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Anna Bower Profile picture
Anna Bower
@AnnaBower
Senior Editor @lawfare. Email: anna.bower@lawfaremedia.org Signal username: annabower.24
67 subscribers
Aug 1 • 10 tweets • 2 min read
🧵 NEW: A federal judge ruled against the Trump administration.

Then the harassment began.

Six credible threats to his life.

Pizzas sent to his home in the name of Judge Esther Salas’s murdered son, Daniel.

More than 400 “vile” calls to his chambers—including this voicemail: The voicemail was played aloud during an event hosted by Speak Up for Justice.

The recipient—Judge John McConnell—publicly detailed the threats he has endured in recent months.

“It’s the one time that actually shook my faith in the judicial system and the rule of law,” he said.
Jul 2 • 5 tweets • 2 min read
NEW: Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s lawyers seek permission to file an amended complaint in his civil case in Maryland.

Among other things, the amended complaint “includes Abrego Garcia's first-hand account of torture and mistreatment at CECOT…” Image Here’s Abrego Garcia’s amended complaint.

It alleges that he “was subjected to severe mistreatment upon arrival at CECOT, including but not limited to severe beatings, severe sleep deprivation,
inadequate nutrition, and psychological torture..”

storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.usco…Image
Jun 23 • 16 tweets • 4 min read
I rarely post personal things.

But I need to talk about my 4-year-old niece, Hope. She has a rare disease. A drug called elamipretide helped her survive.

But the FDA recently denied its approval.

Now her access to the medication is at risk. We're urging @FDA to reconsider🧵 This is Hope.

Hope was born with an ultra-rare genetic disorder called MLS syndrome. She is deaf and blind.

She also has a heart condition called cardiomyopathy, which makes it difficult for her heart to pump blood. ar old girl with blonde hair biting her nails. she's wearing a white bow, pink glasses, and a pink cardigan.
a four year old girl wearing pig tails with pink bows and pink glasses. She's eating a piece of cake and a juice box. She's in front of a "happy birthday" banner
Apr 28 • 20 tweets • 7 min read
NEW: Government officials insist that neither DOGE nor Musk have any real decision-making authority—they merely “advise.”

But internal DOJ emails provide the most compelling evidence yet that DOGE is not simply advising—it’s calling the shots.

lawfaremedia.org/article/on-dog…Image The emails came to light in a suit brought by legal aid groups that administered programs for non-citizens and unaccompanied minors.

The documents show that DOGE directed senior DOJ officials to terminate contracts for the programs in early April.

lawfaremedia.org/article/on-dog…Image
Apr 17 • 5 tweets • 2 min read
NEW: Fourth Circuit shoots down the Trump administration’s efforts to appeal order requiring it to facilitate the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia.

“We shall not micromanage the efforts of a fine district judge attempting to implement the Supreme Court’s recent decision.” Image “It is difficult in some cases to get to the very heart of the matter. But in this case, it is not hard at all. The government is asserting a right to stash away residents of this country in foreign prisons without the semblance of due process..”

storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.usco…
Apr 11 • 16 tweets • 4 min read
NEW: At a hearing in Greenbelt, Maryland, Judge Paula Xinis told the government that she will require "daily updates" on their efforts to facilitate the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia.

The hearing followed last night's ruling from SCOTUS, which held that the Trump administration must facilitate Garcia's release from custody in El Salvador. Drew Ensign, who has represented the gov in the JGG matter before Judge Boasberg, represented DOJ during the hearing.

Judge Xinis asked Ensign to answer three questions that she previously directed the government to answer in a written filing.
Apr 6 • 5 tweets • 3 min read
NEW: Last fall, Ed Martin—Trump’s nominee for U.S. attorney in Washington, DC—presented an award to Jan. 6 defendant Tim Hale, who prosecutors described as a “Nazi sympathizer.”

Here’s a video of that moment, in which Martin calls Hale an “extraordinary man” and “extraordinary leader” of “those who have survived January 6.” Who is the man that Ed Martin referred to as an “extraordinary leader”?

In court filings, federal prosecutors described Timothy Hale as a “white supremacist.”

Hale allegedly said “Hitler should have finished the job” and referred to black people as “shit skinned minorities.” Image
Apr 5 • 5 tweets • 2 min read
Erez Reuveni argued on behalf of the Justice Department during Friday’s hearing in the Abrego Garcia case.

Reuveni has reportedly been placed on leave.

Here’s one exchange with the judge that may have contributed to his ouster: THE COURT: Mr. Abrego Garcia should not have been removed, right? MR. REUVENI: Yes. THE COURT: Can you answer for me, then, on what authority was he seized? When he was --when he was taken off the street, taken out of his car, what authority did those law enforcement officers have to do that? MR. REUVENI: So, Your Honor, my answer to a lot of these questions is going to be frustrating. I am also frustrated that I have no answers for you on a lot of these questions. Here’s another exchange that might have been disagreeable to DOJ leadership, who have accused Reuveni of failing to “zealously advocate” on behalf of the United States: Image
Mar 23 • 11 tweets • 4 min read
THREAD: Law firm statements issued in response to Trump’s executive orders targeting lawyers.

(This thread will be updated as more statements are released. Want to flag something I missed? DM me, email me at anna.bower@lawfaremedia.org, or message on Signal at annabower.24)🧵⬇️ Keker, Van Nest, & Peters:

“We encourage law firm leaders to sign on to an amicus effort in support of Perkins Coie's challenge to the Administration's executive order targeting the firm, and to resist the Administration's erosion of the rule of law." Image
Mar 12 • 7 tweets • 2 min read
NOW: Judge Howell is presiding over an emergency hearing regarding Trump’s executive order that targets Perkins Coie, a well-known law firm.

Chad Mizelle, AG Pam Bondi’s chief of staff, is here to represent the Trump administration. Counsel for Perkins Coie wrapped up after addressing questions from Judge Howell about how the EO could harm the firm’s business and ability to practice law.

Perkins Coie’s counsel, Dane Butwinkas, said the national security concerns raised in the EO are mere “pretext.”
Jan 31 • 5 tweets • 2 min read
I’m sad to learn that my law school classmate, Kiah Duggins, died in the DC plane crash.

Kiah was an exceptionally talented civil rights lawyer & aspiring legal scholar.

I hope you’ll read about her work and the issues she cared about, some of which I’ll 🧵 below.

What a loss. Professional headshot of a woman with long black hair wearing a navy suit “Abolition and International Human Rights: Taiwan’s Affirmation of Black American Abolitionist Movements,” by Kiah Duggins:

journals.law.harvard.edu/crcl/wp-conten…
Jan 3 • 5 tweets • 2 min read
BREAKING: Justice Merchan orders Donald Trump be sentenced on Jan. 10 before his inauguration as President.

nycourts.gov/LegacyPDFs/pre… “ORDERED, that defendant appear for sentencing following conviction on January 10, 2025…”

Trump can appear virtually or in person, per order. Image
Nov 18, 2024 • 4 tweets • 2 min read
NEW: The Georgia Court of Appeals has canceled the Dec. 5 oral argument it previously scheduled to hear Trump’s appeal seeking to disqualify Fulton County district attorney Fani Willis.

Argument is canceled “until further order of this court.” Image The court previously granted a request for oral argument—and as recently as last month extended the time allotted to the parties for argument.

Unclear what precipitated the hearing’s cancellation. But the court *can* issue a ruling based on the briefs without oral argument.
Nov 5, 2024 • 8 tweets • 2 min read
NEW: A Trump-appointed judge has rejected the RNC’s claim that some GA counties violated the law by accepting in-person delivery of absentee ballots over the weekend. The claim "does not withstand even the most basic level of statutory review and reading comprehension," he said. The ruling followed an hours-long hearing before Judge Stan Baker, a federal court judge appointed by Trump.

The RNC & GA GOP already lost a similar suit filed in state court last week.

Oct 31, 2024 • 16 tweets • 7 min read
NEW: At a church in rural Georgia, attendees were informed that they are battling a “spiritual war” against election fraud.

Then they were told how to fight back: show up en masse to pressure local officials to withhold certification of the election.

lawfaremedia.org/article/david-… To demonstrate how it would work, a former law professor simulated a local elections meeting.

Attendees role-played large-scale civil disobedience, crowding around a volunteer to physically block law enforcement from removing her from the faux meeting. lawfaremedia.org/article/david-…
Oct 6, 2024 • 6 tweets • 3 min read
Folks, Georgia law does not allow rogue local officials to exclude entire polling precincts from being counted. There’s longstanding case law on that issue. If officials refuse to count a precinct, a mandamus action will surely follow and they will be compelled to certify. As I’ve written for @lawfare, the Georgia Supreme Court confronted this issue more than a century ago after local officials tried to exclude an entire precinct in an effort to help their candidate win. The court forced them to count *all* precincts.

lawfaremedia.org/article/will-g…Image
Image
Oct 1, 2024 • 42 tweets • 8 min read
Coming up at 9 am ET: Judge Robert McBurney is set to hold a hearing on the legality of several controversial rules adopted by Georgia’s State Election Board.

I previewed some of the legal issues at play last week. Catch up and follow along at 9👇⬇️ 🧵

lawfaremedia.org/article/will-g… The bench trial will be live-streamed, but there's no live-stream feed yet. I'll post when it's up. 2/
Sep 24, 2024 • 9 tweets • 4 min read
On Friday, Georgia's State Election Board passed a rule that would require poll workers to count ballots by hand.

Could the rule change upend the November election by delaying the reporting of results by weeks or months?

Almost certainly not. 🧵👇

lawfaremedia.org/article/will-g… As I explain for @lawfare, the confusion seems to stem from a misunderstanding of the distinction between counting *ballots* and counting *votes.*

The rule does not require a hand count of *votes,* which would indeed cause significant delays. 2/

lawfaremedia.org/article/will-g…
Image
Sep 23, 2024 • 28 tweets • 11 min read
NEW: The new election rules in Georgia will almost certainly *not* hamstring the certification of the state’s electoral votes. And even if certification is delayed, such delays do not open up a legal loophole for Trump to steal the presidency. I explain ⬇️
lawfaremedia.org/article/will-g… A new Trump-friendly majority of Georgia’s State Election Board sparked controversy when it approved rule changes that commentators say could delay or outright obstruct certification of Georgia’s election results.

2/
lawfaremedia.org/article/will-g…
Image
Sep 6, 2024 • 4 tweets • 2 min read
NEW: Attorney General Chris Carr says that Georgians who filed ethics complaints do not have authority to trigger a hearing process that could lead to the removal of State Election Board members.

law.georgia.gov/document/docum… Gov. Kemp asked for an opinion on the matter last month, after Democratic state officials and voting rights activists filed ethics complaints against three Trump-friendly members of the Georgia State Election Board. The complainants called on Kemp to remove members of the SEB.
Aug 30, 2024 • 7 tweets • 3 min read
A crowdfunding campaign that purports to be raising money for the Georgia State Election Board has received more than $6,000 in donations. The page claims that private donations are needed because Gov. Brian Kemp "defunded" the Board.

I asked the Board's chair for comment👇1/ Image The State Election Board's chairman, John Fervier, told me via email that the Board has no association with any outside group raising funds on its behalf.

"The State Election Board will not be accepting any funds that are raised by outside organizations or groups," he said. 2/ Image