Ep 227 — Presumption of Irregularity

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Summary <p>Kash Patel is not as think as you drunk he is … <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/2026/05/kash-patel-fbi-bourbon/687066/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">again</a>. And if you tell someone about it, he’ll <a href="https://www.ms.now/news/kash-patel-ordered-polygraphs-of-more-than-two-dozen-members-of-his-team-sources-tell-ms-now" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">strap you</a> to a polygraph.</p><p><br></p><p>The DC Circuit seems likely to side with Senator Mark Kelly in his lawsuit against Pete Hegseth for trying to steal his pension.</p><p><br></p><p>The DOJ <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.txnd.419013/gov.uscourts.txnd.419013.1.2.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">subpoenaed</a> a hospital in Rhode Island for medical records of kids receiving gender affirming care. While the parties were negotiating, the DOJ filed a <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.txnd.419013/gov.uscourts.txnd.419013.1.0.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">petition to enforce</a> in Texas, which their hand-picked Judge Reed O’Connor instantly <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.txnd.419013/gov.uscourts.txnd.419013.2.0.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">granted</a>. Now the hospital has appealed to the Fifth Circuit (ughhh) and the Rhode Island Child Advocate has filed a <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.rid.62049/gov.uscourts.rid.62049.1.0.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">motion to quash</a> in the District of Rhode Island.</p><p><br></p><p>Our Doofus of the Day is Chief Justice John Roberts. It won’t always be someone on the Supreme Court, but when you stand up in front of hundreds of lawyers to <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/supreme-court/chief-justice-john-roberts-says-justices-are-not-political-actors-rcna343958" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">whine about how unfair</a> it is that people think your obviously political Supreme Court is political, how could we resist?</p><p><br></p><p>MAIN SHOW:</p><p><br></p><p>The 11th Circuit has joined two other circuit courts of appeal in <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/pdf/2026/05/06/ismael_perez_v._assistant_field_office_director_krome_north_service.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ruling</a> that the Trump administration cannot use the mandatory detention provisions of the Immigration and Naturalization Act to hold any immigrant, anywhere in the US, for any length of time and with no opportunity for a bond hearing.</p><p><br></p><p>The DOJ is <a href="https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/doj-offers-lawyers-25-000-signing-bonuses-as-recruitment-lags" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">so desperate</a> to hire lawyers that they’re offering signing bonuses and tipping current employees with “retention incentive allowances” to keep them from fleeing. Turns out, competent lawyers don’t like harassing trans kids for sport and indicting Democratic politicians on spurious grounds.</p><p><br></p><p>Judge Coleen McMahon <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.641679/gov.uscourts.nysd.641679.291.0.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ruled</a> that DOGE illegally dismantled the National Endowment for the Humanities when the bros fed the grantee database into ChatGPT with an instruction to find grants were “DEI.”</p><p><br></p><p>The Southern Poverty Law Center says the government’s public lies about the case —&nbsp;lookin’ at you, Todd Blanche —&nbsp;are so egregious that the court should <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.almd.90264/gov.uscourts.almd.90264.22.0.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">hand over</a> the grand jury transcript.</p><p><br></p><p>Judges in Rhode Island and Texas are dueling over the DOJ’s subpoena for the medical record for transgender minors.</p><p><br></p><p>READING LIST:</p><p><a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/04/27/linda-mcmahon-profile" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">How Professional Wrestling Prepared Linda McMahon for Trump’s Cabinet</a></p><p><br></p><p>Kash Patel’s Personalized Bourbon Stash</p><p><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/2026/05/kash-patel-fbi-bourbon/687066/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/2026/05/kash-patel-fbi-bourbon/687066/</a></p><p><br></p><p>Kash Patel ordered polygraphs of more than two dozen members of his team, sources tell MS NOW</p><p><a href="https://www.ms.now/news/kash-patel-ordered-polygraphs-of-more-than-two-dozen-members-of-his-team-sources-tell-ms-now" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.ms.now/news/kash-patel-ordered-polygraphs-of-more-than-two-dozen-members-of-his-team-sources-tell-ms-now</a></p><p><br></p><p>DOJ Offers Lawyers $25,000 Signing Bonuses as Hiring Lags</p><p><a href="https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/doj-offers-lawyers-25-000-signing-bonuses-as-recruitment-lags" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/doj-offers-lawyers-25-000-signing-bonuses-as-recruitment-lags</a></p><p><br></p><p>US. SPLC</p><p><a href="https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73223865/united-states-v-southern-poverty-law-center-inc" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73223865/united-states-v-southern-poverty-law-center-inc</a></p><p><br></p><p>In Re: Administrative Subpoena 25-1431-032 [Texas action]</p><p><a href="https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73276712/in-re-administrative-subpoena-25-1431-032/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73276712/in-re-administrative-subpoena-25-1431-032/</a></p><p><br></p><p>In Re: Motion to Quash Administrative Subpoena to Rhode Island Hospital [Rhode Island action]</p><p><a href="https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73290254/in-re-motion-to-quash-administrative-subpoena-to-rhode-island-hospital/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73290254/in-re-motion-to-quash-administrative-subpoena-to-rhode-island-hospital/</a></p><p><br></p><p>“Chief Justice John Roberts says American public wrongly views the justices as ‘political actors’” [NBC News]</p><p><a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/supreme-court/chief-justice-john-roberts-says-justices-are-not-political-actors-rcna343958" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/supreme-court/chief-justice-john-roberts-says-justices-are-not-political-actors-rcna343958</a></p><p><br></p><p><em>Hernandez Alvarez v. Warden</em> (11th Cir. immigration) [docket via CourtListener]</p><p><a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/pdf/2026/05/06/ismael_perez_v._assistant_field_office_director_krome_north_service.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://storage.courtlistener.com/pdf/2026/05/06/ismael_perez_v._assistant_field_office_director_krome_north_service.pdf</a></p><p><br></p><p>American Council of Learned Societies v. McDonald</p><p><a href="https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/70035052/american-council-of-learned-societies-v-mcdonald/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/70035052/american-council-of-learned-societies-v-mcdonald/</a></p><p><br></p><p>How Professional Wrestling Prepared Linda McMahon for Trump’s Cabinet</p><p><a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/04/27/linda-mcmahon-profile" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/04/27/linda-mcmahon-profile</a></p><p><br></p><p>Show Links:</p><p><a href="https://www.lawandchaospod.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.lawandchaospod.com/</a></p><p>BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod</p><p>Threads: @LawAndChaosPod</p><p>Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod</p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p>See Privacy Policy at <a href="https://art19.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://art19.com/privacy</a> and California Privacy Notice at <a href="https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info</a>.</p>

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