Law and Chaos

Today on Law and Chaos … Trump’s tariffs are illegal. A Judge named Sparkle just lit Kristi Noem on fire for trying to kidnap hundreds of Guatemalan children in the middle of the night. And Rudy Giuliani is getting the presidential medal of freedom. Plus, subscribers get a deep dive into all the ways the Department of Homeland Security is violating the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act.   Links:   Res Ipsa Media v. DOJ https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71236135/res-ipsa-media-llc-v-department-of-justice/   X Corp v. Apple https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71236135/res-ipsa-media-llc-v-department-of-justice/   L.G.M.L v. Noem [docket via CourtListener] https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.284360/gov.uscourts.dcd.284360.1.0_1.pdf   VOS Selections, Inc. v. Trump [Federal Circuit docket via CourtListener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/70394463/vos-selections-inc-v-trump Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod  

After “fixing” crime in DC, Trump is off to “fix” Chicago. But since Chicago is in an actual state, he may encounter one or two legal issues. And after the Supreme Court shook its finger at the president and said not to fire members of the Federal Reserve, he’s trying to do it anyway. Whodathunkit? Meanwhile, DC US Attorney Jeanine Pirro can’t seem to indict a ham sandwich.   Links:   Lisa Cook v. Trump [Fed Board of Govs case, Docket via Court Listener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71218248/cook-v-trump/   US v. Dunn [Hoagie Hurler, Docket via Court Listener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71223125/united-states-v-dunn/   US v. Reid [Triple No Bill, Docket via Court Listener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71196710/united-states-v-reid/?order_by=desc   Prosecutors Fail to Obtain Indictment Against Man Who Threw Sandwich at Federal Agent https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/27/us/politics/trump-sandwich-assault-indictment-justice-department.html   D.C. judges and grand jurors push back on Trump policing surge https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2025/08/27/trump-crime-surge-court-cases/   Trump Executive Order “Additional Measures to Address the Crime Emergency in the District of Columbia” https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/08/additional-measures-to-address-the-crime-emergency-in-the-district-of-columbia/   Chicago crime dashboard https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/sites/vrd/home.html   Chicago crime fact sheet https://www.chicago.gov/content/dam/city/depts/mayor/Press%20Room/Press%20Releases/2025/August/FACT%20SHEET%20CITY%20OF%20CHICAGO%20CONTINUES%20TO%20SEE%20HISTORIC%20DECLINES%20IN%20VIOLENT%20CRIME%20UNDER%20MAYOR%20BRANDON%20JOHNSON.pdf   DC Home Rule Act https://dccouncil.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Home-Rule-Act-2018-for-printing-9-13-182.pdf   10 USC § 12406 https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/10/12406   10 U.S.C. 253 https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/10/253   Trump Tries to Grab ‘Em by the Comme Positatus https://www.lawandchaospod.com/p/trump-tries-to-grab-em-by-the-posse   Newsom v. Trump (N.D. Cal.) [docket via CourtListener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/70496361/newsom-v-trump/?order_by=desc   Trump Title 10 proclamation for Los Angeles https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/06/department-of-defense-security-for-the-protection-of-department-of-homeland-security-functions/ Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod  

Kilmar Abrego Garcia has been returned to Maryland… where he was promptly arrested by ICE, which is threatening to deport him to Uganda. Will the courts stop it? Meanwhile, Texas tees up to defend breaking apart majority-minority districts by claiming that they were only trying to hurt Democrats, not Latinos. Also: can Trump really ban flag burning? (No.) Links:   Flag Burning EO https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/08/prosecuting-burning-of-the-american-flag/   Abrego Garcia v. Noem [MD Docket before Judge Xinis] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69777799/abrego-garcia-v-noem/?order_by=desc   Texas Redistricting 2021 (LULAC v. Abbott) https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.txwd.1150387/gov.uscourts.txwd.1150387.1127.0.pdf Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod  

The Fifth Circuit says yes to drag shows, but no to workers’ rights. Donald Trump loses one fight to keep his dingbat lawyer Alina Habba on as Acting Interim Assistant Special Top Secret Temporary US Attorney for New Jersey, but wins big in a New York appellate court. And multiple courts tell Attorney General Pam Bondi to pound sand, even though she would really, really like to invade the secrecy of the grand jury to try and make everyone forget that her patron and Jeffrey Epstein were best buds. Links: US v. Giraud [challenge to Alina Habba; docket via CourtListener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69409922/united-states-v-giraud-iii/   Trump v. New York [New York Appellate Division] https://nycourts.gov/courts/AD1/calendar/AppsMots/2025/apps/20250821/2023-04925,%20et%20ano..pdf   Spectrum WT v. Wendler [5th Cir.] https://www.ca5.uscourts.gov/opinions/pub/23/23-10994-CV0.pdf   SpaceX v. NLRB [5th Cir.] https://ecf.ca5.uscourts.gov/n/beam/servlet/TransportRoom?servlet=ShowDocMulti&incPdfHeader=Y&pacer=t&CSRF=csrf_1956458841209811746&incPdfHeaderDisp=Y&caseId=220409&outputType=doc&d=10658064&outputForm=view&incPdfFooter=&dls=7661567 Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod  

The legal landscape is buzzing with defamation suits, as Hunter Biden takes on Overstock's Patrick Byrne while Newsmax settles with Dominion Voting Systems. Media Matters scores big against the FTC, revealing the tense relationship between politics and media. Meanwhile, Brian Flores challenges racial disparities in NFL coaching through litigation. The courtroom drama runs deep, exposing the absurdities of legal procedures and the intricacies of First Amendment rights in a polarized environment.

We welcome back National Security Counselors’ Kel McClanahan to discuss how the Law & Chaos podcast will be suing the Trump administration. Also: no, Trump can’t order a new census just because he doesn’t like the actual numbers. And the Supreme Court tees up an argument advanced by Clarence Thomas to gut what remains of the Voting Rights Act.   Links: Donate to Kel McClanahan! www.nationalsecuritylaw.org/donate   Robinson v. Callais [Supreme Court docket] https://www.supremecourt.gov/docket/docketfiles/html/public/24-110.html   Voting Rights Act, 52 U.S.C. § 103 et seq. https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/52/subtitle-I/chapter-103 Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod  

What’s going on in Texas, where Democrats have walked out of the state legislature in an effort to thwart (or at least postpone) handing Donald Trump five more congressional seats in the 2026 midterms. Is it a crime? Does it break norms? And most importantly: will it work? And we check back in with the administration’s efforts to keep Alina Habba on a job she’s not legally entitled to have and for which she has zero qualifications. What could possibly go wrong??   Links: Texas HB4 https://capitol.texas.gov/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=891&Bill=HB4   Texas HB4 Map https://www.texastribune.org/2025/07/30/texas-redistricting-congressional-maps-house-republicans/   Texas Constitution https://tlc.texas.gov/docs/legref/TxConst.pdf   Texas House Rules https://www.house.texas.gov/pdfs/resources/House-Rules.pdf   US v. Giraud https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69409922/united-states-v-giraud-iii/?filed_after=&filed_before=&entry_gte=&entry_lte=&order_by=desc Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod  

The Department of Justice has filed an ethics complaint against the Chief Judge of the District Court in DC, James Boasberg, and we’ve enlisted Kel McClanahan to help us figure out what (if any) evidence the Trump administration has to support its claims. Plus, Liz and Andrew listened to the Federal Circuit’s oral argument over Trump’s tariffs. And what does a disgraced former superlawyer have to do to get a pierogi in Martha’s Vineyard?? For our subscribers, we chortle with glee at the return of the Super Best Election Lawyer in All the Land!   Links:   Boasberg Judicial Misconduct Complaint via Courthouse News https://www.courthousenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/FINAL-Misconduct-Complaint-7.28.pdf EXCLUSIVE: Memo Reveals D.C. Judges Are Predisposed Against Trump Administration https://thefederalist.com/2025/07/16/exclusive-memo-reveals-d-c-judges-are-predisposed-against-trump-administration/   Newsom v. Trump [docket via Court Listener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/70496361/newsom-v-trump/?order_by=desc Biden v. Byrne [docket via Court Listener] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/67990012/robert-hunter-biden-v-patrick-m-byrne/ Posse Comitatus Act of 1878, 18 U.S. Code § 1385 https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/1385 VOS v. Trump (tariffs - US Court of International Trade) [via Court Listener] https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cit.17080/gov.uscourts.cit.17080.55.0.pdf   VOS v. Trump (tariffs - Federal Circuit) - admin stay [via Court Listener] https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cafc.23105/gov.uscourts.cafc.23105.7.0.pdf Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod  

The ghost of Jeffrey Epstein continues to haunt Donald Trump, so he sent his attorney Todd Blanche to Florida to visit Ghislaine Maxwell for an exorcism. Despite the Supreme Court’s valiant efforts, lower courts are still refusing to let the Trump administration un-person children of immigrants. And Alina Habba is back in her office at the US Attorney’s office in New Jersey pretending to be a real prosecutor.  Links:   Ghislaine Maxwell SCOTUS Docket  https://www.supremecourt.gov/search.aspx?filename=/docket/docketfiles/html/public/24-1073.html   Trump v. Murdoch Docket https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/70843413/trump-v-murdoch/?order_by=desc   New Jersey v. Trump Docket https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69561497/state-of-new-jersey-v-trump   Federal Vacancies Reform Act https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/5/part-III/subpart-B/chapter-33/subchapter-III   28 USC 546 https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/28/546   NLRB v. SW General, 580 U.S. 288 (2017) https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=10679305642695926350   Biden v. Byrne Docket https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/67990012/parties/robert-hunter-biden-v-patrick-m-byrne/   Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod  

The Supreme Court can’t be bothered to do real law — but they still expect trial judges to read their minds and treat those nebulous shadow docket orders like binding precedent. And that invisible ink precedent says that Trump can fire anyone, anywhere, at any time. Abrego Garcia is still dancing on the knife edge between Trump’s DOJ and his DHS. And we explain why the current state of our media is all Hulk Hogan’s fault.   Links:   SCOTUS Shadow Docket Order Trump v. Wilcox https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24pdf/24a966_1b8e.pdf   SCOTUS Shadow Docket Order Trump v. Boyle https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24pdf/25a11_2cp3.pdf   Harper v. Bessent Docket https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69951586/harper-v-bessent/   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   Show Links: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/ BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod