Law and Chaos

Lots of legal news out of US Agency for Global Media, the parent agency for Voice of America. Judge Royce Lamberth ruled that Kari Lake was never legally appointed CEO of USAGM, and thus her orders shutting the sub-agencies down and firing all the employees were null and void. The government appealed, but in the sloppiest way possible. Now the agency is getting sued again for violating the firewall protecting journalistic independence, forcing the networks to air AI slop praising Trump. But Kari Lake has an answer for that, and it is to call the judge a fatso.

Judges in the District of New Jersey have appointed longtime prosecutor Robert Frazer as US Attorney. And so far, Attorney General Bondi hasn’t fired him.

Judge Roy Altman, a Trump appointee, seems disinclined to put an end to Trump’s trollsuits right out of the gate. He’s allowing the case against the BBC to proceed to discovery. And he dismissed the complaint against Capital One for tortious debanking, but allowed Trump 90 days to conduct discovery and refile.

MAIN SHOW:

We’ve got an update on Kilmar Abrego Garcia. The government says it has to send him to Liberia (where he does not agree to go) instead of Costa Rica (where he does agree to go) because Secretary Marco Rubio spent a lot of time negotiating with Liberia to take Abrego, and it would be so embarrassing not to send him there.

And we’ll break down the Supreme Court’s recent decision in Olivier v. City of Brandon, a case involving a truly obnoxious street preacher that implicates your right to sue the government.

SUBSCRIBER BONUS:

The Trump administration is suing Harvard under Title VI, claiming that the school failed to protect Jewish students and must forfeit billions.

Widakuswara v. Lake I [DC Circuit]
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72521013/patsy-widakuswara-v-kari-lake/

Widakuswara v. Lake [Trial Court]
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69846584/widakuswara-v-lake

Widakuswara v. Lake II [DC Circuit]
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72528662/widakuswara-v-lake/

District New Jersey Appointment Order
https://www.njd.uscourts.gov/sites/njd/files/STANDINGORDER2026-03.pdf

Trump Suit Against Capital One Dismissed But Can Be Refiled
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/trump-suit-against-capital-one-200454780.html

Trump v. BBC
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72040010/trump-v-british-broadcasting-corporation

Trump v. Capital One
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69853458/the-donald-j-trump-revocable-trust-v-capital-one-na

US v. Harvard
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72520538/unites-states-of-america-v-harvard-university-fellows-and-president/

Abrego Garcia v. Noem (habeas petition) [docket via CourtListener]
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71191591/abrego-garcia-v-noem/?order_by=desc

Zadvydas v. Davis, 533 U.S. 678 (2001)
https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=16478079160883986502

Kennedy v. Bremerton School Dist., 597 U.S. _____ (2022)
https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/21pdf/21-418_i425.pdf

Olivier v. City of Brandon [US Supreme Court]
https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/24-993_10n2.pdf

Olivier v. City of Brandon (Appendix containing ordinance) [US Supreme Court]
https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/24/24-993/352124/20250314105732247_Olivier%20Pet.%20App.pdf

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We’ve got two deep dives for you today, each with a lot of laughs (and almost no Donald Trump)!

First, we break down the lawsuit brought by seven police officers against rapper Afroman for hurting their feelings, which ended in a total victory for the defense. It’s still legal to make fun of cops in America! We dissect the claims, discuss what it means to sue for false light invasion of privacy and unreasonable publicity. And then we break down the audio of closing arguments and how each side went about persuading an all-white jury in deep red rural Ohio.

Then, we discuss the ongoing shenanigans in the US Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey, where the Trump administration has installed a “triumvirate” of lawyers to run the office rather than just submit a nominee to the Senate. Things came to a head when the government botched a prosecution for child sexual abuse materials and tried to plow ahead anyway. Judge Zahid Quraishi summoned the DOJ lawyer responsible to appear in court and… it did not go well.

And for subscribers, we have a bonus that dives even deeper into the mess the Trump administration has gotten into in New Jersey because it refuses to back down and just do the normal thing.

Cooley v. Foreman [Afroman lawsuit]
https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/23721423-afroman-lawsuit/

United States v. Villafane (D.N.J. settlement) [docket via CourtListener]
https://www.courtlistener.com/profile/docket-alerts/

“Lemon Pound Cake” [via OGAfroman YouTube]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xxK5yyecRo

“Why You Disconnecting My Video Camera?” [via OGAfroman YouTube]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISe3IVBBbyU&list=OLAK5uy_noWRXtUiSWHo7cMRoI34uqhSRSDpIFtqY&index=3

“Licc’em Low Lisa” [via OGAfroman YouTube]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wWQxSV8CK8

“Randy Walters is a Son of a Bitch” [via OGAfroman YouTube]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4AiuqQpB1U

Show Links:
https://www.lawandchaospod.com/
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The Supreme Court rebuffed the Trump Administration’s “emergency” request to revoke temporary protected status for half a million Haitian and Syrian nationals. It granted cert before judgment and set oral argument for April.

The DOJ dropped charges against Jay Carey, a veteran who burned a flag in Lafayette Park to protest Trump’s executive order purporting to ban flag-burning.

In Massachusetts, Judge Brian Murphy blocked HHS Secretary Kennedy’s attempt to rewrite the child and adult vaccine schedules.

And the Justice Department keeps lowering the bar in an effort to get lawyers willing to sign on to burn down their reputations in service of the Trump agenda.

MAIN SHOW:

We discuss US Attorney for DC Jeanine Pirro’s crashout over the implosion of her retaliatory investigation into Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. Judge Boasberg quashed the subpoenas, saying that there was no reason at all to think Powell committed a crime.

The Judicial Conference is making it slightly easier for criminal defendants to secure representation. They’re also going to war with the General Services Administration, the world’s worst landlord.

The Live Nation trial continues, without the government. Andrew’s got a deep dive into the Tunney Act and a similar antitrust case blown up by the Trump DOJ under pressure from well-connected lobbyists. These people made us agree with Laura Loomer — RUDE!

TPS Cert Before Judgment
https://www.supremecourt.gov/orders/courtorders/031626zr1_5h25.pdf

US v. Carey [Flag burning]
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71223464/united-states-v-carey

American Academy of Pediatrics v. Kennedy [Vaccines]
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/70722326/american-academy-of-pediatrics-v-kennedy/

Judiciary Says Courthouses Are in Crisis, Seeks Real Property Authority
https://www.uscourts.gov/data-news/judiciary-news/2026/02/24/judiciary-says-courthouses-are-crisis-seeks-real-property-authority

US judiciary approves new public defender office focused on US Supreme Court advocacy
https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/us-judiciary-approves-new-public-defender-office-focused-us-supreme-court-2026-03-10

DOJ to Allow Hiring of US Prosecutors Straight Out of Law School
https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/doj-to-allow-hiring-of-us-prosecutors-straight-out-of-law-school

Law School Tells Students, ‘You MUST Be Aligned Politically With President Trump,’ For Summer Job
https://abovethelaw.com/2026/03/law-school-tells-students-you-must-be-aligned-politically-with-president-trump-for-summer-job/

Jeanine Pirro Crashes Out
https://www.lawandchaospod.com/p/jeanine-pirro-crashes-out

In re Grand Jury Subpoenas [Jerome Powell]
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72490330/in-re-grand-jury-subpoenas

The Rule of Law Versus the Rule of Lobbyists [Roger Alford]
https://assets.bwbx.io/documents/users/iqjWHBFdfxIU/rqWZHzWNbqZc/v0

Proposal to Give Judiciary Real Property Authority
https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/judiciary-real-property-authority-legislative-package.pdf

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A federal judge in Maryland issued a TRO blocking the construction of an ICE detention facility without first undertaking the legally required environmental impact assessment.

The Trump administration filed an “emergency” petition to the Supreme Court demanding that it be allowed to immediately deport 350,000 Haitians who have enjoyed Temporary Protected Status for decades. It insists an earlier shadow docket ruling allowing it to deport Venezuelan TPS holders is precedential. An amicus brief from 175 former judges points out that shadow docket orders are definitionally non-precedential.

The USDA is teaming up with Robert Kennedy and his team of freaks at Health and Human Services to Make America Healthy Again … by shaming poor people for their food choices. SNAP recipients sued in DC to block a “pilot” program to allow states to restrict food benefits to exclude sugary foods.

MAIN SHOW:

DOGE destroyed the National Endowment for the Humanities in three weeks last spring. We wrote about it on the blog, and discussed the ongoing litigation. Turns out, the DOGE dudes are pissed that the plaintiffs released video of them smirking their way through depositions.

On Monday, in the middle of trial, the Trump administration tried to blow up the antitrust lawsuit against Live Nation, the parent company of Ticketmaster. This leaves the 40 states which joined the suit as co-plaintiffs in the lurch. Judge Arun Subramanian has ordered the parties to huddle up and see if they can’t negotiate a settlement. Will the case go forward next week without the lead plaintiff?

And Andrew has an extended exploration of Trump’s plan to use a little known federal agency called the United States International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) to get oil tankers to cross the Strait of Hormuz. The DFC has released a plan (or at least, concepts of a plan) to reinsure insurance companies that issue war riders. Which might help if insurance companies were refusing to issue policies to ships at sea – except that insurance companies are still underwriting as many marine policies as ever. It’s just that it costs more now, because of the war.

Plus for subscribers, we’ll break down the bar complaint against fan favorite Ed Martin.

Kash Patel Confirms UFC Fighters Will Train FBI Agents This Week, Calling It A “Historic Opportunity”
https://deadline.com/2026/03/kash-patel-ufc-fighters-train-fbi-agents-1236750897/

State of Maryland v. Noem [ICE Detention Center in Hagerstown]
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72313096/state-of-maryland-v-noem

Lesly Miot v. Trump [Haitian TPS, Trial Docket]
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/70965949/lesly-miot-v-trump/

Trump v. Miot [SCOTUS Docket]
https://www.supremecourt.gov/search.aspx?filename=/docket/docketfiles/html/public/25a999.html

DOGE Bros Had More Fun Burning Down Government Than Testifying About It
https://www.lawandchaospod.com/p/doge-bros-had-more-fun-burning-down

Authors Guild v. National Endowment for the Humanities
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/70243086/the-authors-guild-v-national-endowment-for-the-humanities

Amicus Brief of 175 Former Judges re Precedent of Shadow Docket Rulings
https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/25/25A952/400077/20260305142419318_Amicus%20Brief%20of%20Former%20Judges%20re%20Dahlia%20Doe_FINAL.pdf

Aragon v. Rollins [SNAP Benefits]
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72419889/aragon-v-rollins/

DOJ nopes out of Ticketmaster antitrust suit
https://www.publicnotice.co/p/ticketmaster-suit-doj

US v. Live Nation
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/68557723/united-states-of-america-v-live-nation-entertainment-inc

Trump’s ‘free flow of energy’ vow fails to restart shipping in strait of Hormuz [The Guardian]
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/mar/10/trump-free-flow-energy-fails-restart-shipping-strait-hormuz

DFC Reinsurance announcement [US International Development Finance Corporation]
https://www.dfc.gov/media/press-releases/dfc-announces-chubb-lead-insurance-partner-maritime-reinsurance-plan

Gulf war risk premiums topping double-digit millions of dollars per trip [Lloyd’s List]
https://www.lloydslist.com/LL1156586/Gulf-war-risk-premiums-topping-double-digit-millions-of-dollars-per-trip

No, P&I clubs have not ‘cancelled war risk cover’ [Lloyd’s List]
https://www.lloydslist.com/LL1156515/No-PI-clubs-have-not-cancelled-war-risk-cover

Show Links:
https://www.lawandchaospod.com/
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DOCKET ALERTS:

War Powers Resolution fails in both Houses of Congress.

DHS is ramping up for an immigration surge in Maryland and has purchased an 825,000-square-foot warehouse in Hagerstown. The state is suing to block the facility on environmental grounds. In Baltimore, Judge Julie Rubin joins judges in New York and Los Angeles in holding that ICE is systematically violating the Fifth Amendment rights of immigrants in “temporary” detention by holding them for days on end without hygiene, medical care, or access to counsel.

Kalshi customers have filed a class action suit over the company’s refusal to pay out on bets — oops, we mean CONTRACT SWAPS — that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei would leave office as Supreme Leader of Iran before March 1.

Trump continues to defy the Constitution’s requirement that he get Senate approval for principal officers. We discussed it in our post on Judge Lamberth holding that Kari Lake was never legally serving as head of the US Agency for Global Media, and thus her directives are null and void. And Judge Matthew Brann has ruled once again that Attorney General Pam Bondi can’t evade senate confirmation for the US Attorney in New Jersey — no, not even if she spreads the appointment out among three lawyers, not just one.

And we’ll talk about the Trump administration’s humiliating U-turn as it tries to un-dismiss the appeal in the case of the executive orders targeting law firms, as well as Anthropic’s complaint against the government. Turns out, defying Trump can be good for business!

Subscriber Bonus: The Trump administration just dismissed the antitrust suit against Live Nation mid-trial for, uh, reasons.

ICE awards $113 million to build out Hagerstown detention center
https://www.thebanner.com/politics-power/national-politics/ice-hagerstown-detention-center-contract-AHIV2KEHQJAVFMWBYKO2YBWOCU/

Maryland v. Noem [ICE Warehouse]
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72313096/state-of-maryland-v-noem/?order_by=desc

D.N.N. v. Liggins [ICE temporary holding facility in Baltimore]
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/70321567/dnn-v-liggins/

Risch v. Kalshi
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72371954/risch-v-kalshiex-llc/

Judge Rules That Kari Lake Is Still A Loser [Law and Chaos]
https://www.lawandchaospod.com/p/judge-rules-that-kari-lake-is-still

US v. Naviwala [US Attorney New Jersey]
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/68269162/united-states-v-naviwala

Susman Godfrey v. Executive Office of the President (DC Cir. Appeal) [docket via CourtListener]
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71202175/susman-godfrey-llp-v-executive-office-of-the-president/

Anthropic v. US Dep’t of War, [docket via CourtListener]
https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cand.465515/

Business Insider, “Claude Hits Number One In The App Store”
https://www.businessinsider.com/anthropic-claude-hits-number-one-app-store-openai-chatgpt-2026-2

US v. LiveNation Entertainment (Ticketmaster antitrust lawsuit) [docket via CourtListener]
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/68557723/united-states-of-america-v-live-nation-entertainment-inc/

Show Links:
https://www.lawandchaospod.com/
BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPod
Threads: @LawAndChaosPod
Twitter: @LawAndChaosPod

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