'll appear on 2024 ballots.
Lawyers for the Colorado voters who brought the insurrection disqualification case against Trump say they'll appeal to the Colorado Supreme Court. Whoever loses there can petition SCOTUS to intervene bloomberg.com/news/articles/…
Today at 10am: Prosecutors will make their case before a DC federal judge for a partial gag order restricting what Donald Trump can say about the election obstruction case against him.
On how as long as Donald Trump is facing criminal charges and civil claims in court, what he says and does in the outside world can have consequences in a courtroom: bloomberg.com/news/articles/…
Chutkan begins by swiftly resolving an issue raised by the govt over how to handle a future defense survey of the potential jury pool in DC. Judge is okay with defense agreement to give advance notice, timing, sample size, doesn't see need to micromanage further at this point
Justice Clarence Thomas's 2022 financial disclosure is in, noting three trips w/ expenses paid for by Harlan Crow:
Thomas notes 2014 sale of properties to Crow (1st reported by ProPublica), saying he "inadvertently" didn't realize that should be reported assets.bwbx.io/documents/user…
Justice Samuel Alito's 2022 disclosure is also out now:
No travel reported paid for by individuals, no note re: ProPublica reporting on earlier luxury trip reimbursed by GOP donor Paul Singer (Alito has publicly defended this/denounced the reporting)assets.bwbx.io/documents/user…
Justice Clarence Thomas:
- reported three 2022 trips w/ expenses paid for by Harlan Crow
- said he "inadvertently" didn't realize he had to report 2014 property sales to Crow
- defended not reporting earlier "personal hospitality," private plane trips bloomberg.com/news/articles/…