Ep 150 — SCOTUS Allows Trump To Burn Down Department of Education

The Supreme Court is handing out lit matches and gasoline to the arsonist in chief and inviting him to burn down the Department of Education. Attorney Pam Bondi keeps inventing new ways to be corrupt, and none of them have to do with Jeffrey Epstein. And DHS is now kidnapping IP along with actual human beings. Plus, for subscribers, we’ll talk about an effort by Americans United for the Separation of Church and state’s efforts to save the Johnson Amendment from the DOJ’s collusion with the Christian right. Links:   Trump v. Selzer  https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69476247/trump-v-selzer/   US v. Plastic Surgery Institute of Utah https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/66735053/united-states-v-plastic-surgery-institute-of-utah/   Two-thirds of the DOJ unit defending Trump policies in court have quit https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/two-thirds-doj-unit-defending-trump-policies-court-have-quit-2025-07-14/   Black Rebel Motorcycle Club Instagram C&D https://www.instagram.com/p/DL8JVH7OIJ-/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=63f144d7-f9ed-4213-8170-f6432849d3fb   US v. Amesty https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69553068/united-states-v-amesty/   Judge Orders ICE Goons To Stop Racial Profiling And Start Following The Constitution https://www.lawandchaospod.com/p/judge-orders-ice-goons-to-stop-racial   Vasquez Perdomo v. Noem https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/70594806/pedro-vasquez-perdomo-v-kristi-noem/   Supreme Court stay New York v. McMahon https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24pdf/24a1203_pol1.pdf   National Religious Broadcasters v. Werful https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69105317/national-religious-broadcasters-v-werfel/   Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod  

Trump’s executive order stripping citizenship from children of immigrants has been enjoined again. Will the Supreme Court burn down another plank of civil procedure just to avoid ruling on it? And DOJ whistleblower Erez Reuveni is dropping receipts! He’s got all the texts and emails that prove Trump’s henchman Emil Bove ordered the DOJ to defy court orders. That’s going to make it a lot harder for his former colleagues to lie to judges in immigration cases, and those judges are already PISSED. Plus Republican state AGs in Florida and Missouri are wilding out. And for subscribers, let’s talk about Trump’s threats to tariff Brazil for prosecuting former president Jair Bolsonaro.   Links:   Barbara v. Trump [Docket via Court Listener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/70651853/barbara-v-trump/   MO AG Andy Bailey threatens AI for MEAN TO TRUMP https://ago.mo.gov/attorney-general-bailey-fights-to-expose-big-tech-censorship-of-president-trump-as-ai-chatbots-produce-fake-news/   Erez Reuveni Whistleblower Disclosures https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/press/dem/releases/durbin-releases-documents-corroborating-justice-department-whistleblowers-allegations-against-embattled-trump-judicial-pick-emil-bove   J.O.P. v. Department of Homeland Security [District Court Docket] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/15867241/jop-v-us-department-of-homeland-security   Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod  

Mike Lindell’s sparklemagic lawyers find out that sometimes ChatGPT ends with Rule 11. Then we visit Elon Musk and Sam Altman for a lesson in civil procedure. After that Andrew and Liz explain how Trump can’t actually un-ban TikTok via presidential edict and break down the latest Supreme Court efforts to burn down the judiciary. Plus for subscribers, Nate Silver — who only gambles for fun, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise! — is right about the Republicans’ trillion dollar tax heist???   Links:   Coomer v. Lindell [Docket via Court Listener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/63296393/coomer-v-lindell/   Musk v. Altman [Docket via Court Listener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69013420/musk-v-altman/   D.V.D. v. Department of Homeland Security [Trial Docket via Court Listener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69775896/dvd-v-us-department-of-homeland-security/   Department of Homeland Security v. D.V.D. [SCOTUS Docket] https://www.supremecourt.gov/search.aspx?filename=/docket/docketfiles/html/public/24a1153.html   EO 14166 (TikTok ban) https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/application-of-protecting-americans-from-foreign-adversary-controlled-applications-act-to-tiktok/   FOIA production re TikTok https://embed.documentcloud.org/documents/25989866-25-3980-nd-cal-response-07032025/   Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod  

We may not know how to fix America, but we can tell you the law of fireworks! Plus the latest on Kilmar Abrego Garcia and what it tells us about how Homeland Security is carrying out Trump’s deportation regime. Plus, Trump’s lawyers are learning so much about civil procedure by getting their asses kicked all over Iowa.   Links:   Hundreds of Jan 6ers Are Hoping For Big DOJ Payday https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/hundreds-of-jan-6ers-are-hoping-for-big-doj-payday   US v. Russell [Docket via Court Listener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/70627303/united-states-of-america-v-russell   Abrego Garcia v. Noem [Docket via Court Listener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69777799/abrego-garcia-v-noem   US v. Garcia [Docket via Court Listener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/70475970/united-states-v-garcia   Trump v. Selzer [Docket via Court Listener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69476247/trump-v-selzer/   World Population Review of Fireworks Laws by US state https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/fireworks-laws-by-state   Federal Hazardous Substances Act, 15 USC Ch. 30 https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/chapter-30   “Banned Hazardous Substances” regulations, 16 C.F.R. 1500.17 https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/16/1500.17 Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod  

The Supreme Court’s last day of the term was an exercise of raw power. The six conservative justices gave lower courts the back of their hand, making clear that they — and only they! — will decide the law. Nationwide injunctions are out, and so is stare decisis. Andrew and Liz will break down the power grab, along with Mahmoud v. Taylor, in which the howler monkey wing allowed religious parents to opt their kids out of the “religious coercion” of reading books about gay people.   Links: Kennedy v. Braidwood Management. https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24pdf/24-316_869d.pdf   Federal Communications Commission v. Consumers’ Research https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24pdf/24-354_0861.pdf   Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24pdf/23-1122_3e04.pdf   Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/23pdf/22-451_7m58.pdf   Mahmoud v Taylor  https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24pdf/24-297_4f14.pdf   Trump v. CASA https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24pdf/24a884_8n59.pdf   Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod  

The Trump administration’s war on the judiciary continues, and this time he’s suing judges. Also, he’s trying to install his henchman Emil Bove in the Third Circuit as a reward for burning down the firewall between the White House and the DOJ. Luckily SCOTUS is distracting us by cramming as many horrible decisions as possible into the last two days of the term.   Links:   SCOTUS 23-1002 Hewitt v. United States https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24pdf/23-1002_1p24.pdf   SCOTUS 23-1275 Medina v. Planned Parenthood South Atlantic https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24pdf/23-1275_e2pg.pdf   SCOTUS 23-7809 Gutierrez v. Saenz https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24pdf/23-7809_3e04.pdf   A judge sided with Trump. Behind the scenes, he was lobbying for a nomination. https://www.politico.com/news/2025/06/20/ed-artau-trump-judge-nomination-florida-00415408   Erez Reuveni DOJ Whistleblower Report https://static01.nyt.com/newsgraphics/documenttools/e285ec96adf8d443/5868d536-full.pdf   Law and Chaos, The Trump Administration Is Lawless. Judges Are Adapting. [Substack post] https://www.lawandchaospod.com/p/the-trump-administration-is-lawless   Tatis v. Big League Advance Fund https://www.courthousenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/tatis-vs-big-league-advance-fund.pdf   US v. Russell [Docket via Court Listener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/70627303/united-states-of-america-v-russell/   Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod  

The Supreme Court’s howler monkey wing greenlights Trump’s third country renditions without notice and cuts the legs out from underneath the entire federal judiciary. So much for CJ Roberts, protector of the courts! And the Ninth Circuit lets Trump steal California’s National Guard for a fictitious emergency. In better news, Harvard gets an injunction against the government’s effort to kneecap it by blocking foreign students. And Disney takes on Midjourney, the AI company whose business model appears to rest on wholesale copyright infringement.    Links:   Supreme Court Shadow Docket Order DHS v. DVD https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24pdf/24a1153_l5gm.pdf   President and Fellows of Harvard College v. United States Department of Homeland Security [Docket via Court Listener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/70349156/president-and-fellows-of-harvard-college-v-united-states-department-of/    Newsom v. Trump [Trial Docket via Court Listener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/70496361/newsom-v-trump/   Newsom v. Trump [9th Circuit Docket via Court Listener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/70527602/newsom-et-al-v-trump-et-al/   US v. Abrego [TN Criminal Docket via Court Listener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/70475970/united-states-v-garcia/   Disney v. Midjourney (C.D. Cal.) [docket via CourtListener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/70513159/disney-enterprises-inc-v-midjourney-inc/   Midjourney Terms of Service https://docs.midjourney.com/hc/en-us/articles/32083055291277-Terms-of-Service   2022 Midjouney interview in The Register https://www.theregister.com/2022/08/01/david_holz_midjourney/   Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod  

This week the Supreme Court’s conservatives greenlit an all-out attack on trans kids and their healthcare. So much for parents’ rights! At least Alex Jones is still bankrupt. And the trustee in his bankruptcy case just sued him to claw back millions of dollars in “fraudulent” transfers to his friends and family. Plus, we’ll discuss NYC Comptroller Brad Lander, Judge Hannah Dugan, and everyone else swept up in ICE’s deranged dragnet.   Links:   US v. Skrmetti (S. Ct. 2025) https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24pdf/23-477_2cp3.pdf   Alex Jones bankruptcy (S.D. Texas) [docket via CourtListener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/66583024/alexander-e-jones-and-official-committee-of-unsecured-creditors   Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod  

Liz and Andrew welcome Lawfare’s Anna Bower back to the show to discuss her singular obsession: who is the administrator of DOGE? Find out why that’s still a critical question and what discovering the answer might mean in terms of undoing policy, preserving records, and more.   Links:   Who Is The Administrator of DOGE, by Anna Bower https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/lawfare-daily--witaod   Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod  

A federal judge has ruled that Donald Trump illegally seized control of the California National Guard. We tell you everything that means and what happens next. Also, Kilmar Abrego Garcia is home and facing trumped-up charges in Tennessee. And Alina Habba is still cosplaying as a prosecutor, and this time she’s decided to try and indict a sitting member of Congress for doing her job.   Links:   Newsom v. Trump [Docket via Court Listener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/70496361/newsom-v-trump/   Abrego Garcia v. Noem [Docket via Court Listener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69777799/abrego-garcia-v-noem/   US v. Abrego Garcia [docket via Court Listener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/70475970/united-states-v-garcia/   US v. Mciver [Docket via Court Listener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/70317726/united-states-v-mciver   Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod