“Trump Again Picks Personal Lawyer for a Top Job, as U.S. Attorney in Manhattan; James M. McDonald, a Veteran Former...
President Donald Trump appointed James M. McDonald, a veteran former federal prosecutor and longtime member of Trump’s legal team, as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. McDonald, who recently helped appeal Trump’s criminal conviction, will replace Jay Clayton, who was nominated to serve as national intelligence director. The selection underscores Trump’s pattern of installing personal allies in powerful law‑enforcement positions. The move is expected to reshape prosecutorial priorities in Manhattan’s most influential federal district.
“Courts Can’t Stop Trump’s White House Ballroom, Justice Department Argues; Only Congress Can Intervene, an Administration Lawyer Said, as an...
The episode dissects a federal lawsuit in which the National Trust for Historic Preservation challenges the White House’s plan to build a new ballroom, arguing that the project harms the aesthetic and historic value of the White House grounds. Attorneys...
“Unconstitutional Drug Pricing Demands Fifth Circuit Intervention”
Bloomberg Law published Alice LaCour’s essay urging the Fifth Circuit to intervene in what she calls an unconstitutional drug‑pricing scheme. Bloomberg Opinion featured Noah Feldman’s critique that the Supreme Court has abandoned its democratic watchdog role. The Advisory Opinions podcast released a...
“Nothing Racist About Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing, State Supreme Court Rules; Tiger in Jungle Is Different Stripe; In Four Appeals...
A flurry of high‑profile court actions reshaped criminal justice, electoral politics and intellectual property law in June 2026. The California Supreme Court threw out a death sentence after finding prohibited racial language under the Racial Justice Act, while the U.S....
“Trump Administration Sees Striking Exodus of Legal Talent; The Departure of More than 10,000 Federal Lawyers Has Left some Agencies...
The Trump administration has seen more than 10,000 federal lawyers leave government service, creating staffing shortfalls at key agencies such as the Department of Justice, EPA, and Treasury. Departures are driven by political pressure, policy disagreements and uncertainty about future...
“Interview: Lord Reed Reflects on UKSC Glasgow Sitting, Changing Times and AI; Fresh From the Supreme Court’s Glasgow Sitting, President...
The U.S. Supreme Court issued a 5‑4 decision allowing Mississippi death‑row inmate Terry Pitchford to challenge the exclusion of Black jurors, marking a rare win for racial‑bias claims in capital cases. The ruling underscores the constitutional guarantee of a fair,...
“Supreme Court Clerk Hiring Watch: Feeder Frenzy; The Latest SCOTUS Clerk Hires, a New Feeder Judge ‘Tag Team,’ and a...
The latest Supreme Court clerkship cycle shows a surge in hires from a new feeder‑judge partnership, while law‑school transfers appear to jeopardize candidates’ prospects. At the same time, Democratic leaders face pressure as Supreme Court reform proposals gain traction, and...
“Artificial Intelligence Floods Court Dockets with Home-Brewed Lawsuits; For Years, Courts Have Welcomed Cases Brought by Self-Represented Litigants; Now Those...
Artificial intelligence is now being used by self‑represented litigants to draft and file lawsuits, creating a surge of AI‑generated complaints that are overwhelming court dockets. Courts report a 40% increase in filing volume since 2024, with many filings riddled with...
“Motion for Forfeiture of Property by USA as to Thomas C. Goldstein”
Federal prosecutors filed a motion for forfeiture of property against Thomas C. Goldstein in the U.S. District Court for Maryland. The filing seeks to seize assets allegedly tied to criminal conduct. Simultaneously, a separate motion allowing Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar...
“The Virginia Ruling Bolstered Democracy, If Not Democrats”
Law professor Noah Feldman argues in a Bloomberg Opinion essay that the recent Virginia court ruling improves democratic representation even though it may not benefit Democrats electorally. The Virginia Supreme Court invalidated the state’s 2022 congressional map for excessive partisan...
“Supremely Cringe: Neal Katyal And ‘TED-Gate’; Here’s What the Acclaimed SCOTUS Advocate Has to Say About His Viral Tweet and...
Prominent Supreme Court advocate Neal Katyal sparked a firestorm after his TED Talk and a viral tweet oversimplified the Court’s recent tariffs ruling. In the talk, Katyal framed the decision as a sweeping victory for free‑trade, while his tweet reduced...
“Katyal’s Boast of AI Role in Tariff Win Draws Swift Blowback”
Lawyer Neal Katyal boasted that generative AI helped win a $1.2 billion tariff case, prompting swift criticism from peers who question the technology’s actual contribution and call for greater transparency. At the same time, Justice Amy Coney Barrett publicly rejected the...
“The Supreme Case for Harvey: A Look at How Harvey Moot Helped Seasoned Litigators Prepare for a Case with the...
Harvey, an AI‑driven moot court platform, was deployed to prepare attorneys for the pending Supreme Court case 25‑95, argued on February 25, 2026. The experience, detailed in a Harvey blog post, shows how the tool replicates high‑stakes oral arguments, providing...
“Abortion Pill Fight Brings Volatility of Post-Roe World Back to SCOTUS; Doctors, Drugmakers, Policy Experts and Advocates Flooded the Supreme...
A wave of emergency petitions from doctors, drugmakers, and policy experts has flooded the Supreme Court docket, warning that recent challenges to the abortion pill could endanger nationwide access. Louisiana has asked the Court to block mail‑order distribution of mifepristone...
“Bonus 226: What Makes a Case ‘Big’? The Claim that the Justices Tend to Divide Ideologically in Most of Their...
Howard Bashman’s Bonus 226 unpacks what qualifies a Supreme Court case as “big.” He argues that size is measured by precedent‑shaping impact, policy stakes, and reversal likelihood, not merely the ideological split of the justices. The piece rebuts recent criticism that...