Law and Chaos

DOCKET ALERTS:
 
Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville is facing a residency challenge to his gubernatorial campaign.
 
The Justice Department dismissed a case seeking to enforce a moratorium on offshore and onshore windfarm permits. Instead they're buying back leases for windfarms, so that energy companies can develop natural gas plants in the midwest. Murica!
 
The DOJ is trying to take advantage of a half-assed plot to attack Trump's UFC to get the court to let him build his ballroom. 
 
Doofus of the Day: Covid denier Alex Berenson, who got a $150,000 payout from the Trump administration because he got booted from Twitter in 2021.
 
MAIN SHOW:
 
It was an opinion day at SCOTUS, and every decision was authored by a bizarre coalition of justices. Of most interest was US v. Hemani, in which the Court held that regular marijuana use cannot be a reason to deny Americans the right to own a gun.
 
The US Attorneys Office in Minnesota announced conspiracy charges against protesters of the immigration surge into Minneapolis earlier this year. Like the Broadview 6 case, it's a transparent attempt to criminalize activities protected by the First Amendment and impose collective punishment on opponents of the administration's policies.
 
The Federal Trade Commission sued the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) in Texas, alleging that its Standards of Care document (SOC-8) violates Section 5 of the FTC Act.
 
SUBSCRIBERS: No FISA for you! Trump just blew up the deal to get FISA reauthorized and his new Director of National Intelligence confirmed.
 
Tuberville Residency Challenge [via ALReporter]
https://www.alreporter.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Tuberville-Filings.pdf
 
US v. Hemani [Supreme Court]
https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/24-1234_g2bh.pdf
 
Hunter v. US [Supreme Court]
https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/24-1063_5ifl.pdf
 
T.M. v. Univ. of Maryland Medical System [Supreme Court]
https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/25-197_bp7c.pdf
 
US v. Sant [MN protesters]
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73489496/united-states-v-sant
 
FTC v. WPATH [docket via CourtListener]
https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.txnd.421590/
 
WPATH SOC-8
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/26895269.2022.2100644
 
HHS's "Treatment for Pediatric Gender Dysphoria: Review of Evidence and Best Practices."
https://opa.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/2025-11/gender-dysphoria-report.pdf



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DOCKET ALERTS:
 
The Supreme Court issued orders today, opinions coming Thursday.
 
The Wall Street Journal reports that Jeanine Pirro, the US Attorney for DC, is investigating banks for "debanking" conservatives. 
 
Judge James Boasberg benchslapped Pirro's effort to magic away his order quashing her abusive subpoena on the Federal Reserve.
 
DOOFUS OF THE DAY: A judge in Mississippi disqualified all the lawyers in a case after finding that both sides cited fake cases hallucinated by AI.
 
MAIN SHOW:
 
The battle over the Kennedy Center continues. At the eleventh hour, the Center's Board appealed 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 Circuit Court. Meanwhile, the Washington National Opera is suing the Kennedy Center for expropriating its $17 million endowment.
 
In the Eastern District of Virginia, Judge Leonie Brinkema issued a preliminary injunction blocking the administration from implementing the Anti-Weaponization Fund whether under a new name or not.
 
New reporting from Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan in the New York Times reveals two revealing memos from White House advisor Will Scharf on suspending the writ of habeas corpus and the Insurrection Act.
 
SUBSCRIBER BONUS:
 
A federal judge in Massachusetts blocked 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.
 
SCOTUS Orders List June 15
https://www.supremecourt.gov/orders/courtorders/061526zor_5if6.pdf
 
Jeanine Pirro's Prosecutors Probe Big Banks for Alleged 'Debanking'
https://www.wsj.com/finance/regulation/jeanine-pirros-prosecutors-probe-big-banks-for-alleged-debanking-13568e9b
 
Powell/Fed Reserve Subpoenas
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72490330/in-re-grand-jury-subpoenas
 
ActBlue v. Paxton
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73285205/actblue-llc-v-paxton/
 
Washington National Opera v. US
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73476333/washington-national-opera-v-united-states/
 
Beatty v. Trump [DC Circuit]
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73477160/joyce-beatty-v-donald-trump
 
Withers v. City of Aberdeen [AI Attorney Sanctions]
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69485760/withers-v-city-of-aberdeen
 
Floyd v. DOJ [docket via CourtListener]
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73383692/floyd-v-department-of-justice/?order_by=desc
 
Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan,"Frustrated by Courts, Trump Weighed Suspending a Constitutional Right," New York Times, June 15, 2026
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/15/us/politics/trump-scharf-habeas-corpus-insurrection-act.html
 
Will Scharf Habeas Corpus memo
https://static01.nyt.com/newsgraphics/documenttools/2afc51a03e41c257/7f0f0dff-full.pdf
 
Will Scharf Insurrection Act memo
https://static01.nyt.com/newsgraphics/documenttools/ab7a26e5d4b63268/402f052f-full.pdf
 
Show Links:
https://www.lawandchaospod.com/
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DOCKET ALERTS:
 
Will Trump's name come off the Kennedy Center in time for the court-ordered deadline?
 
New York congressional candidate Brad Lander was acquitted of charges related to a peaceful protest inside the federal building where ICE is warehousing immigrants.
 
The House failed to reauthorize Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. We'll explain what this has to do with Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte.
 
MAIN SHOW:
 
Doofus of the Day Alejandro Brito, Trump's lawyer on the defamation trollsuit against the BBC, is inventing new ways to piss off the judge. But he's teaching us a lot about CivPro!
 
The grand jury transcripts are here in the Broadview 6 case, and they are somehow even worse than we expected. We'll break down all the vouching/ex parte/voir dire action, and the rapidly expanding blast radius. 
 
SUBSCRIBERS:
 
Is the Trump slush fund alive or dead? Acting AG Todd Blanche says it's over, but he won't put it in writing.
 
US v. Rabbitt
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71795281/united-states-v-rabbitt/
 
Sarah Fitzpatrick, The Atlantic, "Trump Isn't Giving Up on His Slush Fund"
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/2026/06/trump-anti-weaponization-fund/687500/
 
'Broadview 6' repeat? Loretto Hospital exec's fraud case could crumble amid claims of prosecutors' misconduct
https://chicago.suntimes.com/crime/2026/06/10/hearing-in-loretto-hospital-case-could-address-claims-of-prosecutors-misconduct-if-feds-dont-drop-it
 
Show Links:
https://www.lawandchaospod.com/
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Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod

DOCKET ALERTS:
 
Doofus of the Day: George Santos, who is clearly trying to get himself back into jail. NPR reported that the former congressman bet against his own appearance at the State of the Union in February. After NPR reported that Kalshi had frozen his accounts and referred him to the CFTC and DOJ, Santos called up journalist Bobby Allyn and threatened him with "a gun in your face."
 
Also seeking a pardon: Sam Bankman-Fried.
 
Judge Leo Sorokin in Massachusetts blocked Trump's attempt to tax H-1B visas out of existence by imposing a $100,000 "fee."
 
MAIN SHOW:
 
Trump's lawyer Alejandro Brito is finding new and creative ways to piss off the judge in Trump's trollsuit against the BBC.
 
The DOJ is broken! Today's examples include: The DOJ telling the DC Circuit that it would be just fine for Trump to bulldoze the Statue of Liberty. A judge in Rhode Island referring DOJ lawyers for attorney discipline and sanctions. And a story from the New York Times about all the prosecutors who got pushed out because they wouldn't indict Trump's enemies.
 
Plaintiffs are trying to stop Donald Trump from hosting a UFC fight on the White House lawn.
 
SUBSCRIBER BONUS: The Department of Defense reduced the number of recognized religious faiths from 211 to 31 — they kept all the good non-woke ones, it's fine.



I wrote about George Santos. Then he made a violent threat and lied about it
https://www.npr.org/2026/06/04/nx-s1-5846966/george-santos-kalshi-threats
 
California v. Noem [H-1B visas]
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72031571/state-of-california-v-noem/
 
Trump v. BBC
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72040010/trump-v-british-broadcasting-corporation
 
How the Drive to Find a Conspiracy Against Trump Rocked the Justice Dept.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/08/us/politics/justice-department-trump-patel-conspiracy.html
 
Douglas v. National Park Service (UFC) [docket via CourtListener]
https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.293217/gov.uscourts.dcd.293217.3.1.pdf
 
Forbes, "Trump Says UFC Arena Could Be Permanent At White House—Everything We Know About The Upcoming Event" 
https://www.forbes.com/sites/maryroeloffs/2026/06/04/trump-says-ufc-arena-could-be-permanent-at-white-house-everything-we-know-about-the-upcoming-event/
 
Pete Hegseth on the chaplain corps
https://www.war.gov/News/News-Stories/Article/Article/4444113/hegseth-announces-reforms-to-chaplain-corps/
 
Sean Parnell announcement re: DOD religious codes [via X.com]
https://x.com/SeanParnellASW/status/2062964159222874227
 
Pew Research Center Religious Landscape Study
https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2025/02/26/religious-landscape-study-executive-summary/
 
Military.com, "DOD Officially Drops 180 Faiths From Military's Recognized Religion List"
https://www.military.com/dod-officially-drops-180-faiths-from-militarys-recognized-religion-list
 
Show Links:
https://www.lawandchaospod.com/
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Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod

DOCKET ALERTS:
A federal judge in Colorado enjoined the National Science Foundation from shutting down the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder. APA, FTW!
 
The DC Circuit ruled that Pete Hegseth's policy kicking out all trans service members and barring enlistment by anyone who ever had a diagnosis of gender dysphoria is rooted in animus and cannot stand. But the remedy was narrowly cabined to the plaintiffs in this case, and only those who are currency active duty.
 
The Supreme Court let Alabama redraw its Congressional maps while primary voting was already underway and use a racially-discriminatory map in order to squeeze one more Republican seat in Congress out for the 2026 midterms.
 
Doofus of the Day: BATMAN! Eric Batman, some whiny dork in LA who says his Christian faith means that he has to work from home during June lest he be oppressed by a trans flag flying outside his office. The grifters at Liberty Counsel eagerly fundraising off their preposterous trollsuit on Doofus's behalf.
 
MAIN SHOW:
 
The DOJ filed a superseding indictment against the Southern Poverty Law Center. It's meant to remedy the obvious deficiencies in the first indictment, but it actually seems to bolster the SPLC's claim that they were trying to protect informants, not take down donors.
 
Meanwhile, DOJ seems to have leaked a draft version of the new indictment to reporters before presenting it to the grand jurors, potentially violating grand jury secrecy. SPLC moved for a show cause order forcing DOJ to explain "its conduct and why it should not be sanctioned considering the prejudicial consequences at stake here."
 
Back in Chicago, US Attorney Andrew Boutros explained that he wasn't inappropriately trying to voir dire the grand jury. Perish the thought! And how very dare you, sir! He was just advising them that if they didn't think they could convict, they should put their hands up and explain themselves. Ummmmm….. 
 
On May 1, NASDAQ implemented major rule changes to the way in which newly-public companies can join the Nasdaq 100 index.
 
University Corporation for Atmospheric Research v. National Science Foundation
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72496922/university-corporation-for-atmospheric-research-v-national-science/
 
Talbott v. USA [Trans Troops DC Circuit]
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69800554/nicolas-talbott-v-usa/
 
Allen v. Milligan (Alabama redistricting) [Supreme Court stay]
https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/25a1314_7m58.pdf
 
SpaceX Prospectus
https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1181412/000162828026036936/spaceexplorationtechnologi.htm
 
NASDAQ 100 New Methodology
https://indexes.nasdaq.com/docs/Methodology_NDX.pdf
 
Liberty Counsel's press release (Batman v. Los Angeles County)
https://lc.org/newsroom/details/260530-la-to-christians-youre-mentally-ill
 
Batman v. LA County [docket via CourtListener]
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72385442/eric-batman-v-los-angeles-county/?filed_after=&filed_before=&entry_gte=&entry_lte=&order_by=desc
 
Copy of Batman's complaint [via Liberty Counsel]
https://lc.org/PDFs/Attachments2PRsLAs/2026/031026-1VerifiedComplaint.pdf
 
US v. SPLC
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73223865/united-states-v-southern-poverty-law-center-inc/
 
US Attorney Andrew Boutros Statement
https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndil/media/1443716/dl?inline
 
Show Links:
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