Ep 237 — A Slush Fund By Any Other Name Would Still Reek

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Summary <p dir="ltr">DOCKET ALERTS:</p> <p> </p> <p dir="ltr">The Supreme Court issued <a href= "https://www.supremecourt.gov/orders/courtorders/061526zor_5if6.pdf"> orders</a> today, opinions coming Thursday.</p> <p> </p> <p dir="ltr">The <a href= "https://www.wsj.com/finance/regulation/jeanine-pirros-prosecutors-probe-big-banks-for-alleged-debanking-13568e9b"> Wall Street Journal</a> reports that Jeanine Pirro, the US Attorney for DC, is investigating banks for "debanking" conservatives. </p> <p> </p> <p dir="ltr">Judge James Boasberg <a href= "https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.288962/gov.uscourts.dcd.288962.43.0_1.pdf"> benchslapped</a> Pirro's effort to magic away his order quashing her abusive subpoena on the Federal Reserve.</p> <p> </p> <p dir="ltr">DOOFUS OF THE DAY: A judge in Mississippi <a href= "https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.msnd.50181/gov.uscourts.msnd.50181.123.0.pdf"> disqualified all the lawyers</a> in a case after finding that both sides cited fake cases hallucinated by AI.</p> <p> </p> <p dir="ltr">MAIN SHOW:</p> <p> </p> <p dir="ltr">The battle over the Kennedy Center continues. At the eleventh hour, the Center's Board <a href= "https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cadc.43300/gov.uscourts.cadc.43300.01208860277.0_1.pdf"> appealed</a> the order to take Trump's name off the building, citing a new rule that would strip all funding from the institution if Trump's name came down. The trial judge denied the requested stay, and so did the <a href= "https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cadc.43300/gov.uscourts.cadc.43300.01208860420.0_1.pdf"> Circuit Court.</a> Meanwhile, the Washington National Opera is <a href= "https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.uscfc.54456/gov.uscourts.uscfc.54456.1.0.pdf"> suing</a> the Kennedy Center for expropriating its $17 million endowment.</p> <p> </p> <p dir="ltr">In the Eastern District of Virginia, Judge Leonie Brinkema <a href= "https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73383692/floyd-v-department-of-justice/?order_by=desc"> issued a preliminary injunction</a> blocking the administration from implementing the Anti-Weaponization Fund whether under a new name or not.</p> <p> </p> <p dir="ltr">New <a href= "https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/15/us/politics/trump-scharf-habeas-corpus-insurrection-act.html"> reporting</a> from Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan in the New York Times reveals two revealing memos from White House advisor Will Scharf on <a href= "https://static01.nyt.com/newsgraphics/documenttools/2afc51a03e41c257/7f0f0dff-full.pdf"> suspending the writ of habeas corpus</a> and the <a href= "https://static01.nyt.com/newsgraphics/documenttools/ab7a26e5d4b63268/402f052f-full.pdf"> Insurrection Act</a>.</p> <p> </p> <p dir="ltr">SUBSCRIBER BONUS:</p> <p> </p> <p dir="ltr">A federal judge in Massachusetts <a href= "https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mad.299811/gov.uscourts.mad.299811.55.0.pdf"> blocked</a> Texas AG Ken Paxton's investigation into the Democratic fundraising platform ActBlue, holding that it was plainly retaliatory for its support for his Democratic Senate rival James Talarico.</p> <p> </p> <p dir="ltr">SCOTUS Orders List June 15</p> <p dir="ltr"><a href= "https://www.supremecourt.gov/orders/courtorders/061526zor_5if6.pdf"> https://www.supremecourt.gov/orders/courtorders/061526zor_5if6.pdf</a></p> <p> </p> <p dir="ltr">Jeanine Pirro's Prosecutors Probe Big Banks for Alleged 'Debanking'</p> <p dir="ltr"><a href= "https://www.wsj.com/finance/regulation/jeanine-pirros-prosecutors-probe-big-banks-for-alleged-debanking-13568e9b"> https://www.wsj.com/finance/regulation/jeanine-pirros-prosecutors-probe-big-banks-for-alleged-debanking-13568e9b</a></p> <p> </p> <p dir="ltr">Powell/Fed Reserve Subpoenas</p> <p dir="ltr"><a href= "https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72490330/in-re-grand-jury-subpoenas"> https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72490330/in-re-grand-jury-subpoenas</a></p> <p> </p> <p dir="ltr">ActBlue v. Paxton</p> <p dir="ltr"><a href= "https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73285205/actblue-llc-v-paxton/"> https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73285205/actblue-llc-v-paxton/</a></p> <p> </p> <p dir="ltr">Washington National Opera v. US</p> <p dir="ltr"><a href= "https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73476333/washington-national-opera-v-united-states/"> https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73476333/washington-national-opera-v-united-states/</a></p> <p> </p> <p dir="ltr">Beatty v. Trump [DC Circuit]</p> <p dir="ltr"><a href= "https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73477160/joyce-beatty-v-donald-trump"> https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73477160/joyce-beatty-v-donald-trump</a></p> <p> </p> <p dir="ltr">Withers v. City of Aberdeen [AI Attorney Sanctions]</p> <p dir="ltr"><a href= "https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69485760/withers-v-city-of-aberdeen"> https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69485760/withers-v-city-of-aberdeen</a></p> <p> </p> <p dir="ltr">Floyd v. DOJ [docket via CourtListener]</p> <p dir="ltr"><a href= "https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73383692/floyd-v-department-of-justice/?order_by=desc"> https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73383692/floyd-v-department-of-justice/?order_by=desc</a></p> <p> </p> <p dir="ltr">Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan,"Frustrated by Courts, Trump Weighed Suspending a Constitutional Right," New York Times, June 15, 2026</p> <p dir="ltr"><a href= "https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/15/us/politics/trump-scharf-habeas-corpus-insurrection-act.html"> https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/15/us/politics/trump-scharf-habeas-corpus-insurrection-act.html</a></p> <p> </p> <p dir="ltr">Will Scharf Habeas Corpus memo</p> <p dir="ltr"><a href= "https://static01.nyt.com/newsgraphics/documenttools/2afc51a03e41c257/7f0f0dff-full.pdf"> https://static01.nyt.com/newsgraphics/documenttools/2afc51a03e41c257/7f0f0dff-full.pdf</a></p> <p> </p> <p dir="ltr">Will Scharf Insurrection Act memo</p> <p dir="ltr"><a href= "https://static01.nyt.com/newsgraphics/documenttools/ab7a26e5d4b63268/402f052f-full.pdf"> https://static01.nyt.com/newsgraphics/documenttools/ab7a26e5d4b63268/402f052f-full.pdf</a></p> <p> </p> <p dir="ltr">Show Links:</p> <p dir="ltr"><a href= "https://www.lawandchaospod.com/">https://www.lawandchaospod.com/</a></p> <p dir="ltr">BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod</p> <p dir="ltr">Threads: @LawAndChaosPod Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod</p> <p> </p>

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