Serious Trouble

In the ongoing defamation trial of Mike Lindell, who accused Dominion Voting Systems employee Eric Coomer of personally conspiring to steal the 2020 election from Donald Trump, Lindell isn't bothering to argue that his claims were true. Instead he's saying he believed them at the time he said them. Is that a good defense?Plus: a federal appellate decision upholding an injunction against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's efforts to harass the pressure group Media Matters for America over its campaign against Elon Musk, an unsuccessful lawsuit against the University of Pennsylvania claiming the school fostered an anti-semitic environment, the Trump administration's odd dealings with the Harvard Law Review, and a look at a couple of articles about the ongoing fallout from the decisions by major law firms to settle with the Trump administration over its transparently illegal executive orders against them. We also have updates on ongoing litigation over Trump's tariffs, and a look at the seven-year sentence for 87-year-old disgraced lawyer Tom Girardi.Visit serioustrouble.show to find a transcript and sign up for our newsletter. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.serioustrouble.show/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.serioustrouble.showThis week’s show is heavy on economic policy. Yay! We discuss a ruling from the U.S. Court of International Trade that many of Trump’s beloved tariffs are illegal and then, a strange shadow-docket order in U.S. v. Wilcox, a case about the National Labor Relations Board that raises a key economic question: Does that mean the president can fire the entire Federal Reserve Board, too?For paying subscribers: an update on the administration’s dealings with Big Law, updates about the Mahmoud Khalil and Kseniia Petrova cases, the Francesca Gino saga, and about Trevor Kirk, the LA County Sheriff’s deputy convicted of using excessive force who the Trump administration is trying to keep out of prison.Upgrade your subscription at serioustrouble.show!

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.serioustrouble.showThis week, we look at the indictment of Judge Hannah Dugan and the end of Ed Martin's reign at the US Attorney's office for the District of Columbia. For paying subscribers, we have an update on family business at the Sean Combs trial, where James Comey's daughter Maurene is facing off against Mark Geragos's daughter Teny. We have updates about new rulings about the Alien Enemies Act, about Marco Rubio's efforts to personally revoke the visas of students who annoy the administration, and about the frog embryos case. To get the full episode, go to http://www.serioustrouble.show and become a member. Thank you!

This week on the show: Jury selection for Sean Combs' eight-week RICO trial, which is moving along very quickly for for a complex federal criminal case.Plus: a ruling in the Alien Enemies Act cases, a ruling that gets at the heart of the policy question: whether there is an “invasion” or “predatory incursion” that triggers presidential powers under the law in the first place. It's a strange one.Another long-running case where ICE contends it doesn’t matter that it violated a court order about how to remove a person due for deportation, since he’d still be removable even if they did everything right.Long-Suffering Federal Judge Beryl Howell takes a shot at the many firms that chose to settle with the Trump administration instead of fighting. Meanwhile, the firms that settled have been insisting that they agreed to very little, and we may be about to get some information about how true that is.Visit serioustrouble.show to sign up for our newsletter and find a transcript of this episode. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.serioustrouble.show/subscribe

Dive into the complex world of immigration law where a judge's arrest and controversial gang membership designations spark intense debate. Discover the legal obstacles faced during the Trump administration, revealing flaws in evidence and civil liberty concerns. The mishaps of filing internal deliberations publicly serve as a cautionary tale. Get insights on George Santos's potential prison time and the reasons behind Sarah Palin's legal setbacks against The New York Times. Prepare for a rollercoaster of legal intrigue and unexpected twists!

Harvard is pushing back against the Trump administration's attempts to impose federal control, raising questions about academic freedom. The Supreme Court recently challenged the government on deportation orders linked to the Alien Enemies Act. Tensions between the press and administration are highlighted as the Associated Press faces exclusion from press pools. Additionally, legal battles around high-profile defamation and bribery cases reveal complexities in accountability and the justice process, painting a vivid picture of today’s legal landscape.

The Supreme Court's involvement in Trump’s executive orders is heating up. Detainees are entitled to due process, but must navigate habeas corpus petitions. The complexities of the Alien Enemies Act expose tensions between deportation rights and government enforcement. A case raises alarms about free speech, as the federal government tries to revoke green cards based on political expression. Additionally, the podcast dives into media access issues and high-stakes mediation dynamics, revealing the intricate dance between law, politics, and individual rights.

Dive into the cat-and-mouse game of legal venue and jurisdiction, where a misstep can cost you dearly. Discover how the Trump administration's policies complicate immigration cases and challenge law firms. Hear insights on political corruption in law, including a high-profile case dismissal that casts doubt on judicial integrity. Explore how shifting political landscapes affect legal strategies and the survival of firms. This thought-provoking discussion reveals the intricate web of law, power, and justice.

Paul Weiss is the third law firm to come under attack from the Trump administration and the first one to cut a deal, agreeing to certain terms about its practices in exchange for Trump withdrawing an executive order that effectively aimed to bankrupt the firm. The firm had different things to say about the agreement than Trump did — and we discuss what a capitulation like this might do for its business, staffing and more at Paul Weiss and throughout Big Law.Plus: Columbia University has similarly given in to demands from the administration, an appeals court panel has backed up Judge James Boasberg, declining to disturb his temporary restraining order that bars the administration from more renditions under the Alien Enemies Act, for now. And the Houthi war planning Signal chat is now the subject of a lawsuit — also before Judge Boasberg, lol — alleging that the administration is disobeying the Federal Records Act by setting those messages to auto-delete.Visit serioustrouble.show to sign up for our newsletter and find episode transcripts. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.serioustrouble.show/subscribe

The latest, most brutal entry in the rap battle between Kendrick Lamar and Drake comes in the form of a motion to dismiss. Drake, you will remember, sued Lamar’s record label (which is also Drake’s record label) for defamation, alleging that Lamar’s hit single “Not Like Us” defames him by calling him a pedophile. But as UMG’s attorney Rollin Ransom points out, rap battles are well known to feature hyperbolic accusations and insults that are not necessarily factual, which means they are unlikely to be defamatory. Plus, Drake explicitly dared Lamar to call him a pedophile — or, more specifically, Drake released a track in which he used an AI-generated Tupac Shakur voice to urge Lamar to “talk about [Drake] likin’ young girls.” It’s all very embarrassing, but as Ken notes, while UMG has a strong argument that it did not assist in defaming its own client, their argument is one a judge might not agree to consider in its entirety at this stage in the case.Plus: Trump tries to give Paul Weiss the Perkins Coie treatment, several of Trump’s major executive actions are facing new roadblocks in the courts, Nancy Mace faces a defamation lawsuit where the speech or debate clause is likely to provide her an important shield, and Ed Martin continues to Ed Martin.Visit serioustrouble.show to find a transcript of this episode, relevant links and to sign up for our newsletter. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.serioustrouble.show/subscribe