Justice Matters with Glenn Kirschner

Peter Navarro was one of many countless aides and associates that assisted Donald Trump in his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election. Navarro even gave Trump's coup attempt a cute name: "The Green Bay Sweep." After being convicted of two counts of contempt of Congress for criminally defying a congressional subpoenas, Navarro is now being Green-Bay-swept right into the Federal Bureau o...

Sadly, during the Supreme Court arguments on whether Donald Trump is disqualified from holding office under the 14th Amendment for engaging in insurrection, the Supreme Court justices put details over democracy. Glenn reviews the arguments in Donald Trump v. Norma Anderson (the case in which the Colorado Supreme Court disqualified Trump from the Colorado state ballot) and discusses how the justice...

The DC federal circuit court of appeals has unanimously ruled that Trump is not immune from prosecution for his January 6th crimes. In their opinion - the court pointed out the Constitution expressly states that presidents can be criminally prosecuted EVEN IF they're first impeached. The Constitution also imposes a duty upon presidents to "faithfully execute the laws" of our nation. In other words...

A federal court of appeals has ruled that a former president can be criminally prosecuted for crimes that were committed while in office. A three judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit has unanimously rejected Donald Trump's claims that he has absolute immunity from charges he plotted to overturn his 2020 election defeat. Glenn reviews some of the most import...

In a story line stranger then fiction, the US Supreme Court is set to decide if an insurrectionist can retake the reins of presidential power. On February 8th, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the case of Donald Trump v. Norma Anderson. Who is Norma Anderson? A new piece in The Washington Post gives some answers to that question: Norma Anderson is "The 91-year-old Republican suing to...

Although Donald Trump's March 4th federal trial for trying to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election has been postponed; Glenn says not to worry - Trump's criminal trial dance card remains packed. His New York criminal case for election interference in the 2016 presidential election by falsifying business records is set to begin on March 25th. Glenn does a deep dive into all of tru...

Donald Trump's longtime Chief Financial Officer, Allen Weisselberg - already a convicted felon for engaging in fraud at the Trump Organization - reportedly is in negotiations with Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg to plead guilty to perjury for lying when he testified at Trump's New York fraud trial. This new legal development likely factors into two other legal developments: Judge Engoron d...

Just two weeks ago, Donald Trump was continuing to defame E. Jean Carroll, posting nasty missives about her up to 42 times an hour. But after losing his second straight defamation case, Trump has not defamed Ms. Carroll again for nearly a week (quite a feat for Trump). Glenn says it looks like aggressively deploying the rule of law and using the judicial system - might actually prove to be the onl...

Things have gone from bad to worse for Rudy Giuliani. He lost a defamation case to the tune of $148 million. He reportedly owes the IRS $550,000 in unpaid taxes. He's being sued by his former lawyer for allegedly failing to pay more than $1.3 million in legal fees. He's being sued for sexual assault by his former personal assistant Noelle Dunphy. And now, he's filed for bankruptcy. In his filing,...

Before dismissing the jury at the conclusion of the E. Jean Carroll defamation trial and just after they awarded Ms. Carroll $83.3 million for Trump's incessant defamation - Judge Lewis Kaplan told the jurors that he recommends they tell NO ONE that they served on the Trump jury. Although Judge Kaplan's motivation was undoubtedly to protect the jurors against the danger posed by Trump and his supp...

A New York jury has issued its verdict in the second defamation case that E. Jean Carroll bought against Donald Trump: Trump must pay Ms. Carroll $83.3 million in compensatory and punitive damages. A year earlier, a jury awarded Ms. Carroll $5 million due to Trump defaming her on other occasions. Moreover, during closing arguments, Trump disrupted the proceedings by storming out when Ms. Carroll's...

Today was not a particularly good day for justice. Although Peter Navarro was sentenced to four months in prison for contempt of Congress, the judge DID NOT order him to be taken into custody. This is reminiscent of Steve Bannon, who was also sentenced - back in October 2022 - to four months in prison for contempt of Congress, but has yet to to serve a single day of his sentence. Perhaps worst of...

Nikki Haley has now lost in Iowa and New Hampshire. But Glenn says don't expect her to drop out of the race for the Republican nomination. Given that it's now a two-person race, and given that Trump is facing both possible disqualification through the 14th Amendment AND possible criminal convictions and imprisonment, Haley may just stay in the race hoping she may win by default and wait in the win...

After a three-judge panel ruled against Donald Trump when he attempted to get the gag order (that had been put in place by Judge Tanya Chutkan) thrown out, Trump asked the full court - all 11 appellate court judges - to hear the case. In a unanimous slap down, all 11 judges refused to even hear the case, including three judges Trump appointed to the federal bench. Glenn discusses the three main ta...

Judge Lewis Kaplan, the judge presiding over the second defamation case that E. Jean Carroll brought against Donald Trump, said something during jury selection that provides important facts and context about who and what Trump really is. Judge Kaplan's words should become a campaign mantra, reminding the American voters exactly who Trump is and why he is entirely unqualified to return to president...

There has been wringing of hands and gnashing of teeth about an alleged personal relationship between Georgia DA Fani Willis and one of the special team members handling the prosecution of Donald Trump and his18 criminal associates/co-conspirators/co-defendants in his Georgia state RICO case. Glenn discusses why this development may be an unhelpful distraction and may resonate in the court of publ...

If Donald Trump's lips are moving, there's a good chance he's incriminating himself. When he posts something, he's often outright confessing to crimes, and providing additional evidence that can be used by Special Counsel Jack Smith in Trump's upcoming federal prosecution. Glenn says Jack Smith has so much to chose from already. If you're interested in supporting our all-volunteer efforts, you can...

Donald Trump has repeatedly disrupted the court proceedings in his second trial for defaming E. Jean Carroll. Judge Kaplan warned Trump to stop making noise and talking out loud during the trial and he threatened to have him removed from the courtroom. When he did, Trump responded "I would love it!" In this podcast, Glenn discusses the broad authority trial court judges have to control the proceed...

The second defamation case that plaintiff E. Jean Carroll has brought against Donald Trump has kicked off in federal court in New York with jury selection. What is perhaps most remarkable is the extreme security measures Judge Kaplan ordered to protect the jury from Trump and his supporters. Glenn discusses other trials in which judges have ordered comparable jury security measures, and what the c...

Attorney Joey Tacopina represented Donald Trump in the case brought against Trump by E. Jean Carroll. With Tacopina as his lead attorney, Trump went down in flames, with the jury ordering Trump to pay Ms. Carroll $5 million in damages. Now, with Trump's trial in his New York prosecution for for falsifying business records in connection with his hush money payments to Stormy Daniels to gain unfair...

Martin Luther King, Jr. famously said, "the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice." There are those who have done their nefarious best to tie a knot in the moral arc. We have been at this fight for equality long enough to know that the arc won't bend itself. WE need to bend the arc. Because justice - equal justice - matters. If you're interested in supporting our all-volun...

After ruling that Donald Trump could not give part of the closing argument in his New York civil fraud trial, Judge Engoron changed course and decided to allow Trump to make a statement. And because no good deed goes unpunished, Trump violated the rules the judge had set for him regarding the statement, and Trump acted like a fool. Glenn discusses what happened and why the judge changed course all...

No one can accuse Donald Trump of being a strategic thinker. In a new post, he asserts that he should be given immunity against prosecution for any and all crimes he committed to try to steal the 2020 election BECAUSE he was "looking for voter fraud." Glenn says Trump seems entirely unaware of the natural consequences of the position he's pushing. Then, Trump, and one of his minions, Elise Stefani...

The appellate court judges that heard Donald Trump's arguments that he should have absolute immunity against being prosecuted for his democracy-busting crimes on and around January 6th, 2021, were not buying what Trump lawyer, John Sauer, was selling. Glenn attended the appellate court arguments on Trump's absolute presidential immunity claim. He reviews the arguments of counsel and the many quest...

In another example of constitutional vandalism, a congressional report has been released documenting how Donald Trump took $7.8 million from foreign governments while in office - this in violation of the Constitution's emoluments clause. Yet, in a demonstration of mind-blowing hypocrisy, the Republicans in Congress continue to focus on Hunter Biden receiving money from foreign entities with NO EVI...