Law and Chaos

DOCKET ALERTS:

Florida’s Attorney General James Uthmeier is getting paid $50,000 a semester to teach a single class at University of Florida’s law school.

The Trump Administration finally obeyed the court order and put the exhibit on enslaved people back at President’s House in Philadelphia.

The Supreme Court has decided to eliminate corruption by asking litigants to add their stock ticker symbols to filing disclosures. Oh, you thought maybe the justices would agree to stop trading individual stocks? LOL.

And a JAG lawyer sent to help out the US Attorneys Office in Minnesota got cited for contempt after ICE responded to a habeas order by dumping a Minnesota man on the street in El Paso without his identity documents. Judge Laura Provinzino ordered the lawyer to pay $500 per day until the petitioner got his ID back.

MAIN SHOW:

In California, Judge Sunshine Sykes issued a major benchslap to the Trump administration’s claim that it can — or must! — detain immigrants who haven’t been granted permanent residence. In December, she granted class certification and ordered the government to give everyone not detained at the border a bond hearing. The government ignored her ruling, based on a decision by the immigration courts housed inside the Justice Department. Separation of powers, how does it go?

And Andrew and Liz talk about two “surveillance” issues: commercially-aggregated data tracking our every movement and “dynamic” pricing.

The Supreme Court first started considering surveillance in US v. Jones, 565 U.S. 400 (2012) and endorsed the “mosaic theory” of the Fourth Amendment in Carpenter v. US, 585 US 296 (2018).

Sens. Lujan and Merkley have co-sponsored the Stop Price Gouging in Grocery Stores Act of 2026. Gizmodo recently ran a story about it, referencing prior research into dynamic pricing.

Florida’s attorney general gets $100K part-time teaching job at UF
https://www.tampabay.com/news/florida-politics/2026/02/17/uthmeier-uf-adjunct-teaching-contract-pay-attorney-general/

Soto Jimenez v. Bondi
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72221590/soto-jimenez-v-bondi/

Matter of Yajure Hurtado
https://www.justice.gov/eoir/media/1413311/dl?inline

Maldonado Bautista v. Noem
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/70895584/lazaro-maldonado-bautista-v-ernesto-santacruz-jr/

US v. Jones, 565 U.S. 400 (2012)
https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=3066032366235422373

Carpenter v. US, 585 US 296 (2018)
https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=853695326923033538

Text of the Stop Price Gouging in Grocery Stores Act of 2026
https://www.lujan.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/MUR26086-1.pdf

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DOCKET ALERTS:

Trump celebrated President’s Day by filing a trademark for Donald J. Trump International Airport — just in time for Florida’s move to rename Palm Beach International Airport in his honor. KA-CHING!

In Colorado, a state judge ruled that throwing prisoners in solitary confinement as a penalty for refusing to work violates the state constitution’s ban on involuntary servitude. It’s a start!

And in Philadelphia, Judge Cynthia Rufe ordered the Trump administration to restore an exhibit on the enslaved people who lived at President’s House under George Washington: “Each person who visits the President’s House and does not learn of the realities of founding-era slavery receives a false account of this country’s history.”

MAIN SHOW:

In Minnesota, Judge Nancy Brasel ordered DHS to grant detainees in “holding rooms” at the Whipple Building in Minneapolis meaningful access to counsel. The ruling bars ICE from removing immigrants from the state for 72 hours after they are originally picked up. We’ll discuss the cracks appearing between DHS, which ignores court orders, and DOJ, which has to show up in court and take the blame for it.

In New York, Judge Lewis Kaplan issued a similar order in September with respect to temporary “holding rooms” on the 9th floor at 26 Federal Plaza in Manhattan, with additional requirements that DHS provide for detainees' hygiene, nutrition, and medical needs. The plaintiffs say ICE has not complied and moved for contempt. The City reports that DHS opened up new temporary detention facilities on the 10th floor, but claims the injunction doesn’t apply there for, uh, REASONS.

And we break down all the ways Republicans are trying to suppress the vote with the SAVE America Act, which solves the nonexistent problem of noncitizens voting illegally by imposing a series of restrictions on citizens registering and voting.

In the subscriber bonus, we discuss a district court’s decision in Massachusetts enjoining the Trump administration from deploying ICE in and around churches.

Trump’s Private Company Files Trademark for ‘President Donald J. Trump International Airport’
https://www.gerbenlaw.com/blog/trumps-private-company-files-trademark-for-president-donald-j-trump-international-airport/

Buried in the budget: Mike Huckabee, Donald Trump and Newsmax
https://jasongarcia.substack.com/p/buried-in-the-budget-mike-huckabee

Mortis v. Polis [Colorado Prison Labor]
https://towardsjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Findings-of-Fact-and-Conclusions-of-Law.pdf

Philadelphia v. Burgum
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72178941/city-of-philadelphia-v-burgum/

Advocates for Human Rights v. DHS [Whipple Building]
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72196538/the-advocates-for-human-rights-v-us-department-of-homeland-securit

Barco Mercado v. Noem [26 Federal Plaza]
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71065570/barco-mercado-v-noem

ICE Moved Detainees to Previously Undisclosed Floor of 26 Federal Plaza
https://www.thecity.nyc/2026/02/09/26-federal-plaza-jail-conditions-ice-judge-kaplan-ruling/

Text of S.1383, the “SAVE America” Act
https://docs.house.gov/billsthisweek/20260209/RCP_S1383_xml.pdf

New England Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America v. DHS
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/70939776/new-england-synod-evangelical-lutheran-church-in-america-v-department-of/

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Docket Alerts:

Exactly zero grand jurors voted to indict the members of Congress who made a video in November reminding active duty service members of their duty to refuse illegal orders. And Judge Richard Leon told Secretary Hegseth to pound “Horsefeathers!” with his attempt to demote Senator Mark Kelly and dock his naval retirement.

The Justice Department hasn’t stopped trying to evade senate confirmation for US Attorneys. Hours after judges in New York exercised their legal right to appoint someone competent to run the office, the Trump administration fired him.

Subscribers will get a deep dive into AG Bondi’s efforts to ONE WEIRD TRICK a “triumvirate” of lawyers into the US Attorney spot.

MAIN SHOW:

Two hundred federal and state agents descended on a Mexican heritage festival in Idaho in October. They leveraged five arrest warrants for illegal gambling into a massive detention operation to brutalize hundreds of families. Now those families are suing under 42 USC § 1983, alleging a conspiracy between the feds and local law enforcement.

In DC, Trump appointee Judge Tim Kelly blocked the administration from taking revenge on inmates whose death sentences were commuted by President Biden by moving them all to Supermax.

After the Fifth Circuit’s terrible ruling last week allowing for indefinite detention of all non-citizens, district court judges are still finding ways to grant habeas petitions.

Back in DC, Judge Ana Reyes barred Secretary Noem from ending temporary protected status for 350,000 Haitians. She also had some frank words about the threats that rain down on judges who rule against the Trump administration – and why they won’t succeed.

Rodriguez v. Porter
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72256071/rodriguez-v-porter/

Taylor v. Trump [Death Row Commutations]
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71717101/taylor-v-trump/

Kelly v. Hegseth
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72131361/kelly-v-hegseth/

US v. Naviwala [US Attorney New Jersey]
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/68269162/united-states-v-naviwala

Cumbe Lema v. De Anda-Ybarra [Texas Habeas]
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72210802/cumbe-lema-v-de-anda-ybarra/

Hassen v. Noem [Texas Habeas]
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72143519/hassen-v-noem-secretary-us-department-of-homeland-security/

Lesly Miot v. Trump [Haitian TPS]
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/70965949/lesly-miot-v-trump/

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https://www.lawandchaospod.com/
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In Jeffrey Epstein news: Ghislaine Maxwell showed up for congressional testimony, but says she’s taking the Fifth unless and until she gets a pardon. Bill and Hillary Clinton agreed to testify, averting a vote to refer them to DOJ for contempt of Congress. Paul Weiss managing partner Brad Karp stepped down after his emails to the noted pedophile were published.

Luigi Mangione will not face the death penalty, but will face trial this summer.

Main Show:

The Trump administration is trying to magic away Steve Bannon’s contempt of Congress conviction with an assist from SCOTUS. It’s called a GVR, and it’s filthy.

The DOJ sued in state court to get Fulton County’s 2020 ballots. They sued in federal court. And then they got a criminal warrant and just took them. Now Georgia election officials are suing to get their ballots back.

What is going on with that Tulsi Gabbard whistleblower report?

The Fifth Circuit greenlights ICE’s batcrap insane legal theory that the government must hold immigrants in detention indefinitely without a hearing. Should the challengers petition for en banc review, or go straight to SCOTUS?

And for subscribers, we’ll break down FCC Chair Brendan Carr’s threat to investigate the ladies at The View for daring to interview Texas Senate candidate James Talarico — a known Democrat!

Bannon Rule 48(a) Motion to Dismiss
https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.237437/gov.uscourts.dcd.237437.207.0.pdf

Bannon Cert Petition
https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/25/25-453/395803/20260209141144273_25-453_Bannon_cert_resp_file.pdf

US v. Alexander [DOJ civil suit to see Fulton County ballots]
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72028229/united-states-v-alexander/

Pitts v. US [Fulton County suit to recover ballots]
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72247417/pitts-v-united-states/

NSA detected foreign intelligence phone call about a person close to Trump
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/feb/07/nsa-foreign-intelligence-trump-whistleblower

Whistle-Blower Report Involved Intelligence About a Trump Contact
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/07/us/politics/whistle-blower-gabbard-trump.html

Buenrostro Mendez v. Bondi
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71870107/buenrostro-mendez-v-bondi/

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Andrew flies solo on today’s show, which… coincidentally features a bunch of law from the 1980s. Learn how a 1981 advertisement for a soon-to-be defunct video game system shaped the law of copyright into what it is today after Atari sued Magnavox to pull a Pac-Man clone off the shelves.

In the second story, we talk about the death of antitrust law. What once broke up the phone company’s monopoly is now so defanged that just two companies control almost all of the components that go into your PC. Oh, and the phone company basically reassembled itself.

The computer graphics monopoly set us on the path where computer are rented, not owned. And taking advantage of that was a company that targeted teenagers who want the latest and greatest gaming rig (but can’t afford it). Learn about the consumer fraud lawsuit, potential settlement, and the future of computers. Have we gone backwards since the 1980s? (Yes.)

Check out the independent reporting of Steve Burke at GamersNexus.

Atari, Inc. v. North American Philips Consumer Electronics Corp., 672 F.2d 607 (1982)
https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=16433139020722034724

Burns v. Fragile, Inc. [docket via CourtListener]
https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cand.454102/

Steve Burke, GamersNexus YouTube channel
https://www.youtube.com/@GamersNexus

Show Links:
https://www.lawandchaospod.com/
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