Law and Chaos

DOCKET ALERTS:
 
House Speaker Mike Johnson sent everyone home for vacation rather than deal with a dissident faction in his own caucus that keeps demanding a vote on the vote-suppressing SAVE America Act Trump keeps braying for.
 
A federal judge in New Hampshire became the tenth to dismiss a DOJ lawsuit seeking full, unredacted state voter rolls — or eleventh if you include the Sixth Circuit.
 
In 2024, Florida sued to force DHS to bulk verify citizenship data so states could "audit" their voter rolls. In 2025, DHS entered into a "settlement" with Florida, Iowa, Ohio, and Indiana agreeing to do it, and handing power to a Trump-appointed judge in Florida to ensure compliance. But that database has now been enjoined by a judge in DC for violating the Privacy Act of 1974, so Florida is moving to enforce the settlement in Florida. 
 
And in DC, Judge Emmet Sullivan barred the Post Office from complying with Trump's executive order requiring the mailman to claw back ballots from any voter not on an approved list. This order violates a 2021 settlement the government made with the NAACP after Trump's last postmaster general tried to mess with mail-in ballots.
 
A judge in Louisiana has dismissed a lawsuit against several academics associated with the now-shuttered Stanford Internet Observatory. The online wingnut plaintiffs alleged that they had been "censored" by scholars who pointed out that they were violating Facebook's TOS.
 
Former CIA Director John Brennan is suing Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche in DC, seeking an injunction forcing prosecutors investigating him to retain all records. He hasn't been indicted yet, but, with Trump's minions planning a giant conspiracy indictment in Florida, he wants an order to preserve evidence for an eventual motion to dismiss for vindictive prosecution.
 
Prosecutors trying to convict a former US Attorney in Florida for emailing herself a copy of Special Counsel Jack Smith's report on the stolen documents case were forced to admit that they'd done the exact same thing, sending copies of it to defense counsel in discovery disclosures. 
 
MAIN SHOW:
 
The Supreme Court issued its final opinions of the term. 
 
In Trump v. Barbara, a narrow majority upheld birthright citizenship, refusing to invent some kind of exception to the plain terms of the 14th Amendment.
 
The conservative justices continued to tear down barriers to corruption in politics, invalidating the Federal Elections Campaign Act's bar on campaigns coordinating spending with outside committees in NRSC v. FEC. 
 
And in West Virginia v. BPJ/Little v. Hecox, the six conservatives allowed states to ban trans athletes from sports.
 
Finally, we discuss a new class action lawsuit challenging labor practices at the online gaming platform Roblox for violating child labor laws.
 
US v. New Hampshire Secretary of State [Voter rolls]
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71453646/united-states-v-nh-secretary-of-state/
 
State of Florida v. DHS [SAVE voter verification database]
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69271601/state-of-florida-v-department-of-homeland-security
 
Hines v. Stamos [Stanford Internet Observatory]
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/67310145/hines-v-stamos
 
NAACP v. US [Mail-in ballots]
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/17461792/national-association-for-the-advancement-of-colored-people-v-united-states
 
Brennan v. Blanche
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73562893/brennan-v-blanche/
 
SCOTUS
Trump v. Barbara (14th Amdt birthright citizenship)
https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/25-365_4hdj.pdf
 
NRSC v. FEC (PAC Coordination/campaign finance)
https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/24-621_h315.pdf
 
West Virginia v. BPJ/Little v. Hecox (trans athletes)
https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/24-43_2b35.pdf
 
Doe B.D. v. Roblox Corp. [docket via CourtListener]
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73332976/doe-bd-v-roblox-corporation/
 
Eurogamer, Roblox Studio boss: children making money on the platform isn't exploitation, it's a gift [April 4, 2024]
https://www.eurogamer.net/roblox-studio-boss-children-making-money-on-the-platform-isnt-exploitation-its-a-gift



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DOCKET ALERTS:
From the SCOTUS orders list, petitions for certiorari denied in E. Jean Carroll's defamation suit against Trump and Alan Dershowitz's defamation suit against CNN. Pay up, a-hole! And of course, a big Nelson Muntz HA HA for Dersh.
 
The DC man who followed National Guard troops around while playing the Imperial March from Star Wars has settled his lawsuit against DC cops, but not against the guardsmen who called them.
 
John "Torture Memos" Yoo has been sworn in as a constitutional "advisor" to the farcical conspiracy investigation in South Florida being led by conspiracy-flogging lawyer Joe diGenova.
 
We discuss our post on the NRA trying to sue itself into oblivion.
 
DOOFUS OF THE DAY: Mehmet Oz
 
MAIN SHOW:
Journalist Katie Phang sued the Justice Department to make it release the remaining Epstein files, and she won!
 
Associate Attorney General Stan Woodward told a federal judge in Virginia to get bent in the slush fund case. Big fail!
 
The Supreme Court rules that states can accept ballots that are postmarked by election day and arrive a few days late. 
 
But SCOTUS went on to gut the administrative state in a case called Trump v. Slaughter, overturning a seminal 1935 case that allowed Congress to protect federal agencies and ensure partisan continuity by barring the president from firing agency heads and board members. The Court did carve out an exception for the Federal Reserve in Trump v. Cook, which is different for, uh, REASONS. 
 
SUBSCRIBER EDITION:
We'll break down the Supreme Court's ruling in Chatrie v. US, a case involving geofencing warrants for cellphone location data.
 
SCOTUS orders list
https://www.supremecourt.gov/orders/courtorders/062926zor_1bn2.pdf
 
O'Hara v. Beck
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71730267/ohara-v-beck/
 
Yoo to advise diGenova on probe into inquiries of Trump's 2016 campaign and Russia
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/06/28/yoo-to-advise-digenova-on-probe-into-inquiries-of-trumps-2016-campaign-and-russia-00979585
 
The NRA Is Suing Itself In All The Courts At Once
https://www.lawandchaospod.com/p/the-nra-is-suing-itself-in-all-the
 
Phang v. Blanche
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73246595/phang-v-blanche/
 
Floyd v. DOJ [Slush Fund]
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73383692/floyd-v-department-of-justice/
 
Watson v. RNC [late ballots]
https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/24-1260_g3cn.pdf
 
Trump v. Cook [Federal Reserve Board]
https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/25a312_5468.pdf
 
Trump v. Slaughter [FTC]
https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/25-332_qn12.pdf
 
Chatrie v. US
https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/slipopinion/25#:~:text=Chatrie%20v.%20United%20States



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DOCKET ALERTS:
The administration says it's going to prosecute anyone who touches the algae-ridden Reflecting Pool at the Lincoln Memorial. So far, that seems to be more bluster than reality.
 
Sadly, what isn't bluster is that Judges Reed O'Connor and Mark Pittman in Texas are handing down extraordinarily long punitive sentences for Antifa protestors to "send a message" not to criticize the government.
 
DOOFUS OF THE DAY: Postmaster General David Steiner, who tried to pass off voter suppression efforts to not distribute ballots as just "best practices" for the USPS. Fortunately, Judge Indira Talwani in Massachusetts permanently enjoined that part of Trump's plan to steal the midterms and ordered declared Trump's executive order unconstitutional and void.
 
MAIN SHOW:
It was a rough week at the Supreme Court, with SEVEN decisions all reaching extreme right-wing outcomes, all by the exact same 6-3 margin, and using contradictory legal "reasoning" to get there. The Supreme Court prevented victims of human rights abuses from suing the US company Cisco, while permitting Exxon Mobil to sue the Cuban government.
 
US v. Song [antifa protestors, docket via CourtListener]
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71912958/united-states-v-arnold/
 
California v. Trump [post office injunction, docket via CourtListener]
https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mad.298518/
 
Exxon Mobil v. Corporation CIMEX [Supreme Court suits against Cuba]
https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/24-699_f204.pdf
 
Cisco Systems v. Doe [Supreme Court human rights suits]
https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/24-856_kjfm.pdf
 
Landor v. Louisiana Dep't of Corrections [Supreme Court Rastafarian religious liberty]
https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/23-1197_h3ci.pdf
 
Blanche v. Lau [Supreme Court lawful permanent residents]
https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/25-429_h3ci.pdf
 
Mullin v. Al Otro Lado [Supreme Court asylum applications]
https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/25-5_86qd.pdf
 
Mullin v. Doe [Supreme Court TPS]
https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/25-1083_f204.pdf
 
US v. Southern Poverty Law Center [criminal indictment of SPLC; docket via CourtListener]
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73223865/united-states-v-southern-poverty-law-center-inc/?filed_after=&filed_before=&entry_gte=&entry_lte=&order_by=desc



Show Links:
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DOCKET ALERTS:
Maryland became the ninth state to beat back a lawsuit from the DOJ's Civil Division seeking to seize its full, unredacted voter rolls.
 
In Massachusetts, a judge allowed states to proceed with a lawsuit to block an executive order requiring DHS to maintain a master list of voters and barring USPS from delivering mail-in ballots from anyone on the list. 
 
DOOFUS OF THE DAY: Sixth Circuit Judge Amul Thapar, who was featured in a Bloomberg Law story about judges embarrassing themselves by trying to get nominated for SCOTUS if/when Justice Alito announces his retirement in July. Thapar, who is 56, started a Substack to talk about how his fitness regimen means he's really only 43.
 
MAIN SHOW:
 
In Minnesota, Chief Judge Patrick Schiltz quashed DOJ subpoenas for Gov. Tim Walz, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, AG Keith Ellison, and several other state officials. The court held that the subpoenas were plainly levied for an improper purpose, namely to punish state officials for refusing to cooperate with Trump's immigration raids. That's a violation of the Tenth Amendment.
 
Also in Minnesota, charges were dropped against yet another protester from the winter immigration surge into the Twin Cities. ICE/CBP conduct here was egregious, and the US Attorney claims to be investigating.
 
Since the satirical newspaper The Onion is planning to launch an InfoWars parody on July 2, we revisit all of the bankruptcy court shenanigans to date and talk about what might happen next in court.
 
Finally, we check in on the Trump insurrectionist slush fund and the administration's continued refusal to actually promise in court, under oath, that it won't resurrect the idea. In the Eastern District of Virginia, the administration simply refused to file declarations ordered by the presiding judge. And in the original lawsuit Trump filed against the IRS in Florida, 35 eminent judges filed their reply brief urging the judge to reopen the case and inspect the settlement.
 
In the Subscriber Bonus, we break down a lawsuit filed by the Ford Motor Company against a law firm in California that has an… aggressive approach to trying to get its attorneys' fees reimbursed for representing consumers who get their cars replaced under the state's "Lemon Law."
 
US v. DeMarinis [Maryland voter rolls]
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71980724/united-states-v-demarinis/
 
League of Women Voters v. Trump [Mail-in ballot EO]
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73133197/league-of-women-voters-of-massachusetts-v-trump/
 
In re Subpoenas [MN subpoenas quashed]
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73512670/in-re-subpoenas/
 
US v. Johnson [MN protester, charges dropped]
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72200628/united-states-v-johnson/
 
Judges Jockey for Potential Trump Supreme Court Appointment
https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/judges-jockey-for-potential-trump-supreme-court-appointment
 
Floyd v. DOJ [lawsuit challenging Slush Fund; docket via CourtListener]
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73383692/floyd-v-department-of-justice/
 
Trump v. IRS [docket via CourtListener]
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72040010/trump-v-british-broadcasting-corporation/?order_by=desc
 
Ford Motor Company v. Quill & Arrow LLP [fee-shifting in Lemon Law cases; docket via CourtListener]
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73503023/ford-motor-company-v-quill-arrow-llp/



Show Links:
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Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod

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



Show Links:
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BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod
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Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod