Nostr notes by Steve Vladeck

One of the most amusingly petty things Justice Alito does is to ...

2026-05-04T15:14:20Z

One of the most amusingly petty things Justice Alito does is to put deadlines on administrative stays *only* when he is deeply *unsympathetic* to the applicants.

He did it in the 2023 mife case and the 2024 SB4 immigration case; and he did it today.

In all other cases, his stays are indefinite:
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"I dissent because Congress elected otherwise. I dissent ...

2026-04-29T14:15:50Z

"I dissent because Congress elected otherwise. I dissent because the Court betrays its duty to faithfully implement the great statute Congress wrote. I dissent because the Court’s decision will set back the foundational right Congress granted of racial equality in electoral opportunity. I dissent."

RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:nwnlnixtjh3qhkwpz2uy5uwv/post/3mknborr7lc2w

quoting
note1gkm…uaqy

Second (and last) #SCOTUS ruling is the big one, Louisiana v. Callais.

For a 6-3 majority (Rs v. Ds), Justice Alito purports to narrow the ability of states to draw majority-minority districts as a remedy for race-based vote dilution, but, per Kagan's dissent, comes pretty close to gutting the VRA:

[supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf...](https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/24-109_21o3.pdf )

Second (and last) #SCOTUS ruling is the big one, Louisiana v. ...

2026-04-29T14:10:37Z

Second (and last) #SCOTUS ruling is the big one, Louisiana v. Callais.

For a 6-3 majority (Rs v. Ds), Justice Alito purports to narrow the ability of states to draw majority-minority districts as a remedy for race-based vote dilution, but, per Kagan's dissent, comes pretty close to gutting the VRA:

[supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf...](https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/24-109_21o3.pdf )

First (but not last) #SCOTUS ruling is in First Choice. For a ...

2026-04-29T14:04:09Z

First (but *not* last) #SCOTUS ruling is in First Choice.

For a unanimous Court, Justice Gorsuch holds that a religious non-profit has standing to challenge the constitutionality of an investigative subpoena for a list of its financial supporters:

[www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25p...](https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/24-781_pok0.pdf )

[supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf...](https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/24-781_pok0.pdf )

Today's #SCOTUS Order List includes a 6-3 summary reversal, ...

2026-03-23T13:35:20Z

Today's #SCOTUS Order List includes a 6-3 summary reversal, in which the Republican appointees all vote, contra the Second Circuit, that qualifed immunity insulates a police officer from damages for using a rear wristlock against a nonviolent protestor.

The Democratic appointees all dissent:

[supremecourt.gov/orders/courtor...](https://www.supremecourt.gov/orders/courtorders/032326zor_7mio.pdf#page=11 )

Here’s the #SCOTUS ruling in the Malliotakis cases: ...

2026-03-02T23:17:40Z

Here’s the #SCOTUS ruling in the Malliotakis cases:

[www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25p...](https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/25a914_1p24.pdf )

[supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf...](https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/25a914_1p24.pdf )

#SCOTUS just granted emergency relief in both the California ...

2026-03-02T23:05:11Z

#SCOTUS just granted emergency relief in *both* the California teachers case (putting back on hold, at least in this case, California’s law barring teachers from outing transgender students to their parents) *and* the Malliotakis redistricting cases.

The Democratic appointees dissented in both.

“The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending ...

2026-02-28T12:03:10Z

“The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. Instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it.”

— Martin Luther King, Jr.

Even if you don't have time to read all 83 pages of Judge ...

2026-02-03T01:06:19Z

Even if you don't have time to read all 83 pages of Judge Reyes's opinion barring the Trump administration from rescinding Temporary Protected Status for 350,000+ Haitians, please at least check out the four-page introduction.

It's a tour de force:

[storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...](https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.283214/gov.uscourts.dcd.283214.124.0_1.pdf )
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In Printz v. United States, #SCOTUS held that the Constitution ...

2026-01-28T13:41:23Z

In Printz v. United States, #SCOTUS held that the Constitution bars the federal government from forcing or otherwise compelling local or state governments to enforce federal law.

The liberal squish who wrote the majority opinion in that case? Justice Antonin Scalia:

[tile.loc.gov/storage-serv...](https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/ll/usrep/usrep521/usrep521898/usrep521898.pdf )
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This morning, I recorded a video on TikTok about why DHS’s ...

2026-01-26T02:00:47Z

This morning, I recorded a video on TikTok about why DHS’s arguments for the power to enter homes without judicial warrants in immigration cases are bunk.

Nine hours later, TikTok still says my video is “under review,” and can’t be shared.

Well, here’s a link:

[georgetown.box.com/v/Vladeck-IC...](https://georgetown.box.com/v/Vladeck-ICE-4A )
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You did not bear the shame. You resisted. You bestowed the ...

2026-01-24T16:25:11Z

You did not bear the shame.
You resisted.
You bestowed the eternally vigilant symbol of change by sacrificing your impassioned lives for freedom, justice and honour.

— The German Resistance Memorial in Berlin
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“DOJ’s ‘Notice of Corrections’ ought to give the justices ...

2026-01-22T12:32:20Z

“DOJ’s ‘Notice of Corrections’ ought to give the justices real pause … about substituting their judgment for that of district courts at least where preliminary relief has been based upon an impoverished (or non-existant) record.”

Today’s “One First” on developments in the DOGE/Social Security case:

[Bonus 203: Correcting the Reco...](https://www.stevevladeck.com/p/bonus-203-correcting-the-record-in )

Ah yes, the new, “free markets and liberties”-focused ...

2026-01-18T14:22:47Z

Ah yes, the new, “free markets and liberties”-focused Washington Post:
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Folks are about to learn a lot about the Eighth Circuit (the ...

2026-01-17T02:07:42Z

Folks are about to learn a lot about the Eighth Circuit (the federal appeals court the jurisdiction of which includes Minnesota).

It has 11 active judges; 10 appointed by Republican presidents (including four by Trump). And the one senior judge still hearing cases is also a Republican appointee.

It would take a two-word amendment to 42 U.S.C. § 1983 to ...

2026-01-12T22:56:09Z

It would take a two-word amendment to 42 U.S.C. § 1983 to subject ICE agents and other federal law enforcement officers to the same liability for constitutional violations that local and state officers currently face.

If Congress actually cared about what it's seeing, it could pass that overnight.

If you had told me Mamdani and MTG would both be in the news ...

2025-11-22T01:39:19Z

If you had told me Mamdani and MTG would both be in the news today, and gave me eleventy thousand guesses as to why, I’d … still be guessing.

#BREAKING: Just hours after Texas asked #SCOTUS to pause ...

2025-11-22T00:42:44Z

#BREAKING: Just hours after Texas asked #SCOTUS to pause Tuesday’s ruling that had blocked its new House congressional district maps, Justice Alito has issued a temporary “administrative” stay pausing that ruling (and putting the new maps back into place) while the full Court considers next steps:
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The Federalist Society has apparently taken down the video of ...

2025-11-18T00:52:22Z

The Federalist Society has apparently taken down the video of Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche's "Fireside Chat" at the National Lawyers Convention on November 7 (the one where he said that he and the Justice Department are at "war" against federal district courts):

I wonder why...

[2025 National Lawyers Conventi...](https://fedsoc.org/conferences/2025-national-lawyers-convention#agenda-item-fireside-chat-6 )

#BREAKING: Over a public dissent from Justice Jackson, #SCOTUS ...

2025-11-11T23:07:54Z

#BREAKING: Over a public dissent from Justice Jackson, #SCOTUS *extends* the temporary pause of the district court’s order that had mandated full SNAP payments for November—keeping that ruling (and those payments) on hold through the end of the day this Thursday:
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#BREAKING: Justice Jackson has issued an "administrative" ...

2025-11-08T02:25:17Z

#BREAKING: Justice Jackson has issued an "administrative" stay, temporarily pausing a district court order that would've required the USDA to continue using contingency funds to pay SNAP benefits.

The stay expires 48 hours after the First Circuit rules on USDA's request for a stay pending appeal.
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#BREAKING: The Trump administration is asking #SCOTUS for an ...

2025-11-07T23:46:35Z

#BREAKING: The Trump administration is asking #SCOTUS for an immediate “administrative” stay of a Rhode Island district judge’s order that is otherwise requiring it to resume the distribution of SNAP benefits from other funding sources no later than the end of today.

#BREAKING: #SCOTUS grants yet another stay to the Trump ...

2025-11-06T20:18:24Z

#BREAKING: #SCOTUS grants yet another stay to the Trump administration, putting back into place a new State Department policy requiring passports to display their bearers' biological sex at birth.

Justice Jackson (joined by Justices Sotomayor and Kagan) once again dissents.
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Really looking forward to the Speaker of the House claiming to be ...

2025-11-05T03:05:20Z

Really looking forward to the Speaker of the House claiming to be unaware of the election results.

New paper from me offering a holistic assessment of ...

2025-10-29T13:20:46Z

New paper from me offering a holistic assessment of [#SCOTUS's](https://bsky.app/search?q=%23SCOTUS%27s ) behavior on Trump-related emergency applications thus far:

[papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....](https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=5661011 )

TL;DR: The ultimate theme of the decisions is a majority bent on preserving *their* supremacy, as such—which is likely to only be self-defeating.
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The Trump administration is seeking emergency relief at #SCOTUS ...

2025-10-17T20:07:08Z

The Trump administration is seeking emergency relief at #SCOTUS again—this time in the Chicago / National Guard federalization case.

This is the 29th application the administration has filed since January 20.

It’s No. 25A443, and should be up on the website shortly.

The very first statute authorizing domestic use of the military ...

2025-10-05T14:58:04Z

The very first statute authorizing domestic use of the military during domestic emergencies, enacted in 1792 by a Congress full of the same folks who wrote and ratified the Constitution, expressly provided for judicial review in certain circumstances *before* the President could even send troops.
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Just a reminder that the Commander-in-Chief of the Louisiana ...

2025-09-30T02:25:05Z

Just a reminder that the Commander-in-Chief of the Louisiana National Guard, who can call them out all by himself if they were actually needed, is … Governor Landry.

RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:4llrhdclvdlmmynkwsmg5tdc/post/3lzzf4zuor62a

“Is it that the Chief Justice doesn’t accept that the Court ...

2025-09-29T11:30:56Z

“Is it that the Chief Justice doesn’t accept that the Court is losing credibility on a daily basis; that he thinks the Court doesn’t need that credibility in order to fulfill its intended role in our constitutional system; or that he doesn’t care?”

Me on John Roberts as his Court turns 20 today:

[180. The Roberts Court Turns 2...](https://www.stevevladeck.com/p/180-the-roberts-court-turns-20 )

#BREAKING: Over dissents from Justices Sotomayor, Kagan & ...

2025-09-22T19:15:06Z

#BREAKING: Over dissents from Justices Sotomayor, Kagan & Jackson, #SCOTUS grants a stay in the Slaughter case (allowing President Trump to remove the last Dem member of the FTC), *and* grants certiorari "before judgment" to decide whether to formally overrule its 1935 ruling in Humphrey's Executor.

4:30 p.m. on a Friday, and there are 5 emergency applications ...

2025-09-19T20:29:33Z

4:30 p.m. on a Friday, and there are *5* emergency applications from the Trump administration pending at #SCOTUS:

1) Slaughter (FTC removal);
2) Global Health Council (pocket rescissions);
3) Cook (Fed Board removal for "cause");
4) Orr (gender identity on passports); and
5) Noem (Venezuela TPS).

I know these “interviews” with Justice Barrett are carefully ...

2025-09-12T22:57:50Z

I know these “interviews” with Justice Barrett are carefully scripted. But if she’s going to keeping urging Americans to “read the opinions,” and not just commentary, it sure would be nice if someone would ask her what we should do when—as is so often the case these days—there’s no opinion to read…

Over public dissents from Justices Thomas, Alito, & Gorsuch, ...

2025-09-10T20:09:13Z

Over public dissents from Justices Thomas, Alito, & Gorsuch, #SCOTUS leaves in place 4th Cir. injunction requiring a South Carolina public high school to allow a single transgender student to use the bathroom corresponding with their gender identity—stressing that it's "not a ruling on the merits."
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Chief Justice Roberts has issued an “administrative” stay ...

2025-09-08T15:02:00Z

Chief Justice Roberts has issued an “administrative” stay allowing President Trump to remove the last Democratic member of Federal Trade Commission while the full Court decides whether to freeze lower-court rulings that had held that her firing was unlawful:
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#BREAKING: Fifth Circuit (Southwick & Ramirez, JJ.) holds ...

2025-09-03T02:28:48Z

#BREAKING: Fifth Circuit (Southwick & Ramirez, JJ.) holds that President Trump’s invocation of the Alien Enemies Act against Tren de Aragua is unlawful, and blocks AEA removals in the Northern District of Texas (over a lengthy dissent from Judge Oldham):

[www.ca5.uscourts.gov/opinions/pub...](https://www.ca5.uscourts.gov/opinions/pub/25/25-10534-CV1.pdf )

[ca5.uscourts.gov/opinions/pub/2...](https://www.ca5.uscourts.gov/opinions/pub/25/25-10534-CV1.pdf )

By a 7-4 vote, the full Federal Circuit has affirmed a ...

2025-08-29T21:48:28Z

By a 7-4 vote, the full Federal Circuit has *affirmed* a lower-court ruling holding that many of President Trump’s tariffs exceed his statutory authority.

The ruling won’t go into effect until October 14, though—which gives the Trump administration plenty of time to seek intervention from #SCOTUS:

[storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.usco...](https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cafc.23105/gov.uscourts.cafc.23105.159.0_1.pdf )

Nostr event nevent1qqs27zm8xvmcw6qf5ahkecdty6x9kcve4lx4ne08vt4es9fan48mdlszype2zzhl6d4xenvn9djpjx6aeckhz7fdwrrzu3ygptjaldqesx3rwh9k093

2025-08-22T00:30:44Z

“Then they came for Cracker Barrel…”

TL;DR: 5 justices say Trump doesn't have to immediately ...

2025-08-21T20:49:33Z

TL;DR: 5 justices say Trump doesn't have to immediately restore the funding, but 5 *also* signal that the underlying directives are unlawful.

That sends a fairly strong (if mixed) message that Trump will lose these cases *eventually,* but only once they're brought in the Court of Federal Claims.

RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:nwnlnixtjh3qhkwpz2uy5uwv/post/3lwwsjdupd22l

quoting
note1vc6…4w5x

Splitting 5-4 (with Chief Justice Roberts joining the three Democratic appointees in dissent), #SCOTUS grants *partial* stay to Trump administration in NIH funding case; holds that challenges to grant terminations (but *not* the underlying guidance) need to be filed in the Court of Federal Claims:

[supremecourt.gov/opinions/24pdf...](https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24pdf/25a103_kh7p.pdf )

Splitting 5-4 (with Chief Justice Roberts joining the three ...

2025-08-21T20:41:54Z

Splitting 5-4 (with Chief Justice Roberts joining the three Democratic appointees in dissent), #SCOTUS grants *partial* stay to Trump administration in NIH funding case; holds that challenges to grant terminations (but *not* the underlying guidance) need to be filed in the Court of Federal Claims:

[supremecourt.gov/opinions/24pdf...](https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24pdf/25a103_kh7p.pdf )

The latest example of an important lower-court ruling adverse to ...

2025-08-15T19:49:26Z

The latest example of an important lower-court ruling adverse to Trump that the administration *isn’t* appealing is last Saturday’s D.C. Circuit decision about restoring public access to data on how the executive branch is (or isn’t) spending appropriated funds.

That ruling goes into effect today:

[Opinion (DC circuit)](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/26046812-opinion-dc-circuit/ )

My own view is that it was really smart of D.C. to wait for the ...

2025-08-15T14:38:09Z

My own view is that it was *really* smart of D.C. to wait for the Trump admin. to overplay its hand before suing.

It's one thing to invoke the emergency police support provision of the Home Rule Act in specific cases; it's something else entirely to claim it allows the feds to *take over* the MPD.

Two things can be true: 1) The President has legal authority over ...

2025-08-11T15:32:09Z

Two things can be true:

1) The President has legal authority over the D.C. police and the D.C. National Guard that he doesn't have *anywhere else* in the country; &

2) Even if this doesn't set a legal precedent, it sets an ominous *political* precedent for pretextually overriding local government.

Someone forgot to take down this webpage: ...

2025-08-11T02:22:49Z

Someone forgot to take down this webpage:

[www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/v...](https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/violent-crime-dc-hits-30-year-low )
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My quick take on Monday afternoon's unexplained #SCOTUS ...

2025-07-14T20:45:54Z

My quick take on Monday afternoon's unexplained #SCOTUS ruling in the Department of Education downsizing case—and how the justices' inconsistent treatment of the (similarly postured) student loan cases during the Biden administration illustrates in technicolor why the Court needs to explain itself:

[167. The Inconsistent Court St...](https://www.stevevladeck.com/p/167-the-inconsistent-court-strikes )

Since April 4, #SCOTUS has issued 15 rulings on 17 emergency ...

2025-07-14T19:38:43Z

Since April 4, #SCOTUS has issued 15 rulings on 17 emergency applications filed by Trump (three birthright citizenship apps were consolidated).

It has granted relief to Trump ... in all 15 rulings.

It has written majority opinions in only 3.

Today's order is the 7th with no explanation *at all.*

RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:nwnlnixtjh3qhkwpz2uy5uwv/post/3ltx4sgsu7k2q

quoting
note1tk9…ngfl

Here we go again: Over an acerbic dissenting opinion by Justice Sotomayor (joined in full by Justices Kagan and Jackson), #SCOTUS, with no explanation, grants a stay in the Department of Education RIFs case—effectively clearing the way for the Trump administration to dismantle much of the agency:

[supremecourt.gov/opinions/24pdf...](https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24pdf/24a1203_pol1.pdf )

Here we go again: Over an acerbic dissenting opinion by Justice ...

2025-07-14T19:30:21Z

Here we go again: Over an acerbic dissenting opinion by Justice Sotomayor (joined in full by Justices Kagan and Jackson), #SCOTUS, with no explanation, grants a stay in the Department of Education RIFs case—effectively clearing the way for the Trump administration to dismantle much of the agency:

[supremecourt.gov/opinions/24pdf...](https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24pdf/24a1203_pol1.pdf )

Over dissents from Justices Sotomayor & Jackson (and a rare ...

2025-07-03T20:30:54Z

Over dissents from Justices Sotomayor & Jackson (and a rare concurrence from Justice Kagan), #SCOTUS "clarifies" that its 6/23 ruling staying a district court's injunction against third-country removals *also* applies to the district court's later order requiring a remedy for those already removed:

[supremecourt.gov/opinions/24pdf...](https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24pdf/24a1153_2co3.pdf )

Fifth ruling from #SCOTUS is in the Texas porn age-verification ...

2025-06-27T15:14:32Z

Fifth ruling from #SCOTUS is in the Texas porn age-verification case.

For a 6-3 majority (with the three Democratic appointees dissenting), Justice Thomas *upholds* Texas's age-verification scheme for porn websites against a First Amendment challenge:

[www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24p...](https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24pdf/23-1122_3e04.pdf )

[supremecourt.gov/opinions/24pdf...](https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24pdf/23-1122_3e04.pdf )

Fourth #SCOTUS ruling is in Mahmoud. For a 6-3 majority (with the ...

2025-06-27T14:49:22Z

Fourth #SCOTUS ruling is in Mahmoud.

For a 6-3 majority (with the three Dem. appointees dissenting), Justice Alito sides with parents in challenge to school board's introduction of the “LGBTQ+-inclusive” storybooks, along with its decision to withhold opt outs:

[www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24p...](https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24pdf/24-297_4f14.pdf )

[supremecourt.gov/opinions/24pdf...](https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24pdf/24-297_4f14.pdf )

Third #SCOTUS ruling is in the universal service fund ...

2025-06-27T14:40:53Z

Third #SCOTUS ruling is in the universal service fund (non-delegation) case.

For a 6-3 majority (with Justices Thomas, Alito, and Gorsuch dissenting), Justice Kagan *rejects* non-delegation challenge; upholds universal service fund structure and authority:

[www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24p...](https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24pdf/24-354_0861.pdf )

[supremecourt.gov/opinions/24pdf...](https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24pdf/24-354_0861.pdf )

Fourth (and last) ruling from #SCOTUS today is in Riley v. ...

2025-06-26T14:18:49Z

Fourth (and *last*) ruling from #SCOTUS today is in Riley v. Bondi.

For a messy, fractured 5-4 majority (with Justice Gorsuch joining the three Democratic appointees in dissent) narrows judicial review in a small category of complicated immigration appeals:

[www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24p...](https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24pdf/23-1270_6j37.pdf )

[supremecourt.gov/opinions/24pdf...](https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24pdf/23-1270_6j37.pdf )

The Supreme Court’s unexplained order on Monday in the ...

2025-06-26T11:56:31Z

The Supreme Court’s unexplained order on Monday in the third-country removals case, and the continuing controversy over what it does and doesn’t mean, is Exhibit A for why the justices need to provide an explanation at least when they *grant* emergency relief.

More in today’s bonus “One First”:

[Bonus 161: Why the Court Needs...](https://www.stevevladeck.com/p/bonus-161-why-the-court-needs-to )

Today’s unsigned, unexplained #SCOTUS ruling clearing the way ...

2025-06-23T21:59:29Z

Today’s unsigned, unexplained #SCOTUS ruling clearing the way for removals of migrants to third countries without any additional process is a disaster—not just on the merits, but because of the government misbehavior that it not only refuses to punish, but effectively rewards.

Me, via “One First”:

[161. The Court's Disastrous Ru...](https://www.stevevladeck.com/p/161-the-courts-disastrous-ruling )

Here’s the “Presidential Memorandum”: ...

2025-06-08T02:12:48Z

Here’s the “Presidential Memorandum”:

[www.whitehouse.gov/presidential...](https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/06/department-of-defense-security-for-the-protection-of-department-of-homeland-security-functions/ )

There’s no Insurrection Act invocation; Trump is federalizing 2000 CA Nat’l Guard personnel only to “protect federal functions.”

*Without* invoking the Insurrection Act, anything more would violate the Posse Comitatus Act.
https://amanita.us-east.host.bsky.network/xrpc/com.atproto.sync.getBlob?did=did:plc:nwnlnixtjh3qhkwpz2uy5uwv&cid=bafkreicwoikrcr3uazh34pth6x73as65qohim3hgdw5xzomofanhcyy2u4

There are two pathways to what Trump is doing: 1) He is ...

2025-06-08T01:44:42Z

There are two pathways to what Trump is doing:

1) He is federalizing 2000 National Guard troops; or

2) He is deploying 2000 members of another state’s National Guard with the permission of *that* state’s governor.

These posts walk through the relevant authorities—and the questions they raise:

RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:nwnlnixtjh3qhkwpz2uy5uwv/post/3lr2mrq2klk22

quoting
note1zzc…xcep

Re-upping this “One First” post from April asking—and trying to answer—five questions about the domestic use of the military:

[142. Five Questions About Dome...](https://www.stevevladeck.com/p/142-five-questions-about-domestic )

Re-upping this “One First” post from April asking—and ...

2025-06-08T00:38:41Z

Re-upping this “One First” post from April asking—and trying to answer—five questions about the domestic use of the military:

[142. Five Questions About Dome...](https://www.stevevladeck.com/p/142-five-questions-about-domestic )

It’ll be interesting how the Trump administration’s ...

2025-06-07T00:03:04Z

It’ll be interesting how the Trump administration’s remarkable ability to magically bring Abrego García back to the United States will bear on its arguments in other cases about how it really has no ability to influence the detention of others at CECOT.

#BREAKING: #SCOTUS grants Trump administration stay in ...

2025-06-06T20:24:17Z

#BREAKING: #SCOTUS grants Trump administration stay in DOGE/Social Security case (restoring DOGE’s access to SSA data) over public dissents from three Democratic appointees.

#BREAKING: #SCOTUS grants Trump administration application for ...

2025-05-30T14:19:34Z

#BREAKING: #SCOTUS grants Trump administration application for stay in CHNV humanitarian parole immigration case; lets government deport those previously granted parole.

Justice Jackson, joined by Justice Sotomayor, filed an eight-page dissenting opinion.

Link to come shortly.

#BREAKING: In Oklahoma religious charter school case, #SCOTUS ...

2025-05-22T14:09:14Z

#BREAKING: In Oklahoma religious charter school case, #SCOTUS splits 4-4 (with Justice Barrett recused), which means the lower-court ruling (barring the religious charter school) stands without a (precedential) opinion:

[www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24p...](https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24pdf/24-394_9p6b.pdf )

[supremecourt.gov/opinions/24pdf...](https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24pdf/24-394_9p6b.pdf )

Today’s bonus issue of “One First” takes a closer look at ...

2025-05-22T12:12:31Z

Today’s bonus issue of “One First” takes a closer look at Judge Ho’s galling concurring opinion on remand in the A.A.R.P. Alien Enemies Act case—which accused #SCOTUS of showing “disrespect” to the district judge and President Trump by … protecting due process:

[www.stevevladeck.com/p/bonus-152-...](https://www.stevevladeck.com/p/bonus-152-judge-ho-due-process-and )

[Bonus 152: Judge Ho, Due Proce...](https://www.stevevladeck.com/p/bonus-152-judge-ho-due-process-and )

I keep thinking he can’t stoop any lower—and then he does: ...

2025-05-21T00:26:53Z

I keep thinking he can’t stoop any lower—and then he does:

[reason.com/volokh/2025/...](https://reason.com/volokh/2025/05/20/the-supreme-court-unfairly-attacked-a-careful-district-court-judge-who-faithfully-discharged-his-office-under-pressure/ )
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Even if you accept Stephen Miller’s (textually, historically, ...

2025-05-05T20:53:58Z

Even *if* you accept Stephen Miller’s (textually, historically, and morally indefensible) claim that undocumented immigrants are not entitled to due process, you’d *still* need due process to ensure that the individuals at issue are, in fact, undocumented.

His argument fails even on its own terms.

When it’s impossible to distinguish between your blog posts and ...

2025-04-23T02:43:35Z

When it’s impossible to distinguish between your blog posts and the claims that Stephen Miller is making, it might be time to just stop writing:

[reason.com/volokh/2025/...](https://reason.com/volokh/2025/04/22/a-tale-of-two-shadow-dockets/ )
https://amanita.us-east.host.bsky.network/xrpc/com.atproto.sync.getBlob?did=did:plc:nwnlnixtjh3qhkwpz2uy5uwv&cid=bafkreie4xlob3rodm52xn5igzdoo7d2euwxwptvvtbn4766nt744ocb7wq
https://amanita.us-east.host.bsky.network/xrpc/com.atproto.sync.getBlob?did=did:plc:nwnlnixtjh3qhkwpz2uy5uwv&cid=bafkreif5hv6f7wkgojzr5e4qo6danup5ccebj73nfelliy3cdo3rin6c6q

Sir, this is a Wendy’s. ...

2025-04-21T12:29:33Z

Sir, this is a Wendy’s.
https://amanita.us-east.host.bsky.network/xrpc/com.atproto.sync.getBlob?did=did:plc:nwnlnixtjh3qhkwpz2uy5uwv&cid=bafkreicdu7o2x5rirkmuu4thahrmuvxxiatn7y6b4nzmdjl65my5cc55fm

One point that's going to get lost in the discussion of ...

2025-04-19T15:49:04Z

One point that's going to get lost in the discussion of [#SCOTUS's](https://bsky.app/search?q=%23SCOTUS%27s ) intervention in the Alien Enemy Act case:

This is the *value* of nationwide injunctions. Without them, you have to go district by district, and the government can try to play games by moving people to districts without relief (yet).

I don't really care what the "political consequences" ...

2025-04-18T15:57:12Z

I don't really care what the "political consequences" are of fighting for the proposition that *everyone* is entitled to due process before they are removed from the United States and sent to a Salvadoran prison.

It's not really a principle if you only adhere to it when it's politically expedient.

Either the U.S. government is able to exert monetary and ...

2025-04-15T12:00:11Z

Either the U.S. government *is* able to exert monetary and diplomatic pressure on El Salvador sufficient to produce Abrego Garcia’s release, or it isn’t.

The latter would be either a bald-faced lie or a pretty stunning concession of our national impotence. The Vice President should pick one.
https://amanita.us-east.host.bsky.network/xrpc/com.atproto.sync.getBlob?did=did:plc:nwnlnixtjh3qhkwpz2uy5uwv&cid=bafkreibmpr2yjriwntqgisffzzepnmxej3blgrb43ygueimi564ascf63q

If the U.S. government is going to take the position that, once ...

2025-04-14T17:54:19Z

If the U.S. government is going to take the position that, once removed from the United States, folks can’t be brought back, then it sure seems to me that federal courts should be reflexively and categorically barring *all* removals until they’re 100 percent certain that the removals are lawful.

Before folks overreact to headlines about the judge’s ruling in ...

2025-04-11T20:23:13Z

Before folks overreact to headlines about the judge’s ruling in the Khalil case, please note that (1) it was an immigration judge (IJ), not a federal district court; and (2) the IJ had no power to consider Khalil’s constitutional objections.

This particular decision was a fait accompli.

The problem with this ruling is the presumption of regularity. In ...

2025-04-10T23:11:47Z

The problem with this ruling is the presumption of regularity. In any other administration, a remand with instructions to facilitate Abrego Garcia’s return would lead to honest representations about what is—and isn’t—possible.

In this administration, there’s no reason to expect straight answers.

RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:nwnlnixtjh3qhkwpz2uy5uwv/post/3lmilc3rwr227

quoting
note1k53…h9zv

#BREAKING: Supreme Court holds that Trump administration must attempt to “facilitate” the return of Wilmer Armando Abrego García from El Salvador, but remands to the district court to sort out exactly what the administration can and must do going forward:

[s3.documentcloud.org/documents/25...](https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/25894464/24a949-order.pdf )

[s3.documentcloud.org/documents/2589...](https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/25894464/24a949-order.pdf )

#BREAKING: Supreme Court holds that Trump administration must ...

2025-04-10T22:43:21Z

#BREAKING: Supreme Court holds that Trump administration must attempt to “facilitate” the return of Wilmer Armando Abrego García from El Salvador, but remands to the district court to sort out exactly what the administration can and must do going forward:

[s3.documentcloud.org/documents/25...](https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/25894464/24a949-order.pdf )

[s3.documentcloud.org/documents/2589...](https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/25894464/24a949-order.pdf )

The question isn’t whether a federal court can order the ...

2025-04-04T22:51:32Z

The question isn’t whether a federal court can order the Salvadoran government to release Garcia; it can’t.

It’s whether the U.S. government has the ability to secure Garcia’s release. If so, then it can be ordered to do so, because then Garcia is in the “constructive” custody of the United States.

RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:t4x2ruk2qmob2b2cx55h4v7r/post/3llzhu2xmys2u

The last day on which a majority of the Supreme Court’s ...

2025-04-02T11:23:09Z

The last day on which a majority of the Supreme Court’s justices had been appointed by Democratic presidents was May 14, 1969.

One of the things we do in the legal academy is support our claims with facts.
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"If this many different judges in this many different courts ...

2025-03-31T11:26:41Z

"If this many different judges in this many different courts appointed by this many different presidents are blocking this many policies promulgated by the same president, we ought to be able to agree that the problem is the policies—not the judges."

[www.stevevladeck.com/p/136-settin...](https://www.stevevladeck.com/p/136-setting-the-record-straight-on )

[136. Setting the Record Straig...](https://www.stevevladeck.com/p/136-setting-the-record-straight-on )

As of Friday, there have been 46 cases in which federal judges ...

2025-03-30T13:15:45Z

As of Friday, there have been 46 cases in which federal judges have blocked Trump policies.

The rulings in those cases have come from 39 different judges appointed by 5 different presidents (of both parties) to 11 different district courts across 7 different circuits.

Maybe it's not the judges?

Today’s bonus issue of “One First” uses Tuesday’s ...

2025-03-27T12:56:59Z

Today’s bonus issue of “One First” uses Tuesday’s executive order on elections to illustrate what a President can (and, as importantly, *can’t*) do through an executive order—and how major media organizations should do better in reporting on them:

[www.stevevladeck.com/p/bonus-134-...](https://www.stevevladeck.com/p/bonus-134-what-executive-orders-can )

[Bonus 134: What Executive Orde...](https://www.stevevladeck.com/p/bonus-134-what-executive-orders-can )

Seven of my colleagues and friends at Columbia Law have written a ...

2025-03-16T12:33:09Z

Seven of my colleagues and friends at Columbia Law have written a compelling (and, in my view unanswerable) response to the unprecedented Title VI demand letter that the Trump administration recently sent to Columbia University:

[balkin.blogspot.com/2025/03/a-ti...](https://balkin.blogspot.com/2025/03/a-title-vi-demand-letter-that-itself.html )

[Balkinization: A Title VI Dema...](https://balkin.blogspot.com/2025/03/a-title-vi-demand-letter-that-itself.html )