A few days ago, a story in POLITICO reported that the Department of Justice made a request for new emergency powers related to the pandemic. A lot of people responded with alarm that the government was indicating a suspension of habeas corpus, or essentially saying it will detain people without trials indefinitely during crises, but could there be another explanation for this? Are they simply trying to lay out the rules that apply to judges in a chaotic situation?

Civil litigation is slowing down amid this crisis. How is it affecting the other cases we’ve been following? Ken and Josh go through the McGahn casee and House Democrats’ lawsuit for President Trump’s tax records, whether the president could be deposed in a fraud lawsuit and whether he can block critics on Twitter. Plus: updates on Michael Avenatti and Michael Cohen and the prison system amid a global pandemic.