Ep 226 — SCOTUS and Louisiana Go Mask Off — Law and Chaos

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DOCKET ALERTS:  Sadly, recurring L&C segment “Justin Baldoni Teaches CivPro” is canceled. He and Blake Lively settled their civil suit today. Now we’ll just have to rely on Trump and his minions to show us how law does not work. The DOJ subpoenaed a Rhode Island hospital for patient records on gender affirming care. When the hospital failed to respond (oh no!), the DOJ moved to enforce the subpoena … in Texas, before a hand-picked conservative jurist. Judge Reed O’Connor granted the motion, and now the hospital is <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.rid.62049/gov.uscourts.rid.62049.1.0.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">seeking to block</a> the demand in a Rhode Island federal court. Trump says the War Powers Resolution doesn’t count because of the ceasefire. He’s full of s***. Law and Chaos’s first inaugural Doofus of the Day is Justice Neil Gorsuch, who went on Fox News to hawk his book and tell us all about the Christian Founding Fathers. MAIN SHOW: On Friday the Fifth Circuit purported to <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.ca5.229553/gov.uscourts.ca5.229553.119.1.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ban</a> the abortion drug mifepristone nationwide based on a <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.lawd.213952/gov.uscourts.lawd.213952.1.110.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">letter</a> from HHS Secretary Robert “Bear Carcass” Kennedy implying that the dispensing protocol had been arbitrarily decided. On Monday, the Supreme Court <a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/orders/courtorders/050426zr_l5gm.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">stayed</a> that order temporarily.  Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and Alina Habba — what even is her job these days??? — both appeared on TV and undermined the Comey seashells case.  Democratic candidate Lindsay Garcia and a local voter have <a href="https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73276836/collins-v-landry/?order_by=desc" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">sued Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry</a> over his <a href="https://gov.louisiana.gov/assets/2026-Executive-Orders/JML-Exective-Order-26-038.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">executive order</a> that suspends that state’s primary elections – but only for the US House of Representatives races. And for subscribers: US Attorney for DC Jeanine Pirro is ready to pick up the slack for Justin Baldoni. Today she’ll <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.288962/gov.uscourts.dcd.288962.21.0_3.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">teach us</a> how Munsingwear vacatur doesn’t work.  In Re: Administrative Subpoena 25-1431-032 [Texas action]<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> In Re: Motion to Quash Administrative Subpoena to Rhode Island Hospital [Rhode Island action]https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73290254/in-re-motion-to-quash-administrative-subpoena-to-rhode-island-hospital/ US v. Russotto<a href="https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/70649950/united-states-v-russotto/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/70649950/united-states-v-russotto/</a> Collins v. Landry (Louisiana elections lawsuit) [Docket via CourtListener]<a href="https://gov.louisiana.gov/assets/2026-Executive-Orders/JML-Exective-Order-26-038.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://gov.louisiana.gov/assets/2026-Executive-Orders/JML-Exective-Order-26-038.pdf</a> Executive Order 26-038 (order suspending elections)<a href="https://gov.louisiana.gov/assets/2026-Executive-Orders/JML-Exective-Order-26-038.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://gov.louisiana.gov/assets/2026-Executive-Orders/JML-Exective-Order-26-038.pdf</a> Louisiana v. FDA (5th Cir) [docket via CourtListener]<a href="https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73207799/state-of-louisiana-v-fda/?filed_after=&filed_before=&entry_gte=&entry_lte=&order_by=desc" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73207799/state-of-louisiana-v-fda/</a> Louisiana v. FDA (W.D. La. trial court) [docket via CourtListener]<a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.lawd.213952/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.lawd.213952/</a> Sec. Kennedy Letter re: Mifepristone<a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.lawd.213952/gov.uscourts.lawd.213952.1.110.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.lawd.213952/gov.uscourts.lawd.213952.1.110.pdf</a> Supreme Court stay order<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/orders/courtorders/050426zr_l5gm.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.supremecourt.gov/orders/courtorders/050426zr_l5gm.pdf</a> In re grand jury subpoenas [Federal Reserve]https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72490330/in-re-grand-jury-subpoenas/ Show Links:<a href="https://www.lawandchaospod.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.lawandchaospod.com/</a>BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPodThreads: @LawAndChaosPodTwitter: @LawAndChaosPod 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>.