Passing Judgment

Donald Trump's legal team got its special master to review classified documents discovered at Mar-a-Lago in August, but is the situation playing out like they intended? Reporter Jan Wolfe is the business legal affairs correspondent for The Wall Street Journal and he spends a lot of time sorting out questions like that one. He joins Jessica to discuss the multiple ever-developing investigations that seem to be changing by the minute into the former president's business empire and handling of sensitive documents.

Just a few moments ago the Department of Justice submitted a 36-page filing responding to President Trump's claim that a special master should be appointed to review documents the FBI obtained and took from his residence at Mar-a-Lago.

What did the DOJ say and what did we learn?

Hugo Lowell, reporter for The Guardian and regular commentator on MSNBC, joins Jessica to discuss the breaking news of the partial release of the affidavit supporting the warrant to search Trump’s former residence at Mar-a-Lago. What did we learn? Why was the affidavit redacted? Does this mean Trump will face charges? What about this new development has Trump's legal team more concerned than ever before?

There has been a deluge of political and legal news over the past few weeks - especially for midsummer - a typically slow period in the calendar that news junkies sometimes refer to as "the summer doldrums." But not this year. An unprecedented FBI search of a former president's current residence is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to deepening legal trouble for Donald Trump.

It is time for a regroup and a recap. 

On this week's episode, Jessica breaks down the states of the (multiple) big legal investigations into Trump and his associates and explains which laws are at issue in each case: the investigation regarding January 6th, the documents seized at Mar-a-Lago, possible election fraud in Georgia, and potential business or tax fraud in New York. Will any of these investigations imperil the teflon reputation the former president has when it comes to dodging real legal liability?

Two more big pieces of legal news this week.

First, if Trump is convicted for taking classified documents from the White House, does that mean he is barred from holding federal office again? (Spoiler alert - no).

Second, since Trump took the Fifth in a deposition in the ongoing investigation by the New York Attorney General into the Trump Org, does that mean we can't judge him for that? (Answer - it does not).

This is a breaking news episode of Passing Judgment.

The FBI has executed a search warrant at the private residence of former President Trump.

What does this tell us about the investigation into Trump and whether he will face criminal charges?

Representative Judy Chu stops by Passing Judgment to discuss reproductive rights, marriage equality, and gun control.

Rep. Chu is the lead sponsor of the Women's Health Protection Act, and a supporter of Right to Contraception Act, the Respect for Marriage Act, and tighter gun control measures. She talks with Jessica about those proposed laws and why, in her view, it is time to eliminate the filibuster.

Prof. Cary Franklin, a professor at UCLA's School of Law and the Director of the Center on Reproductive Health, Law, and Policy and the Williams Institute, joins Jessica to talk through the impact of the Supreme Court's decision in Dobbs v. Jackson.

Cary and Jessica discuss the rationale behind the ruling and what it could mean for other rights, including LGBTQ rights and the ability to obtain contraception.

The congressional hearings investigating the events of the insurrection at the Capitol on January 6th of 2021 were supposed to end in June, but progress is being made and additional hearings have been scheduled. Like so many investigations, when you tug on one thread you discover that that thread is connected to many, many others. Why has the committee scheduled more hearings? How has Team Trump changed its strategy as the committee gains traction? Why didn't Trump administration officials reveal the information discovered in the hearings in the immediate aftermath of the deadly event? In this episode, Jessica and Joe review and analyze the latest news from the January 6th committee - where they started, where they are, and where they are going.