Many conservatives now accept with bored acquiescence the near certainty that Trump, if elected, will dismiss both federal indictments against himself. Yet it would be an abuse far greater than the Saturday Night Massacre that once shocked the nation...
1/6
In Oct 1973, Nixon fired AG Elliot Richardson & then Dep AG Wm Ruckelshaus for refusing to fire Special Prosecutor Archibald Cox, who was subpoenaing Nixon’s White House tapes. The firings galvanized bipartisan support for impeachment proceedings ...
/2
... which began 10 days later. Quaint though it may now seem, US District Judge Gerhard Gesell even ruled, later on, that the Cox’s dismissal had been illegal. ...
/3
... Yet the SCOTUS majority in Trump v US contemptuously chided the bipartisan lower courts for trying to let justice be done before Trump has a chance to abuse power to derail it. They even purported to be acting expeditiously ...
/4
... though we are, right now, pointlessly counting 32 more days off the calendar for SCOTUS’s ruling to become final, because the court declined to make it immediate. (The pause permits the losing party to seek rehearing—inconceivable here as the Court well knows.) ...
/4
... Is the president now above the law? Half-heartedly, the majority claims (s)he is not—with asterisks galore. They say the dissents are “fear-mongering” with “extreme hypotheticals”—which they tellingly don’t deign to refute. ...
/5
... Justice Thomas disdains that tack. He quips that the once-revered notion has been largely meaningless all along. Immunity from prosecution for official acts *is* the law, he writes, archly. Silly Nixon, silly us, silly forefathers for imagining otherwise.
/6-end
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After today’s 5th Circuit argument in the Alien Enemies Act case WMM v Trump ( formerly AARP) it appeared that at least 2 of the 3 judges would approve the validity of Trump’s Alien Enemies Act proclamation. Unclear what due process they’ll afford targeted aliens. ...
1/6
... Judge Andrew Oldham (Trump appointee) doubted that a court could "countermand" virtually any aspect of Trump's decree. He even doubted that aliens had a right to deny their membership in Tren de Aragua, tho SCOTUS has said they do. ...
2/6
... Judge Leslie Southwick (GWBush) was tending toward adopting Judge Haines's (WDPenn) view. Haines found that the decree plausibly found a “predatory incursion” in light of Secy Rubio’s designation of TdA as a “foreign terrorist organization.” ...
3/6
Emil Bove, like Blanche on X, may be evading. Reuveni wrote than on 3/14 "Bove stated that DOJ would need *to consider* telling the courts "fuck you” and ignore any such court order." So it's true Bove didn't literally order anyone to violate court orders *at that meeting* 1/3
... & it’s also true that Reuveni, later that day, after speaking to DOJ colleague Flentje, felt momentarily reassured. But it's the events that followed--laid out in detail over 27 pages--that suggest that Bove's "fuck you" comment *was* eventually carried out. ... 2/3
... And I don't think anybody yet has denied that the "fuck you" comment was made. Maybe Bove will today. Maybe not. But there’s likely a text between Reuveni & Flentje referencing it when DOJ/DHS was, it seems, violating Judge Boesberg’s orders on 3/15.
/3-end
Tomorrow, at noon, Judge Farbiarz (DNJ) will hold a hearing on whether to release Mahmoud Khalil on bail. Khalil, in custody in Louisiana, requested the hearing 91 days ago. Since then at least 5 others similarly situated have all been released. Thread.
1/21
Khalil is a lawful permanent resident Columbia grad student who participated in Gaza protests. No criminal record. Palestinian. On 3/8 he was detained in his lobby in NYC as he returned with his US citizen wife, who was then 8-months pregnant. ...
/2
On 3/9, Khalil sued seeking release, alleging retaliation for 1st Amendment protected speech.
On 3/11 DHS told Khalil that the reason he was being removed was Secy Rubio’s finding that his presence in US had “serious adverse foreign policy consequences.” ...
/3
Hearing in Newsom v California, the national guard case, starting at 4:30pm ET. I'll try to live-blog for @lawfare , technology permitting. ... It's on Zoom, but I think the 1000 max has already been hit. ...
/1
Judge Charles Breyer on bench now.
Newsom v Trump
counsel giving appearances
Nicholas Green for state AG seems to be lead.
Brett Shumate from DOJ
/2
Judge: preliminary comments. reason it's necessary to have briefing is while it was initially styled ex parte proceeding, it was certainly not ex parte. there was cooperation between parties. wanted to make sure i had complete record to extent it can be achieved
/3
In motion for civil contempt & other sanctions against govt officials, including personal fines, Abrego Garcia’s attys shoot for the moon. Here they ask Judge Xinis to order AG Pam Bondi et al. to turn over her personal devices for in camera review. ...
/1 storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.usco…
The motion relies on allegations of both a pattern of obstruction & specific responses inconsistent with NYT reporting & the timing of Abrego Garcia's indictment. Here, e.g., attys allege 60 days of obstructive conduct *after* SCOTUS ruling ordering facilitation of his return:
/2
But the real smoking guns are alleged responses of, for instance, DHS atty Joseph Mazzara, who filed a declaration & was deposed in the case. NYT has reported emails of him allegedly saying, "We're also trying to keep him where he is."
/3
Admitting “perfect storm of errors,” DHS has changed its story in the case of Jordin Melgar-Salmeron, the 31yo Salvadoran who, on 5/7, was deported to El Salvador 28 minutes after the US 2d Circuit Court of Appeals forbade his removal pending appeal. ...
/1
... Melgar-Salmeron was appealing an adverse asylum ruling. On 4/17 govt told USCA2 it would remove him unless court stayed his removal by 5/8. On 5/7, at 9:52am ET, USCA2 stayed his removal. But at 10:20am ET he was removed anyway. ...
/2 documentcloud.org/documents/2597…
... Govt has filed 3 letters explaining. 2d letter, on 5/28, said there were 2 computer systems. Deportation officer, reporting to DOJ, monitored one showing deportation set for 5/9. But ICE Air had him down for 5/7 all along. DOJ & ICE Air statements of 5/28 below:
/3