Ep 266 — Trump Says LOVE ME On The Taxpayer Dime

In Georgia, DOJ celebrates its 26th courtroom loss in the battle to steal state voter rolls.   An Arizona appeals court overturned a manslaughter sentence because of an absolutely bonkers use of AI.   A judge in DC Superior Court dismissed vandalism charges against Olympic canoeist David Hearn with prejudice.   The Justice Department filed an ethics complaint against almost every judge in the District of Minnesota for talking to the New York Times about what it was like to have their orders blatantly disregarded day after day.   A judge in Washington ruled that the president has no power to fire US Attorneys installed by judges when there is an unfilled vacancy. The three hat dance is so back, baby!   DOOFUS OF THE DAY:    Revisionist historian Geoff Shepard, a former Nixon aide, is making the rounds at DOJ pitching his hot take: "Watergate As Lawfare." The WSJ reports that there's an appetite inside the Justice Department for the theory that all those guys who went to jail for Nixon were persecuted victims.   MAIN SHOW:   JGG v. Trump, the first major case where the Trump DOJ defied a court order, sending hundreds of men to CECOT in El Salvador, is back at the DC Circuit. This week, the entire court sitting en banc, heard oral argument on the issue of whether Judge James Boasberg has the power to do anything about flagrant contempt of his rulings. Audio here!   SUBSCRIBER BONUS:   The US Supreme Court, via a 6-3 shadow docket order, stayed two lower court rulings prohibiting the administration from deporting immigrants to third countries without due process, without notice or the opportunity to raise a credible fear or torture or persecution. The New York Times reported that the administration was unable to comply with the court's order to stop, so it immediately ran to the Supreme Court for help, which it got.   US v. Raffensperger [Georgia voter rolls] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72193752/united-states-v-raffensperger/   Arizona court says judge wrongly allowed AI-generated victim video https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/arizona-court-says-judge-wrongly-allowed-ai-generated-victim-video-2026-09-30/   Hearn Dismissal Order https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/28713072-hearn-dismissal/   Decades After Watergate, Justice Department Reviews Whether Nixon Got a Raw Deal https://www.wsj.com/us-news/law/decades-after-watergate-justice-department-reviews-whether-nixon-got-a-raw-deal-8e25380f   Rogoff v. Trump [Three hat dance] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73647676/rogoff-v-trump/   In re: Donald Trump / J.G.G. v. Trump [Oral argument audio] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4A1BwFh_lYg   In re: Donald Trump / J.G.G. v. Trump [DC Circuit docket] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72029089/in-re-donald-trump/   JGG v. Trump [District Court docket] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69741724/jgg-v-trump/?order_by=desc   DHS v. D.V.D. [Supreme Court order; third country renditions] https://www.supremecourt.gov/orders/courtorders/092926zr2_1a7d.pdf   DHS v. D.V.D. [1st Circuit order; third country renditions] https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.ca1.53896/gov.uscourts.ca1.53896.00108510897.0.pdf   D.V.D. v. DHS [trial court D. Mass. order; third country renditions] https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mad.282404/gov.uscourts.mad.282404.242.0.pdf   "Trump Administration Scrambles to Stop Third-Country Deportations After Court Ruling," New York Times, Sep. 24, 2026. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/24/us/politics/trump-third-country-deportations.html   Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod  

Congratulations to now-former FBI director Andrew Bailey, who resigned this morning and got out of the way of whatever scandal is coming down the pike.   On Friday, a jury ordered Apple to pay $5.7 billion to a company called Taction for infringing its haptic patents.   The White House is still blocking CNN, MSNOW, and Politico from the Oval Office and excluding CNN from pool duties. Does that violate Judge Kelly's TRO?   Dua Lipa is suing Samsung for $15 million after the company used her photo on packaging for televisions without paying for it.   DOOFUS OF THE DAY: Kansas Senator Roger Marshall is very hot for us all to know that he didn't sue his obstetrics patient for $50. He sued her for $3,400, and got her locked up over it. And he's sending a cease and desist letter to his opponent Adam Hamilton for making an ad about it — that'll shut 'em up!   MAIN SHOW: The Trump administration is back on its "pocket rescission" BS, purporting to cancel $1 billion of congressional allocations by waiting until the end of the session and shouting "MAKE ME!"   A guy who calls himself the "OnlyFans lawyer" has filed a dozen lawsuits in DC on behalf of January 6 rioters. They want reparations under the Federal Tort Claims Act, now that the slush fund is DOA.    The Supreme Court finally put an end to the shenanigans in Missouri, ensuring that the state will not be able to switch out its maps and squeeze out another Republican seat in Congress. But the Supreme Court also stayed a DC court injunction, paving the way for red states to use borked DHS immigration data to try and kick registered voters off of its voter rolls, if only one-by-one.   And Donald Trump is using your taxpayer dollars to run ads urging everyone to love him. That's definitely not legal under the GAO's standards for what counts as "publicity or propaganda." Taction Technology, Inc. v. Apple Inc. https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/59854908/taction-technology-inc-v-apple-inc   CNN v. Trump  https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/74823502/cable-news-network-inc-v-trump   Dua Lipa v. Samsung https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73319650/dua-lipa-v-samsung-electronics-america-inc/   White House "Pocket Rescission" Announcement https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/2026/09/president-trump-takes-historic-action-to-eliminate-wasteful-and-harmful-spending/   People Not Politicians v. Onder [Supreme Court Missouri map order] https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/26a388_q86b.pdf   Department of Homeland Security v. League of Women Voters [Supreme Court SAVE order] https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/26a308_pok0.pdf   Congressional Letter to the White House re: ads https://www.appropriations.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/260924_letter_to_wh_re_trump_ad.pdf   White House "PSA" Announcement https://www.whitehouse.gov/releases/2026/09/presidential-public-service-announcements-are-nothing-new/   Public Law 118-47 (Section 715 on propaganda) https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/2882/text   GAO Decision, "Executive Agencies—Communications about the 2019 Fourth of July Events on the National Mall," B-331262 https://www.gao.gov/products/b-331262 Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod  

DOCKET ALERTS:   ProPublica published a bombshell story about Senator Susan Collins (R-ME), who was allegedly the subject of an FBI corruption investigation until Trump killed it.   The Department of Homeland Security is still looking for the vote fraud. In July, they announced that they found over 250,000 illegally-registered voters in four states. By August, that number declined to just under 16,000. And on a zoom call with local election officials in Nevada, it dropped to 185. But it's probably actually zero.   The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and Democratic Governors Association filed a lawsuit to try and stop DHS and the FBI from sending armed guards to polling stations to intimidate voters.   DOOFUS OF THE DAY: Our doofus of the day is Sheri Mecklenburg, the veteran prosecutor who broke DOJ norms (and possibly the law) to get the indictment in the Broadview Six case. Mecklenburg moved to intervene as a party on the grounds that if she doesn't get to represent herself, her former boss is definitely going to continue to throw her under the bus. She's not wrong.   MAIN SHOW: Donald Trump tried to ban MSNOW, CNN, and Politico from the White House press pool. He lost in front of one of his own appointees, as Judge Tim Kelly in DC entered a temporary restraining order requiring the White House to reinstate the previously-confiscated "hard passes" and let the reporters back in.   In Missouri, the 8th Circuit continues to try and overrule both the US and Missouri state Supreme Courts by requiring the state to use a Trump-approved super-gerrymandered map from 2025 instead of the already very gerrymandered map already in place. We're waiting to see what Brett Kavanaugh will do. (The petitioners filed a truly excellent motion for clarification and reply brief.)   SUBSCRIBER BONUS: Trump had his nonsense lawsuit against the Des Moines Register and pollster Ann Selzer dismissed in state court for failure to state a claim, because the news isn't a consumer product. It's a great ruling from a very conservative judge. The FBI Anti-Corruption Squad Was Circling Susan Collins — Until Trump Got in the Way https://www.propublica.org/article/fbi-susan-collins-navatek-campaign-donations-investigation   F.B.I. Shut Down Inquiry Into Top Ally of Senator Susan Collins https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/22/us/politics/fbi-susan-collins-donor.html   Trump officials touted a voter fraud bombshell. Their data hasn't proved it [CNN] https://www.cnn.com/2026/08/21/politics/markwayne-mullin-voter-fraud-nevada   DSCC v. ICE [lawsuit to stop stationing armed guards at polling places; docket via CourtListener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/74842896/dscc-v-us-immigration-and-customs-enforcement/   US v. Rabbit [Chicago 6 sanctions; docket via CourtListener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71795281/united-states-v-rabbitt/?order_by=desc   CNN v. Trump [press passes in DC; docket via CourtListener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/74823502/cable-news-network-inc-v-trump/?filed_after=&filed_before=&entry_gte=&entry_lte=&order_by=desc   People Not Politicians v. Onder [Supreme Court docket] https://www.supremecourt.gov/search.aspx?filename=/docket/docketfiles/html/public/26a388.html   Von Glahn v. Hoskins [Missouri Supreme Court Sep. 3, 2026 opinion] https://www.courts.mo.gov/file.jsp?id=239229   Missouri Supreme Court Sep. 10, 2026 contempt order https://www.courts.mo.gov/file.jsp?id=239429   Onder v. Missouri [8th Circuit docket via CourtListener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/74780310/congressman-robert-onder-v-state-of-missouri/   Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod  

DOCKET ALERTS:   Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh and the 11 other members of the Open Markets Committee voted to raise interest rates 0.25 percent, and Trump is pissed.   The New York Times published a blockbuster story, interviewing almost all of the federal judges in Minnesota about what it was like to hold the line during the Trump administration's immigration surge into the Twin Cities.   The Trump administration is bigfooting into the states' antitrust suit to block the Paramount-WB merger. Not to support the states! To force the states to pay a $1.9 billion bond!   DOOFUS OF THE DAY:   Our Doofi of the Day is a three-judge panel at the Eighth Circuit that seems to be thinking about trying to overrule the US Supreme Court and let Missouri gerrymander another Republican seat in Congress in the 2026 midterms. It's not going to work.    MAIN SHOW: Trump is threatening to tear down the Kennedy Center and looking at mockups of the national monument demolished. Meanwhile his lackeys insist in the court that the facility is only being closed temporarily for safety.   Remember when Trump's dingbat lawyer Lindsey Halligan tried to prosecute Jim Comey and Tish James and fell flat on her face? That case got to the Fourth Circuit this week, and it's still hot garbage.   The DOJ is very busy patting itself on the back for its glorious antitrust victory against Google over the sale of banner ads. Turns out, that victory is a lot less impressive than advertised.    SUBSCRIBER BONUS:   College football coach Lane Kiffin tried to break the NCAA by recruiting pro players. His own conference sued him for… violating the First Amendment? What in the world is going on in college football, and is Ted Cruz going to ride in and save the integrity of amateur sports? (No, no he is not.) Trump's Minnesota Surge Threatened Democracy, Judge Warns https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/17/us/politics/minnesota-judge-trump-immigration.html   California v. Paramount Skydance  https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73606877/the-state-of-california-v-paramount-skydance-corporation/   Onder v. Missouri [8th Circuit docket via CourtListener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/74780310/congressman-robert-onder-v-state-of-missouri/   Beatty v. Trump https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72069932/beatty-v-trump   Oral Argument US v. Comey/James https://www.youtube.com/live/_baUl2wtXvE   DOJ Press Release, "Department of Justice Again Wins Substantial Relief Against Google," September 16, 2026 https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/department-justice-again-wins-substantial-relief-against-google   US v. Google [EDVa docket via CourtListener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/66753787/united-states-v-google-llc/?filed_after=&filed_before=&entry_gte=&entry_lte=&order_by=desc&page=1   SUBSCRIBER BONUS Southeastern Conference v. Louisiana State University [docket via CourtListener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/74745193/the-southeastern-conference-v-louisiana-state-university/ Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod  

DOCKET ALERTS:   This podcast won a victory today in its lawsuit against the Trump administration to kick loose the document the DOJ used as the basis for a frivolous ethics complaint against Judge James Boasberg in DC. Judge Abelson ordered the DOJ to produce discovery to us so we can evaluate the administration's claims that "Attachment A" isn't subject to the Freedom of Information Act.   The hardware store Lowe's was hit with a consumer class action suit in Chicago alleging that it steals customers' voice prints when they call customer service.   A lawyer in New Mexico has been sanctioned for filing motions referring to fake witnesses hallucinated by ChatGPT. In a murder case!   DOOFUS OF THE DAY:   John Eastman, the election-denying crank lawyer, is now representing Amy Wax. Wax is a notorious racist whom the University of Pennsylvania law school has been trying to fire for years. Eastman entered his appearance on her behalf at the Third Circuit, which is weird because he was disbarred in California last year. But not to worry, he's filed a petition asking the Supreme Court to undo that!   MAIN SHOW:   While we were recording, the Supreme Court finally rejected Trump's plan to use the Post office to blow up the midterms. on whether it intends to stay a judicial order enjoining the US Postal Service from meddling with mail-in ballots during the 2026 midterms, but each new development seems to make it less likely that it will do so. Late Sunday night, Trump appointee Judge Carl Nichols in Washington DC issued his own injunction blocking the rule and smacking down the administration's arguments.   More details emerged over the weekend about the Grand Conspiracy investigation in Florida and why MAGA conspiracy lawyer Joe diGenova noped out. Apparently he didn't get the memo that the point was to indict a couple of Trump's enemies, declare victory, and be long gone before the charges imploded. Meanwhile, former CIA Director John Brennan has filed a lawsuit in DC seeking to head off his own prosecution.   Trump's offer of $5,000 checks to every citizen if Republicans hold the House and the Senate isn't bribery. And it isn't going to happen.   SUBSCRIBER BONUS:   In a supplement to our written blog post, we talk about all the weirdness in the DOJ's "Notice of Appeal" in the Trump v. IRS slush fund case, including how the administration's lawyers sound an awful lot like sovereign citizen nutjobs.   "Trump's DOJ Lawyers Leap In To Save Trump's Personal Lawyers" https://www.lawandchaospod.com/p/trumps-doj-lawyers-leap-in-to-save   Res Ipsa Media v. DOJ [docket Via CourtListener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71236135/res-ipsa-media-llc-v-department-of-justice/?order_by=desc   Perkins v. Lowe's [Complaint via Courthouse News] https://www.courthousenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Lowes-class-action-biometric-information.pdf   Attorney Sanctions Order [via Reuters] https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/legaldocs/gkplemoznvb/New%20Mexico%20sanctions%20order%20-%20AI.pdf   AFGE-AFL-CIO v. Kupor [Civil Service loyalty test] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71884278/american-federation-of-government-employees-afl-cio-v-kupor/   Eastman v. State Bar of California [Petition for Cert] https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/26/26-336/423876/20260911094527982_USSC%20Petition%20for%20Writ%20of%20Certiorari.pdf   Trump ally John Eastman joins UPenn professor's legal team, citing 'despicable cancel culture' https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/trump-ally-john-eastman-joins-upenn-professors-legal-team-citing-despicable-2026-09-14/   Trump v. League of Women Voters [Supreme Court docket] https://www.supremecourt.gov/search.aspx?filename=/docket/docketfiles/html/public/26a305.html   USPS Revised DMM [mail-in ballot regulations] https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/08/26/2026-17238/ballot-mail-for-federal-elections   DSCC v. Trump [DC mail-in ballot case injunction by Judge Nichols] https://ecf.dcd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/show_public_doc?2026cv1114-192   USPS v. California [Mail-in Ballots SCOTUS Docket] https://www.supremecourt.gov/search.aspx?filename=/docket/DocketFiles/html/Public/26A305.html   Brennan v. Blanche https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73562893/brennan-v-blanche/   Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod  

DOCKET ALERTS:   The president is promising to send out $5,000 checks to every American if Republicans win the midterms.   The Fourth Circuit became the ninth appellate court to find that the Trump administration's mandatory detention policy for all immigrants without legal status is patently illegal.   The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to let it install US Attorneys without Senate confirmation. Time to bring back Alina Habba and Lindsey Halligan!   Andrew and Tristan Tate's motion for bail pending their extradition to the UK was denied by a federal magistrate in Miami.   Hasbro is the latest company to tell the White House to quit using its IP in racist AI slop memes — this time the government is molesting Optimus Prime!   DOOFUS OF THE DAY:    James Piereson has an editorial in the Wall Street Journal wondering if adding new Supreme Court justices is illegal. It's not, and neither is saying absolute drivel in public.   MAIN SHOW:   We're all waiting for SCOTUS to say whether they're planning to let Trump burn down the midterms and refuse to deliver mail-in ballots. In the meanwhile, the US Supreme Court teamed up with the Missouri state Supreme Court to prevent a harebrained scheme by Missouri's Republican Secretary of State, Denny Hoskins, to cram down an even-more-gerrymandered congressional map that would give Republicans an extra seat in the House of Representatives. The Missouri Supreme Court ruled that the new map needs to be approved by the voters before it can take effect, and held Hoskins in contempt for refusing to abide by their September 3 injunction. And the US Supreme Court put the kibosh on a crazy TRO issued by a rogue Trump appointee purporting to require Missouri to use the Trump map. So it looks like Missourians are going to head back to the polls in November under the existing 2022 maps.   Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick has a plan to hack the 2030 Census. And that plan is RACISM.   SUBSCRIBER BONUS:   We break down Law & Chaos's DOOFUS OF THE DAY, James Piereson, a non-lawyer who has the legal opinion that expanding the Supreme Court is unconstitutional, even though it definitely isn't.   Lopez Garcia v. Guadian [Fourth Circuit, mandatory detention] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72052515/oscar-lopez-garcia-v-robert-guadian/   Petition for Cert In US Attorneys Case https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/26/26-304/423324/20260908124848584_Jackson%20Petition.pdf   US v. Tate https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73656030/united-states-v-tate/   People Not Politicians v. Hoskins [MO Supreme Court] https://www.courts.mo.gov/file.jsp?id=239229   James Piereson, "Is Court Packing Constitutional? Don't Be So Sure," Wall Street Journal, Sep. 7, 2026 https://www.wsj.com/opinion/is-court-packing-constitutional-dont-be-so-sure-0e602345   Mail-In Ballots at SCOTUS https://www.supremecourt.gov/search.aspx?filename=/docket/DocketFiles/html/Public/26A305.html   Proposed Census Rule Change https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/09/10/2026-18481/decennial-census-of-the-population-of-americans-proposed-residence-criteria-and-proposed-regulations Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod  

DOCKET ALERTS:   New Jersey became the latest state to beat back a Trump administration challenge to its sanctuary jurisdiction laws.   After the Supreme Court's conservatives (less CJR) allowed Trump to build his ballroom, he's demanding to be able to go ahead and build the fascist arch.   A federal judge in Minnesota denied X.ai's motion to enjoin the state from enforcing a law barring AI nudification apps.   Maria Bartiromo hired Bryan Freedman, former counsel for Justin Baldoni, to represent her in her breakup with Fox.   DOOFUS OF THE DAY:   Former Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer is the subject of a report issued by Labor Department Inspector General Anthony D'Esposito. Is it bad when you're sleeping with your staffer, drinking on the job, and allowing your male relatives to sexually harass employees?    MAIN SHOW:   The Los Angeles Angels just sold for $4 billion. What does the city of Anaheim want out of it and how are they going to get it?   Finally, a country music star has just filed a class action lawsuit against the AI platform Suno for infringing on his right of publicity. When chatbots can write songs that sound exactly like any famous recording artist, can anyone sue to stop them?   SUBSCRIBER BONUS:   What is going on with Trump's effort to use the Post Office to bone the midterms?   US v. New Jersey https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72316303/united-states-v-new-jersey/   Lemmon v. Trump [Arch] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72301112/lemmon-v-trump/   REPORT OF INVESTIGATION: LORI CHAVEZ-DEREMER, FORMER SECRETARY U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR https://oig.dol.gov/public/oifindings/50-26-004-01-001.pdf   X.ai LLC v. Ellison https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73678486/xai-llc-v-ellison/   Lowery v. Suno [D. Mass. docket via CourtListener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/74728439/lowery-v-suno-inc/ Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod  

DOCKET ALERTS:   The fight over Trump's attempt to seize control of state mail-in ballots is headed for the Supreme Court. After a hearing before Judge Indira Talwani, the government didn't wait for a ruling — and it didn't wait for the First Circuit to weigh in either. It immediately demanded that the justices step in. Justice Jackson, who sits over the First Circuit, did not issue an admin stay. She's asked for the states' response by Tuesday.   According to ProPublica, ICE Agent Christian Castro has been federally charged with making false statements after shooting Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis in Minnesota in January. Castro was previously charged by state prosecutors with assault, but Texas Gov. Greg Abbott refused to extradite him to Minnesota.   DOOFUS OF THE DAY:   Maria Bartiromo has been fired from Fox Business. Apparently she did something worse than losing the network $787 million in a defamation suit.   MAIN SHOW:   Andrew talks midterms with Joe Dye.   League of Women Voters v. Trump [Mail-In Ballots] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73133197/league-of-women-voters-of-massachusetts-v-trump/   Emergency SCOTUS Petiton re Mail-In Ballots https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/26/26A297/422948/20260903154027877_USPS%20Final%20Rule%20Stay%20and%20Appx.pdf   Trump's DOJ Blocked Serious ICE Shooting Charge Over Federal Prosecutor's "Strongest Possible" Objections https://www.propublica.org/article/doj-blocks-charges-ice-agent-minneapolis-julio-cesar-sosa-celis   Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod  

The J. M. Smucker Company notched a win in its trademark dilution case against Trader Joe's over the Uncrustable dupes. A judge in Ohio refused to dismiss the case or transfer it to California.    For the third time, Judge Alvin Hellerstein rejected Trump's attempt to remove his hush money conviction case to federal court from New York State court.   The Supreme Court allowed Trump to build his monstrous bunker ballroom.   DOOFUS OF THE DAY: George Santos managed to get himself banned for life by Kalshi after he got caught better on his own attendance at the State of the Union.   MAIN SHOW:   Judge Rita Lin granted summary judgment to Anthropic in its case against the Defense Department. After the company objected to the use of its product for autonomous lethal targeting and mass surveillance of Americans, Pete Hegseth set out to destroy its business. He failed.   Judge Indira Talwani refused to stay her own order blocking the Post Office from implementing Trump's demand to seize control of mail-in ballots.    Prosecutors in Minnesota hope to criminalize protest by claiming that an entire network of people engaging in First Amendment-protected protest are responsible if one of them eventually commits a crime. Pursuant to a Trump directive known as NSPM-7, the DOJ instructed operatives to infiltrate and surveil affinity groups espousing "extreme viewpoints on immigration, radical gender ideology, and anti-American sentiment." None of which is a crime! They've charged 15 protesters in Minnesota as part of a conspiracy that includes major unions and the DSA — all of which they've snooped on using administrative warrants from DHS.   SUBSCRIBER BONUS: A gestational surrogate from Alaska is trying to steal a sick baby. And Ken Paxton wants to help her do it!   J.M. Smucker Co v. Trader Joe's https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71631587/jm-smucker-company-v-trader-joes-company/   People of The State of New York v. Trump https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/67326478/people-of-the-state-of-new-york-v-trump/   Anthropic PBC v. U.S. Department of War https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72379655/anthropic-pbc-v-us-department-of-war   US v. Sant [D. Minn. docket via CourtListener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73489661/united-states-v-sant/   National Park Service v. National Trust for Historic Preservation [Supreme Court order] https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/26a203_2b8e.pdf   League of Women Voters v. Trump https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73133197/league-of-women-voters-of-massachusetts-v-trump/?   NSPM-7 https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/09/countering-domestic-terrorism-and-organized-political-violence/   Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod  

DOCKET ALERTS:   Washington Post opinion writer Karen Attiah, who was fired for her remarks after the death of Charlie Kirk, has been reinstated to her job after winning in arbitration.   Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook responded to Trump's latest effort to fire her by pointing out that multiple members of Trump's own cabinet made the same paperwork error she did on a mortgage application, and no one is accusing them of fraud.   Judge David Hittner, an 87-year-old Reagan appointee, struck down Texas's drag ban, finding that it would necessarily criminalize a lot of performances that are not obscene … including ones by Dolly Parton.   DOOFUS OF THE DAY:   Mike Lindell, the crackpot pillow pumper, lost his bid to be the Republican gubernatorial candidate in his home state of Minnesota. And he missed the deadline to pay for a recount. But he's not letting that stop him! He's suing everyone in sight demanding they surrender proof that the entire thing was rigged.   MAIN SHOW:   Florida Republicans are embroiled in a massive corruption scandal involving $10 million in taxpayer dollars for children's prescriptions, laundered through First Lady Casey Desantis's charity, and used for partisan political purposes, including defeating a marijuana legalization referendum. CBS in Miami got the grand jury report.   Judge Fernando Rodriguez, Jr. rebuffed Minnesota's motion to force Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to extradite ICE agent Christian Castro. Castro shot a man in Minneapolis and then lied about it, including filing a false police report. He was indicted in Minnesota, but Texas refuses to sign an extradition warrant, and now Castro has been released from jail.   Judge Cooper held a hearing today on the future of the Kennedy Center, after the board voted again to chisel Trump's name into the marble on the front of the place.   Judge Indira Talwani ordered the state plaintiffs to file an amended complaint in their effort to block the Trump administration seizing control of mail-in voting pursuant to Trump's executive order. Last week, the Supreme Court's conservatives blocked Judge Talwani's prior injunction on the theory that the states hadn't yet been harmed when they filed their original complaint.   SUBSCRIBER BONUS:   Update on Tuesday's hearing in our FOIA suit to get the evidence in the DOJ's ethics complaint against Judge Boasberg.   The Washington Post Fired Me. I Fought—and Won My Job Back. https://karenattiah.substack.com/p/the-washington-post-fired-me-i-foughtand   Extragrams LLC v. Paxton [TX drag ban] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/67660604/extragrams-llc-v-paxton   Walz v. Abbott [S.D. Tex. extradition case; docket via CourtListener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/74662182/walz-v-abbott/   Trump v. California [Supreme Court order re: voter lists EO] https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/26a124_hgci.pdf   League of Women Voters v. Trump [D. Mass. voter list case before Judge Talwani; docket via CourtListener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73133197/league-of-women-voters-of-massachusetts-v-trump/   Grand jury finds DeSantis administration "misappropriated" $10 million in taxpayer money to Hope Florida https://www.cbsnews.com/miami/news/grand-jury-report-hope-florida/   Res Ipsa Media LLC v. DOJ https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71236135/res-ipsa-media-llc-v-department-of-justice/ Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod