Ep 215 — DOJ, Why Are You Like This? — Law and Chaos

Description

Lots of legal news out of US Agency for Global Media, the parent agency for Voice of America. Judge Royce Lamberth <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.279211/gov.uscourts.dcd.279211.223.0_1.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ruled</a> that Kari Lake was never legally appointed CEO of USAGM, and thus her orders shutting the sub-agencies down and firing all the employees were null and void. The government <a href="https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72521013/patsy-widakuswara-v-kari-lake/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">appealed</a>, but in the sloppiest way possible. Now the agency is getting <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.290643/gov.uscourts.dcd.290643.1.0.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">sued</a> again for violating the firewall protecting journalistic independence, forcing the networks to air AI slop praising Trump. But Kari Lake has an answer for that, and it is to <a href="https://x.com/KariLake/status/2032160097707725275" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">call</a> the judge a fatso. Judges in the District of New Jersey have <a href="https://www.njd.uscourts.gov/sites/njd/files/STANDINGORDER2026-03.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">appointed</a> longtime prosecutor Robert Frazer as US Attorney. And so far, Attorney General Bondi hasn’t fired him. Judge Roy Altman, a Trump appointee, seems disinclined to put an end to Trump’s trollsuits right out of the gate. He’s <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.flsd.703382/gov.uscourts.flsd.703382.26.0_1.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">allowing</a> the case against the BBC to proceed to discovery. And he dismissed the complaint against Capital One for tortious debanking, but allowed Trump 90 days to conduct discovery and refile. MAIN SHOW: We’ve got an update on Kilmar Abrego Garcia. The government <a href="https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71191591/abrego-garcia-v-noem/?order_by=desc" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">says</a> it has to send him to Liberia (where he does not agree to go) instead of Costa Rica (where he does agree to go) because Secretary Marco Rubio spent a lot of time negotiating with Liberia to take Abrego, and it would be so embarrassing not to send him there. And we’ll break down the Supreme Court’s recent <a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/24-993_10n2.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">decision</a> in Olivier v. City of Brandon, a case involving a truly obnoxious street preacher that implicates your right to sue the government. SUBSCRIBER BONUS:  The Trump administration is <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mad.297801/gov.uscourts.mad.297801.1.0.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">suing</a> Harvard under Title VI, claiming that the school failed to protect Jewish students and must forfeit billions. Widakuswara v. Lake I [DC Circuit]<a href="https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72521013/patsy-widakuswara-v-kari-lake/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72521013/patsy-widakuswara-v-kari-lake/</a> Widakuswara v. Lake [Trial Court]<a href="https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69846584/widakuswara-v-lake" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69846584/widakuswara-v-lake</a> Widakuswara v. Lake II [DC Circuit]<a href="https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72528662/widakuswara-v-lake/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72528662/widakuswara-v-lake/</a> District New Jersey Appointment Order<a href="https://www.njd.uscourts.gov/sites/njd/files/STANDINGORDER2026-03.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.njd.uscourts.gov/sites/njd/files/STANDINGORDER2026-03.pdf</a> Trump Suit Against Capital One Dismissed But Can Be Refiled<a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/news/trump-suit-against-capital-one-200454780.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://finance.yahoo.com/news/trump-suit-against-capital-one-200454780.html</a>  Trump v. BBC<a href="https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72040010/trump-v-british-broadcasting-corporation" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72040010/trump-v-british-broadcasting-corporation</a> Trump v. Capital One<a href="https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69853458/the-donald-j-trump-revocable-trust-v-capital-one-na" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69853458/the-donald-j-trump-revocable-trust-v-capital-one-na</a> US v. Harvardhttps://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72520538/unites-states-of-america-v-harvard-university-fellows-and-president/ Abrego Garcia v. Noem (habeas petition) [docket via CourtListener]<a href="https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71191591/abrego-garcia-v-noem/?order_by=desc" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71191591/abrego-garcia-v-noem/?order_by=desc</a> Zadvydas v. Davis, 533 U.S. 678 (2001)<a href="https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=16478079160883986502" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=16478079160883986502</a> Kennedy v. Bremerton School Dist., 597 U.S. _____ (2022)<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/21pdf/21-418_i425.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/21pdf/21-418_i425.pdf</a> Olivier v. City of Brandon [US Supreme Court]<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/24-993_10n2.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/24-993_10n2.pdf</a> Olivier v. City of Brandon (Appendix containing ordinance) [US Supreme Court]<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/24/24-993/352124/20250314105732247_Olivier%20Pet.%20App.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/24/24-993/352124/20250314105732247_Olivier%20Pet.%20App.pdf</a> Show Links:<a href="https://www.lawandchaospod.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.lawandchaospod.com/</a>BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPodThreads: @LawAndChaosPodTwitter: @LawAndChaosPodSee 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>.