Justice Matters with Glenn Kirschner

In a remarkable 78-page ruling, Judge Dale Ho, the presiding judge in the public corruption case of New York City Mayor Eric Adams, denied the DOJ's efforts to dismiss Adams' case without prejudice (temporarily) so they could hold it over Adams' head as political leverage. Glenn does a deep dive into Judge Ho's ruling, and the implications of his findings regarding the unethical conduct of the DOJ...

As CNN reported previously, "Trump calls for the termination of the Constitution in Truth Social post." Well, it looks like Trump is putting his money where his mouth is, as he seems to be trying to terminate the due process rights to which we are all entitled under the 5th Amendment. The Trump administration has deported a young man named Kilmer Arbrego Garcia, even though he's a legal US residen...

In a surprising show of opposition, Senate Republicans are pushing back against Donald Trump's unhinged and reckless calls to impeach judges that dare to rule against him. Glenn discusses how other judges and even some in the GOP seem to believe that Trump has gone a bit too far this time. If you're interested in supporting our all-volunteer efforts, you can become a Team Justice patron at:  ...

Donald Trump seems to spend his days golfing and signing unconstitutional executive orders. Two more federal court judges have halted executive orders Trump signed to punish law firms who displeased him for one reasons or another. And one of the Republican-appointed judges, Judge Richard Leon, had some choice words for the absurd arguments that were made in court by Trump's DOJ lawyers, saying: "H...

And then there were three. Two more big law firms have sued the Trump administration for issuing executive orders punishing firms that Donald Trump doesn't like for one reasons or another. Paul Clement, former United States Solicitor General in the George W. Bush administration, is representing WilmerHale, one the the punished law firms. Attorney Clement wrote: " The President's sweeping attack on...

The DC Federal Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Judge James Boasberg's temporary restraining order would remain in place, rejecting arguments from Trump's DOJ lawyers to lift the ban so they could resume deporting Venezuelan immigrants without honoring their constitutional due process rights to notice and opportunity to be heard. In her written opinion, Judge Patricia Millett highlighted the hu...

In the ongoing litigation over whether the Trump administration violated Judge James Boasberg's order to turn around planes which were carrying Venezuelan immigrants to El Salvador - DOJ attorneys are now refusing to provide additional information about who was deported and when the planes took off and landed. Those attorneys are claiming that such information can't be disclosed under the "state s...

Donald Trump and his Department of Justice just keep losing in court. In a new ruling, DC Federal District Court Judge James Boasberg denied the DOJ's demand to withdraw his restraining order prohibiting deportation of Venezuelan immigrants under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798. In a second related legal development, a DC appeals court heard oral argument about the legality of Judge Boasberg's tempo...

District of Columbia Federal Court Judge Ana Reyes erupted at Donald Trump's Department of Justice lawyers as they made absurd and unsupportable arguments trying to defend Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's unconstitutional ban on military service by transgender individuals. Not only did the DOJ attorneys have no evidence to back up the demeaning things they were saying about transgende...

The New York Times reports "Law Firm (Paul, Weiss) Bends in Face of Trump Demands." After Trump retaliated against the law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison by issuing an executive order against the firm that, per the NYT is "likely illegal", instead of fighting the executive order in court, the head of the firm, Brad Karp, made that pilgrimage to the Oval Office and offered Trump...

The federal government is now rehiring 25,000 public servants that Trump/Musk/DOGE unlawfully fired. Think about this: after being wrongfully terminated, those federal workers sat at home for a month or more performing no work for the American people. But because Musk and Trump fired them unlawfully, they will very likely receive back pay for the time they were at home. This represents Musk and DO...

The Chief Judge for the District of Columbia Federal District Court, Judge James Boasberg, is holding hearings to decide if Trump administration officials violated his order to turn planes around that were carrying Venezuela migrants. The Washington Post headline is "Who is the judge Trump wants impeached over Venezuelan deportations?" Glenn knows Judge James Boasberg and attempts to answer that q...

Donald Trump and his administration have been losing in court after court, trial courts and appellate courts, from coast to coast. His latest loss: an appeal court refused to put a stop to Trump's administration being ordered to rehire federal employees that were wrongfully terminated. So of course, Trump tries to distract everyone from his unrivaled losing streak by prattling on about how pardons...

Donald Trump gave a speech at the Department of Justice unlike any speech that has ever been given at the DOJ by any president of the United States. Trump was disrespectful and demeaning of the rule of law and the public servants who enforce it every day without fear or favor on behalf of the American people. Glenn reviews the reporting about Trump's revenge-fueled speech at the DOJ. On a personal...

In a huge win for federal government employees, a federal judge has ruled that the Trump Administration's firing of thousands of probationary employees was illegal, and ordered the government to return those public servants to their jobs. Glenn reviews both the substance and the form of Judge William Alsup's ruling. It's clear that the federal judiciary is not just a point of light amidst the Trum...

District of Columbia Federal District Judge Beryl Howell pulled no punches in a new ruling against Trump and his administration. Trump issued an executive order punishing a law firm he doesn't like, prohibiting the firm's attorneys from interacting with federal agencies and even from entering federal buildings. In ruling against Trump and in favor of the law firm, Judge Howell said: "This may be a...

With a new federal appeals court ruling against Trump's attempt to revoke the constitutional guarantee of birthright citizenship, Trump has now lost from the east coast (1st Circuit Court of Appeals) to the west coast (9th Circuit Court of Appeals). Glenn reviews Trump's most recent court of appeals loss and highlights one extremely troubling argument Trump's DOJ lawyers made to the appellate cour...

In an opinion authored by Chief Justice John Roberts, the Supreme Court created the doctrine of presidential immunity, bestowing upon Donald Trump the power of lawlessness. At his recent address to a joint session of Congress, Trump thanked Roberts and said he "won't forget it," although Trump did not tell Roberts what he was thanking him for. The question often is posed: Would there be any circum...

Donald Trump's Department of Justice officials have been trying to dismiss the criminal prosecution against New York City Mayor Eric Adams without prejudice, meaning they could continue holding the prosecution over his head as leverage. Judge Dale Ho appointed an outside attorney to brief and argue the issue, given that the DOJ prosecutors and defendant Adams are lockstep in their positions and no...

In a breathtaking display of abuse of power, abuse of office, and prosecutorial misconduct, interim US Attorney for the District of Columbia, Ed Martin, wrote a letter to the Dean of Georgetown University School of Law saying, " It has come to my attention reliably that Georgetown Law School continues to teach and promote DEI. This Is unacceptable. I have begun an inquiry into this . . ." Martin w...

As NPR just reported, "A second federal judge has ruled to block the Trump administration's spending freeze." Glenn reviews that latest court defeat suffered by Trump in a suit brought by 23 state attorneys general. If you're interested in supporting our all-volunteer efforts, you can become a Team Justice patron at:  / glennkirschner   If you'd like to support Glenn and buy Te...

In one of the first cases brought against the Trump administration to reach the Supreme Court, a five-justice majority has ruled that Trump must comply with a lower court order to pay money owed to USAID contractors for work already performed. The court rejected Trump's efforts to avoid paying what the government owed to the contractors. This is an important signal that the Supreme Court - at leas...

Assistant Director in Charge of the New York FBI Field Office, James Dennehy, has tendered his resignation after being told to resign or be fired. No reasons were given to Dennehy for the forced resignation. But this purge of Dennehy by Trump's Attorney General Pam Bondi should come as no surprise given that Dennehy was very vocal last month in saying he was digging in to combat retaliation agains...

It seems like Donald Trump and his administration are inching closer to defying orders that have been issued by federal court judges. So what happens if a judge issues an order prohibiting the Trump administration from doing something and Trump flat out refuses to comply? The federal law (28 USC section 566(c)) provides that "the United States Marshals Service shall execute all lawful writs, proce...

A federal court judge in California has ruled that the firing of thousands of federal employees who were in probationary status was illegal. Per NPR reporting, Judge William Alsup ruled that "Trump's mass firing of federal employees is illegal and should be stopped." Glenn discusses what may happen next in this continued litigation. If you're interested in supporting our all-volunteer efforts, you...