The Trump administration is trying to provoke a riot in California by “federalizing” the National Guard. We’ll tell you what that means and what legal recourse blue states and cities have to resist being occupied by the military. Plus, it turns out that the Trump administration could facilitate the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia after all, it just needed to gin up a dubious criminal indictment first. And finally, Justin Baldoni’s trollsuit against Blake Lively meets precisely the demise we told you it would.

Links:

US v. Abrego Garcia [docket via Court Listener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/70475970/united-states-v-garcia/

DHS Referral to DOJ (Abrego Garcia) https://www.ice.gov/doclib/news/releases/2025/25_0418_hsi_referral-abrego-garcia.pdf

Abrego Garcia v. Noem [District Docket] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69777799/abrego-garcia-v-noem/

Harvard College v. Department of Health and Human Services [Docket via Court Listener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69921962/president-and-fellows-of-harvard-college-v-us-department-of-health-and/

White House Memo Federalizing National Guard

https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/06/department-of-defense-security-for-the-protection-of-department-of-homeland-security-functions/

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Justin Baldoni’s lawyers are wilding out, the Justice Department is suing to purge North Carolina’s voter rolls, and Pillow Pumper Mike Lindell is teaching us about journalism shield laws. And for subscribers: Have Trump’s minions discovered one weird trick that will allow them to steal Congress’s tariff authority?

Links:

Kingdom v. Trump

https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69717615/kingdom-v-trump/

Trump's Justice Department examining pardons issued by Biden

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trumps-justice-department-examining-pardons-issued-by-biden-2025-06-02/

US v. Navarro

https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/63359365/united-states-v-navarro/

J.G.G. v. Trump [District Court Docket]

https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69741724/jgg-v-trump/

Wayfarer Studios v. Lively

https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69550325/wayfarer-studios-llc-v-lively/

Lively v. Wayfarer Studios, LLC

https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69510553/lively-v-wayfarer-studios-llc/

Coomer v. Lindell

https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/63296393/coomer-v-lindell/

Covington & Burling tariffs article

https://www.cov.com/-/media/files/corporate/publications/2016/12/law360_the_presidents_long_forgotten_power_to_raise_tariffs.pdf

19 USC 1338

https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/19/1338

US v. North Carolina State Board of Elections [docket via Court Listener]

ttps://www.courtlistener.com/docket/70380331/united-states-v-north-carolina-state-board-of-elections/

Help America Vote Act, 52 USC 21083

https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/52/21083

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The Trump Administration is putting the Justice Department in a terrible bind. DOJ lawyers can tell judges the truth and admit that the government is deliberately violating court orders. Or they can bob and weave and prevaricate and cross their fingers and hope it all comes out okay. But that strategy is running into a brick wall as courts are increasingly ruling against the government. Plus for subscribers: How low will SCOTUS go to protect the sacred right to walk around with a giant murder cannon slung over our shoulders?

Links:

The Trump Administration Is Lawless. Judges Are Adapting.

https://www.lawandchaospod.com/p/the-trump-administration-is-lawless

Judge Russell Standing Order

https://www.mdd.uscourts.gov/sites/mdd/files/Amended%202025-01.pdf

Trump v. Selzer [Docket via Court Listener]

https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69476247/trump-v-selzer/

Arevalo Millan v. Trump [Docket via Court Listener]

https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/70294725/darwin-antonio-arevalo-millan-v-donald-j-trump/

Melgar-Salmeron v. Bondi

https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/70409956/melgar-salmeron-v-bondi/

SCOTUS Orders List for June 2, 20025

https://www.supremecourt.gov/orders/courtorders/060225zor_4f15.pdf

J.O.P. v. Department of Homeland Security [District Court Docket]

https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/15867241/jop-v-us-department-of-homeland-security

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This week Trump got his ass kicked in courts no one’s ever heard of! From tariffs to immigration, Harvard to WilmerHale, it’s been a week of losing bigly. Andrew and Liz will break it down and explain what’s next.

Links:

Harvard College v. Department of Health and Human Services [Docket via Court Listener]

https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69921962/president-and-fellows-of-harvard-college-v-us-department-of-health-and/

V.O.S. Selections, Inc. v. Trump [District Court Docket via Court Listener]

https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69888953/vos-selections-inc-v-donald-j-trump

V.O.S. Selections, Inc. v. Trump [Federal Circuit Docket via Court Listener]

https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/70394463/vos-selections-inc-v-trump/

WilmerHale v. Trump [Docket via Court Listener]

https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69807328/wilmer-cutler-pickering-hale-and-dorr-llp-v-executive-office-of-the/

Jenner & Block v. DOJ [Docket via Court Listener]

https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69807126/jenner-block-llp-v-us-department-of-justice/

MTA v. Duffy (Congestion Pricing) [Docket via Court Listener]

https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69652290/metropolitan-transportation-authority-v-duffy/

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

The Punch That Launched Trump’s War on American Universities

https://www.wsj.com/us-news/education/trump-college-university-federal-funding-fight-91c2a274

How to Hide a Constitutional Crisis

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/05/legalistic-noncompliance/682927/

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President Trump’s genius plan to announce that he’s about to violate the First Amendment — and then do it! — runs into the judicial buzzsaw as two federal courts restrain his attacks on Harvard and the law firm Jenner & Block. And his campaign’s lawsuit against Iowa pollster Ann Selzer continues to be a humiliating series of self-owns. But SCOTUS hands the administration a win by allowing the president to fire anyone and everyone. They exempted Fed Chair Jerome Powell for, uh, reasons.

Links:

Jenner & Block v. DOJ [Docket via Court Listener]

https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69807126/jenner-block-llp-v-us-department-of-justice

Trump v. Selzer [Docket via Court Listener]

https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69476247/trump-v-selzer/

Trump Allies Look to Benefit From Pro Bono Promises by Elite Law Firms

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/25/business/trump-law-firms-pro-bono.html

Trump v. Wilcox [Supreme Court order]

https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24pdf/24a966_1b8e.pdf

Seila Law v. CFPB

https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/19pdf/19-7_n6io.pdf

President and Fellows of Harvard College v. DHS [docket via CourtListener]

https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/70349156/president-and-fellows-of-harvard-college-v-united-states-department-of/

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It’s been another wild week of injunctions, executive orders, and just plain insanity from the Trump administration. Then, we’ll let Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni teach us about civil procedure. And for a deep dive, we discuss a surprising recusal from Justice Barrett that preserves what’s left of the separation of church and state.

Links:

How Trump Officials Debated Handling of the Abrego Garcia Case: ‘Keep Him Where He Is’

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/21/us/politics/trump-abrego-garcia-el-salvador-deportation.html

Judge James Ho Public Meltdown

https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.ca5.224134/gov.uscourts.ca5.224134.25.1.pdf

D.V.D. v. Department of Homeland Security [Docket via Court Listener]

https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69775896/dvd-v-us-department-of-homeland-security/

Somerville Public Schools v. Trump [Docket via Court Listener]

https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69778837/somerville-public-schools-v-trump

US v. McIver [Docket via Court Listener]

https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/70317726/united-states-v-mciver/

Trump v. Wilcox [Supreme Court order granting stay]

https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24pdf/24a966_1b8e.pdf

Oklahoma Statewide School Board v. Drummond [Supreme Court per curiam order]

https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24pdf/24-394_9p6b.pdf

Lively v. Baldoni (SDNY) [docket via CourtListener]

https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69510553/lively-v-wayfarer-studios-llc/?filed_after=&filed_before=&entry_gte=&entry_lte=&order_by=desc&page=2

We Can Bury Anyone’: Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine, New York Times

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/21/business/media/blake-lively-justin-baldoni-it-ends-with-us.html

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The Supreme Court does one good thing on immigration, which made Sam Alito BIG MAD. And although the administration has been stymied (for now) in its efforts to rendition detainees out of the country with no notice, the Supreme Court did allow the Trump administration to end Temporary Protected Status for hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans. Then, since we all need a good chuckle, we spend some time pointing and laughing at California’s plan to outsource the bar exam to an AI chatbot. And in the patreon bonus, we describe how one of America’s worst trial court judges just tried to overrule the Supreme Court.

Links:

Alito Gets Fragged in Supreme Court Order

https://www.lawandchaospod.com/p/alito-gets-fragged-in-scotus-order

New York Times, “Emil Bove, Top Justice Dept. Official, Is Considered For Circuit Court Nomination”

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/19/us/politics/emil-bove-circuit-court-federal-appeals.html?unlocked_article_code=1.IU8.KLV8.yndwN6PJV_HE

Noem v. National TPS Alliance et al. [SCOTUS Miscellaneous order]

https://www.supremecourt.gov/orders/courtorders/051925zr1_5h26.pdf

Washington Post, “Trump Justice Dept. considers removing key check on lawmaker prosecutions”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/05/17/trump-justice-department-prosecutions/

State of Texas v. EEOC order (Kacsmaryk)

https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.txnd.393489/gov.uscourts.txnd.393489.59.0.pdf

DOJ OCR Letter Harmeet Dhillon to Brandon Johnson

https://www.justice.gov/crt/media/1400811/dl?inline

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Today, Liz and Andrew interview Prof. Leah Litman about her book Lawless: How the Supreme Court Runs on Conservative Grievance, Fringe Theories, and Bad Vibes. And, as if to prove the point, the Supreme Court today entertained absolutely nonsense arguments in the birthright citizenship cases about how district courts can’t issue the kind of injunctions they’ve issued for the past two centuries because it would make Trump sad.

Links:

Leah Litman’s Lawless: How the Supreme Court Runs on Conservative Grievance, Fringe Theories, and Bad Vibes

https://www.amazon.com/Lawless-Supreme-Conservative-Grievance-Theories/dp/1668054620/

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https://www.lawandchaospod.com/

BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod

Threads: @LawAndChaosPod

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