Law and Chaos

Mar 25 2025 118 ep. 56 mins 873
Law and Chaos Podcast artwork

Ignorance of the law is no excuse! That’s true for a traffic stop, and it’s true if you want to participate in whatever’s left of American democracy. If the events since the 2016 election taught us anything, it’s that tuning out is not an option. Legal journalists Liz Dye and Andrew Torrez break down the week’s most important courtroom stories, so you can keep on top of this crazy news cycle. Whether it’s Texas giving two middle fingers to the Supreme Court, or Donald Trump in all the courts at once, we’ve got you covered.

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Ep 118 — Trump v. Rule of Law

Mar 25 2025 54 mins  
It’s another week in paradise with the Trump administration trying to burn down the government. First we’ll talk about the attack on law firms and judges, then we’ve got a breakdown of the newest executive order on immigration silos. You know when they try to hide crazy sh*t under the most boring, generic label ever. It’s that! Plus subscribers get a visit with Dinesh D’S

Ep 117 — DOGE Destroys Another Agency As DOJ Courts Contempt (Ft. Aaron Reichlin-Melnick)

Mar 21 2025 61 mins  
Musk’s fash-coders take out the US Institute for Peace. Mahmoud Khalil’s case gets transferred to New Jersey. And the DOJ is daring the court to find it in contempt in the case of the kidnapped Venezuelans. Plus, we have the second half of our interview with immigration expert Aaron Reichlin-Melnick. Links: JGG v. Trump (DC) docket (removal under the Alien Enemies Act) https

Ep 116 — DOJ Courts Contempt In Immigration Case (feat. Aaron Reichlin-Melnick)

Mar 18 2025 63 mins  
Today, we’ve got an all-immigration show. We break down J.G.G. v. Trump, the lawsuit seeking to block Trump’s effort to summarily deport Venezuelan nationals under a 227-year-old law left over from the Alien and Sedition Acts. Then, we have Part One of our interview with Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, Senior Fellow at the American Immigration Council. Links: Presidential Proclamatio

Ep 115 — The Rightwing’s War On NYT v. Sullivan (Ft David Enrich)

Mar 14 2025 67 mins  
New York Times financial editor David Enrich joins us to discuss his new book, Murder the Truth, about the history of defamation litigation and the right wing’s plan to gut the Sullivan standard to make it easier for politicians to bankrupt journalists for saying mean, true things Links: Murder the Truth https://www.harpercollins.com/products/murder-the-truth-david-enrich?vari

Ep 114 — After Stealing Congress’s Spending Power, Trump Is Back For Advice And Consent

Mar 11 2025 56 mins  
It’s another week where the DOGE bros are trying to burn down the government, and another week where the courts are trying to stop it. For our main story, we focus on the Trump administration’s crazy shenanigans at the United States Africa Development Corp. Trump may have tried to fire Senate-confirmed principal officers by email… to an email address that doesn’t exist. L

Ep 113 — Hey, DOJ, Some Idiot Is Signing Your Name On Pleadings

Mar 07 2025 63 mins  
Today’s episode is another roundup of how trial judges are playing whack-a-mole with the Trump administration, and how all of it fits in with Trump’s plan to usurp Congress’s power to reshape the country in his image. Plus, we’ve got some crazy stories featuring the Interim US Attorney for DC trying to strongarm Georgetown University, a blast from the past with bigoted Kent

Ep 112 — The (Judicial) Center Holds

Mar 04 2025 54 mins  
The Supreme Court is still sitting on its (tiny) hands, but trial judges are holding strong against the Trump administration’s assault on the rule of law. We’ll talk about the pushback to Trump’s anti-trans executive orders, his assault on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and the effort to ensure that the Dear Leader can fire watchdogs at will. Plus subscribers get a

Ep 111 — Let the Sanctions Rain Down

Feb 28 2025 61 mins  
The Trump administration is now openly defying court orders as multiple trial court judges seek to rein in the government’s illegal conduct. Are sanctions the solution? In at least one case, we won’t know until Chief Justice Roberts releases the “administrative hold” he imposed to consider Trump’s latest meritless request for help from the Supreme Court. All of this plus

Ep 110 — It’s A TROpallooza

Feb 25 2025 53 mins  
The Trump administration has been sued by everyone and their mother, and we’re here to cover it all. From the First Amendment violations to the illegal terminations, we’ve got you covered. Plus, we’ve got an update in the Eric Adams case. Links: AP v. Budowich https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69662918/associated-press-v-budowich Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of the Re

Ep 109 — Trump Demands VIP Pass To SCOTUS

Feb 21 2025 56 mins  
It’s been another wild week as the Trump administration took some time off from breaking all the laws to break the rules of civil procedure. Will the Supreme Court let them get away with it? Links: AIDS VACCINE ADVOCACY COALITION v. UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF STATE https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69627654/aids-vaccine-advocacy-coalition-v-united-states-department-of-stat