There’s a tug-of-war playing out across America right now, and it’s not between two candidates or even two political parties. It’s between the Constitution’s two halves: federal and state power. President Trump’s latest legal battle over deploying the National Guard in cities like Portland, Chicago, and San Francisco has pulled that rope tighter than it’s…
John Bolton’s Indictment: Justice Without a Team Jersey
So, John Bolton has now joined the “Indicted Former Officials Club.” The federal government dropped an 18-count indictment on him this week for allegedly mishandling classified documents. That’s eight counts of allegedly sharing defense secrets and ten counts of holding onto them like they were baseball cards. Now before anyone starts yelling “witch hunt” or…
When Courts Say “No” to Troops, Should the President Invoke the Insurrection Act?
Over the past few weeks, the Trump administration’s attempt to insert federal military (or Guard) force into major American cities has triggered a cascade of courtroom pushbacks. What looked like a bold posture on law and order is increasingly turning into a legal war of attrition. The administration, frustrated by injunctions and restraining orders, is…
The Comey Arraignment
When James Comey stepped into that Virginia courthouse to plead not guilty today, the headlines focused on one man, but the deeper story is about a nation wrestling with the meaning of justice itself. For nearly a decade, Comey has been a symbol, loved by some, loathed by others, and distrusted by almost everyone in…
The Federal Reserve Soap Opera: Supreme Court Edition
Well, folks, I called it, and I mean exactly called it. Back in my September 18 installment of The Federal Reserve Soap Opera, I said, “If I had to make an educated guess, the Supreme Court may be inclined to give Lisa Cook a short-term reprieve.” And lo and behold, that’s precisely what they did.…
The Comey Indictment: Accountability or Political Score-Settling?
Yesterday, the news cycle practically tripped over itself when word broke that a federal grand jury in Alexandria, Virginia, had indicted James Comey on two criminal counts: making false statements to Congress and obstructing a congressional proceeding. The charges trace back to September 2020, when Comey sat before the Senate Judiciary Committee and fielded questions…
Reflecting on the Supreme Court’s ICE Raids Decision
On Monday, the Supreme Court delivered a 6–3 decision through its emergency docket, striking down limits that had been placed on immigration raids in Los Angeles and across parts of Southern California. A lower court had put those restrictions in place to keep Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from relying too heavily on things like…
The Courtroom Drama Over Rebecca Slaughter’s Job
On Tuesday, September 2, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals issued a narrow 2–1 decision ordering that Rebecca Kelly Slaughter—a Democratic commissioner at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) whom President Trump had dismissed earlier this year—be reinstated without delay. Now, the judges didn’t pluck this out of thin air. They leaned on a bedrock case…
When Due Process and National Security Collide
Last Friday, Judge Jia M. Cobb, who serves on the bench in D.C., handed down a ruling that essentially hit the brakes on President Trump’s expanded expedited removal policy. For years, expedited removal has been on the books as a kind of fast-track deportation system. It was limited in scope: if someone was caught within…
Righteous Judgment or Political Revenge? A Look at the Bolton Search
On Friday morning, just as most folks were pouring their first cup of coffee, FBI agents showed up at John Bolton’s Bethesda, Maryland home and his Washington, D.C. office with court-approved search warrants in hand. The early-morning raid wasn’t routine; it marked a major escalation in a long-dormant national security investigation. At the heart of…