Law and Chaos

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/

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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

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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

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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/

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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/

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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

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BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod

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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

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https://www.lawandchaospod.com/

BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod

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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

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BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod

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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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