Justice Matters with Glenn Kirschner

Judge Tanya Chutkan ordered that Jack Smith file a brief on September 26th disclosing all of Donald Trump's acts on and around January 6th so she can litigate which of Trump's crimes and acts might be official presidential acts and which are not. And there was a remarkable statement made by Trump's attorney at the court hearing that Justice Clarence Thomas "directed" them to raise the issue of the...

The first hearing in DC federal court in Donald Trump's 2020 election subversion case since the Supreme Court handed down its presidential immunity ruling has finally happened. Glenn was in court for the hearing and he discusses how Judge Tanya Chutkan would have none of the arguments of Trump's lawyer, John Lauro, who tried to convince her that she should not promptly litigate the very issue the...

In a desperate attempt to avoid being sentenced in his New York case on his 34 felony convictions, Donald Trump and his lawyers file ANOTHER motion trying to convince a federal court judge to transfer his hush money/falsifying business records/2016 election interference case from state court to federal court. In rejecting Trump's second attempt to have his case transferred, New York Federal Distri...

Trump is forever trying his criminal cases in the court of public opinion, where there are no rules of evidence, no rules of procedure, and no rules of law. However, once his cases move into courts of law, Donald Trump will be (and has been) convicted in a New York minute. Glenn discusses why Trump's recent admission on TV that he "interfered' in the presidential election is admissible under the r...

A jury ordered Rudy Giuliani to pay Georgia election workers Shaye Moss and Ruby Freeman $146 million for lying and defaming them, and endangering their lives in the process. Ever since the jury handed down that judgment, Giuliani has been ducking, dodging, and deceiving - in efforts to avoiding paying out on the money judgment. Now, Shaye and Ruby have filed a motion in federal court in New York...

Special Counsel Jack Smith and Donald Trump's criminal defense attorneys have filed a joint scheduling proposal with Judge Tanya Chutkan regarding their respective suggestions on how to litigate the absolute immunity issue in the aftermath of the Supreme Court's ruling that a president's official acts might be immune from prosecution. Smith informed the judge that he is prepared to file a motion d...

During a trip to Arlington National Cemetery, Donald Trump showed extreme disrespect for deceased military service members, desecration of the hallowed ground of their final resting place, and a despicable disregard for a cemetery employee who tried to prevent Trump and his campaign members from violating federal prohibitions against political activity at the cemetery. Glenn discusses why Trump ha...

In the wake of the horrific Supreme Court opinion granting presidents immunity for committing democracy-busting crimes against the American people, Jack Smith decided to seize the initiative. Rather than waiting until the litigation before Judge Tanya Chukka to sort out the implications of the new Supreme Court ruling, Smith went before a new grand jury, and presented only evidence of Trump's unof...

Special Counsel Jack Smith has filed his appeal of Judge Aileen Cannon's dismissal of Donald Trump's classified documents/obstruction of justice/espionage case, urging the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals to reverse her lawless ruling. Because Judge Cannon has been found to have abused her discretion and reversed twice previously, many were expecting Smith to FINALLY ask the appeals court to remove h...

Special Counsel Jack Smith has filed an appeal with the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, urging them to REVERSE Judge Aileen Cannon's dismissal of Trump's classified documents/obstruction of justice/espionage case. Jack Smith made clear that Cannon's dismissal has no legal support and is contrary to all precedent, including precedent from the Supreme Court dating back to the Nixon/Watergate era. As...

New York Attorney General Letitia James is back in the news as her team files a brief in Donald Trump's appeal of the massive, nearly half-billion dollar civil fraud judgment entered against him. AG James tells the New York appeals court that Trump's appeal is "awash in meritless legal arguments" and ignores volumes of trial evidence showing that he and his co-defendants engaged in "fraud and ille...

The contrast could not be clearer or more consequential. Vice President Kamala Harris has spent her entire career working for the people. Indeed, when she stood up in court as a prosecutor, she said five words each and every time: "Kamala Harris for the people." Donald Trump has never been motivated by a desire to serve others. It's clear that he pursued the presidency in the name of self-enrichme...

After being a Trump loyalist for years, Including serving as his Press Secretary and describing herself as a de facto Trump family member, Stephanie Grisham addressed the Democratic National Convention and said: "I saw him (Trump) when the cameras were off. Behind closed doors, Trump mocks his supporters, he calls them basement dwellers. On a hospital visit one time when people were dying in the I...

As we all know, Judge Aileen Cannon - who was appointed to the federal bench by Donald Trump - ruled that Special Counsel appointments are not lawful and she dismissed Trump's federal classified documents/obstruction of justice/espionage case. In a surprising plot twist, Hunter Biden's lawyers pointed to Judge Cannon's decision and tried to use it to convince another federal judge - Judge Mark Sca...

In a somewhat surprising twist, after winning 34 felony convictions against Donald Trump for his efforts to cheat in the 2016 presidential election by criminally falsifying business records, DA Alvin Bragg's prosecutors have filed a letter with Judge Juan Merchan saying they "defer to the court" on whether Trump's sentencing, (presently set for September 18th), should be delayed until after the el...

With Donald Trump's continued cognitive decline (freezing up at rallies, and talk of magical Cheerios cottages) the question that's being posed frequently these days is: Will Donald Trump be able to mount a successful insanity defense at his upcoming criminal trials? The answer is no. As a career prosecutor, Glenn handled multiple insanity cases. He discusses the legal standard for a successful in...

Donald Trump decided to call a press conference at his exclusive, pricey Bedminster golf club in New Jersey to discuss his economic policies and to convince everyone that he understands the financial challenges of everyday Americans. And then he said, as he picked up a box of Cheerios, "I haven't seen Cheerios in a very long time," and announced he intended to take them "back to his cottage" and "...

Judge Juan Merchan, the judge presiding over Donald Trump's New York State court case - in which a jury convicted Trump of 34 felony crimes - has again rejected Trump's attempt to derail the case by seeking Merchan's recusal. We are now one step closer to seeing Trump sentenced for his crimes. If you're interested in supporting our all-volunteer efforts, you can become a Team Justice patron at: &n...

Donald Trump repeatedly has pledged to pardon the insurrectionists who attacked the US Capitol on January 6th and assaulted 140 police officers in their attempt to stop the certification of Joe Biden's election win and keep Trump in office. Judge Royce Lamberth just sentenced J6 defendant David Dempsey to 20 years in prison for his crimes of violence against police officers on January 6th. Another...

Donald Trump has filled notice that he intends to sue the Department of Justice for maliciously prosecuting him in the Mar-a-Lago classified documents case. Glenn discusses the procedural hurdles to suing the federal government under the Federal Tort Claims Act, and why this feels more like another Trump PR stunt that he will use to whip up support from his base and continue to grift money from hi...

Remember when Donald Trump urged Russia to hack U.S. computer systems to interfere in the 2016 presidential election? You know, when he said, “Hey Russia, if you’re listening, I urge you to find the 33,000 missing emails.”? Well, talk about your chickens coming home to roost - it looks like the Trump campaign was just hacked by foreign actors. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and Ca...

Special Counsel Jack Smith asked for a rare delay in Donald Trump's DC prosecution for trying to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. This development inspired speculation that Smith is now trying to delay the case or maybe that he's not up to the task of prosecuting Trump. This speculation is nonsense. Smith and his team have been going gangbusters after Trump and his criminal...

As CNN just reported, "Arizona Grand Jurors wanted to indict Trump, prosecutors urged them not to." The Grand Jury in Arizona made a choice to not indict Donald Trump just yet in their investigation of Donald Trump's plot to overturn the 2020 election results in their state. Glenn explains how the grand jury works and discusses the three likely reasons prosecutors would advise a grand jury against...

Vice President Kamala Harris has selected the perfect running mate for the this moment in our nation's history - Governor Tim Walz. Glenn gives five reasons why a Harris/Walz ticket is exactly what is needed to fight the battle for American democracy, and why they will defeat the hateful and divisive ticket of Trump/Vance. For tickets to Brian Tyler Cohen's August 14 book launch event: https://www...

As The Washington Post reported, "Former Trump attorney Jenna Ellis agrees to cooperate in Arizona elector case." This development spells real trouble for her co-defendant Rudy Giuliani. But, it might be even more devastating for unindicted co-conspirator Donald Trump. Might Jenna Ellis' cooperation be the last piece of the evidentiary puzzle to fall into place, giving Arizona prosecutors enough t...