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Lyt når som helst, hvor som helst 

Andrew Weissmann

MS NOW

Mary McCord

Main Justice is the next era of legal analysis from Andrew Weissmann and Mary McCord, the veteran lawyers behind the hit podcast Prosecuting Donald Trump. As the Trump administration wields its power, Andrew and Mary draw on their extensive experience working within the Department of Justice to break down what’s happening inside Trump’s DOJ. Each week, they use their platform on Main Justice to safeguard against assaults on our laws, our Constitution, and our democracy.

Prosecuting Donald Trump

In the wake of Viktor Orbán's election loss in Hungary—an autocratic leader backed by both Vladamir Putin and Donald Trump—Mary and Andrew call on an expert to give context to Peter Magyar’s surprising win: Princeton Professor Kim Lane Scheppele. Kim sheds some light on what led to this moment in Hungary, what it means for Hungarians and the EU moving forward, and what lessons the US can apply here at home. From there, the co-hosts move to a concerning opinion from the Office of Legal Counsel declaring the Presidential Records Act unconstitutional on its face, suggesting that Trump would no longer have to comply with the federal law. Mary and Andrew align on the significance of preserving these archives, before heading to what amounts to, in Mary’s words: “a bunch of garbage”out of the DOJ. On the list: Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s “I love you, Sir” press conference, the firing of immigration judges for ruling in high-profile cases in a way that was unfavorable to the President, and the DOJ’s investigation into Cassidy Hutchinson, a former White House aide, about whether she lied to Congress around the events of January 6th.

 This podcast is also available on YouTube at ms.now/mainjustice.

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Orbán, OLC, and “I Love You, Sir”

There’s a lot to unpack this week, not least of which being the President’s open suggestion of committing war crimes against Iran. Mary and Andrew begin by underscoring the Geneva Conventions stipulation limiting the use of force in wartime to military targets – not civilian ones. Then, a major shakeup at the Department of Justice: Attorney General Pam Bondi is out. Andrew compares her ouster to Trump’s firing of Jeff Sessions in his first term, and how the “sycophantic” nature of her allegiance to Trump did not save her job. Next, they turn to last week's oral arguments before the Supreme Court over birthright citizenship. Mary, who is steeped in the case, came away thinking that “the solicitor general has a much greater hill to climb” to convince a majority of Justices to uphold Trump’s executive order at issue. Last up, the co-hosts look at another of Trump’s EO’s being challenged that would restrict mail-in voting, despite defending his own use of voting by mail in Florida's Special Election in late March.

This podcast is also available on YouTube at ms.now/mainjustice.

Further reading:

 • This is the Just Security piece Andrew referred to: 
When War Crimes Rhetoric Becomes Battlefield Reality: The Slippery Slope to Total War on Iran
 • Here is Mary’s MS NOW piece: 
The embarrassing lesson of Pam Bondi’s confirmation hearing.
 • Here is Trump’s EO on mail in voting that was immediately challenged: 
ENSURING CITIZENSHIP VERIFICATION AND INTEGRITY IN FEDERAL ELECTIONS

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The Strategy of a Lawless Regime

While much of the news is rightfully focused on the ongoing war with Iran, Mary and Andrew pull the threads on some consequential legal news that’s not getting as much attention. They start with the Justice Department’s settlement with Michael Flynn, paying out $1.25 million over his claim that he was wrongly prosecuted for making false statements to federal agents. And as Mary points out in her recent MS NOW op-ed, this settlement could set a dangerous precedent, by encouraging others “to seek similar windfalls” that support Trump’s efforts to rewrite history. Next, they unpack a case brought by Minnesota against the DOJ and DHS for blocking state investigators from accessing evidence in the Renee Good, Alex Pretti, and Julio Sosa-Celis shootings. And last up, the co-hosts break down a disastrous error the Justice Department admitted to this week, using an incorrect written policy to defend actions resulting in a number of arrests at immigration courthouses, as people voluntarily appeared for their immigration proceedings.

You can also find us on YouTube at ms.now/mainjustice.

Further reading:

 • Here is Mary’s MS NOW write up on Michael Flynn: 
Trump’s settlement to Michael Flynn could set a dangerous precedent. • 

 • Here is the Anthropic decision: 
Anthropic PBC v. U.S. Department of War
 HERE • is the ICE memorandum the government relied on to allow immigration arrests near courthouses.

 • And 
HERE • is the letter from the SDNY to Judge Kevin Castel noting their error.

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DOJ F-Ups: Michael Flynn, Minnesota, and ICE

Amid an unrelenting news cycle, one story really hit hard for both Mary and Andrew this week: the passing of former FBI Director Robert Mueller. Both hosts worked with him: Mary in the DC US Attorney’s Office; Andrew as FBI Special Counsel, General Counsel, and ultimately, as a top prosecutor in Mueller’s 2016 Special Counsel investigation into Russian election interference. They reflect on Mueller’s life and legacy being one dedicated topublic service, which, in Andrew’s accounting, “wasn't just a calling, it was a privilege.” Next, they move to a win for journalism and freedom of the press: Judge Paul Friedman’s decision in the case brought by the New York Times against the Pentagon regarding press access. And lastly, Mary and Andrew reviewMonday’s Supreme Court oral arguments in a case centered on whether mail-in ballots that arrive after Election Day should be counted. The co-hosts read the tea leaves on the merits the justices seem to be eyeing and what it could mean for midterm voting this fall.

 And, a big thank you to listeners as Main Justice celebrates it’s 3-year anniversary. Starting today, you can also find us on YouTube at ms.now/mainjustice.

Sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts to listen to this show and other MS podcasts without ads. You'll also get exclusive bonus content from this and other shows.

 
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Mueller's Legacy, Press Freedom, and the Showdown Over Mail-In Voting

Last week, Judge James Boasberg checked in the Justice Department by quashing two subpoenas against Federal Reserve Board Chair Jerome Powell, intended to pressure him into "voting for lower interest rates or resigning.” Finding “essentially zero evidence” of criminal behavior, Mary and Andrew explain how these subpoenas were issued as retribution and retaliation against Powell, as Boasberg cited over 100 statements that the president and his deputies made attacking him. Next, the co-hosts dig into the disciplinary proceedings against President Trump’s pardon attorney Ed Martin, who, while serving as DC’s interim U.S. Attorney, pressured Georgetown Law School to change its curriculum. Last on the agenda, Mary and Andrew highlight the case that AI firm Anthropic filed against the Defense Department over being essentially blacklisted. The case is centered around the Pentagon labeling the AI firm a “supply chain risk” after they asked the Pentagon not to use their “Claude” AI technology to do two things: “deploy lethal autonomous warfare without human oversight” and use it for “mass surveillance of Americans.”

Further reading: 

 • Here is the complaint Anthropic filed against the government: 
Complaint For Declaratory And Injunctive Relief
 • Here once again is the Federal Register if you’d like to enter public comment: 
Review of State Bar Complaints and Allegations Against Department of Justice Attorneys

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A Matter of Pretext

Today's episode begins with a breakdown of the Justice Department’s about-face on four cases brought after Trump targeted several law firms through executive action. As Mary and Andrew discussed last week – they initially dropped their appeal of the decisions against sanctioning these firms, only to reverse course the next day, topped off with a new court filing Friday appealing the rulings. Next, the co-hosts review a pair of decisions: one out of Minnesota's district court concerning the state’s immigration surge, which determined the stopping and subsequent arrests of the case’s plaintiffs was a result of racial profiling. The second decision comes from U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth, who ruled Kari Lake’s oversight of Voice of America unlawful and illegitimate. Last up, Mary and Andrew detail Attorney General Pam’s Bondi’s proposed rule that would put any state complaint against a justice department lawyer on hold while the DOJ reviews it, essentially giving the department the power to hold these indefinitely if they so choose.

Further reading:

 • Here is Mary’s recent piece on MS Now detailing the DOJ’s shift on appealing several law firm decisions: 
What’s exposed by the Justice Department’s reversal on Trump’s campaign against law firms. • Every lawyer knows that the federal court rulings were correct and that the president's executive orders are legally indefensible.

 • Here is the Federal Resister: 
Review of State Bar Complaints and Allegations Against Department of Justice Attorneys

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Usurping Power

Initial shock has given way to grave concerns as the US and Israel’s joint attack on Iran continue, stepping both countries into a war without a clear goal, end date or exit strategy. To help explain where congressional powers lie and the limits of executive authority, Mary and Andrew call upon Tess Bridgeman, international law expert and Co-Editor-in-Chief of "Just Security”. Tess stakes out the scope of the 1973 War Powers Resolution, and why Congress is meant to be the body that decides if, and when the US commits to armed conflict with another nation state. Then, Mary and Andrew turn focus to a few immigration updates, as more judges chastise the government for continually violating court orders, and a Columbia student is detained by ICE under false pretenses. Last up, the co-hosts turn to the decision in the case involving whether a journalist’s devices seized while executing a search warrant could be searched. Plus: the Trump administration’s decision to stand down on defending Trump’s sanctions against law firms— only to do a seeming about face the next day.

Further reading:

 • Here is the piece Tess Bridgeman co-wrote on "Just Security": 
Top Questions the Trump Administration Needs to Answer on War with Iran
 • Here is the opinion Andrew and Mary were referring to out of the 
Southern District of West Virginia
 • You can pre-order Andrew’s book, out May 19th, here: 
Liar’s Kingdom: How to Stop Trump’s Deceit and Save America

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Legal Madlibs

Last week, the Supreme Court struck down President Trump's expansive tariffs, ruling that they exceeded the authority given to him by Congress. The 6-3 decision saw conservative Justices Gorsuch, Coney Barrett, and Chief Justice Roberts align with the court’s three liberal justices, though as Mary and Andrew explain, through different pathways: the conservative justices using the “major questions doctrine” as their guiding principle, while the liberal justices arrived at the same result through statutory interpretation and good ‘ole “common sense.” The co-hosts spend most of this episode walking through key parts of the ruling, noting Justice Gorsuch’s opinion that the legislative process ought to reflect the will of elected representatives, “not just that of one faction or man.” Then, Mary and Andrew turn to a significant ruling against ICE in West Virginia, where a federal judge admonished agents for wearing masks and using unmarked cars, a presence akin to a “secret police force." And last up, a scathing review of Judge Eileen Cannon’s decision not to release Jack Smith’s report in the classified documents case.

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The Bulwark of Liberty

Last week, a grand jury refused to indict six Democratic lawmakers over a video they made addressing service members’ duty to refuse illegal orders. Mary and Andrew hold little back as they discuss the government’s attempt to chill free speech and persecute political foes. In an adjacent case, they review Judge Richard Leon’s decision to block Secretary Pete Hegseth from demoting Senator Mark Kelly over the video, saying it “trampled on Senator Kelly's First Amendment freedoms.” The co-hosts then dig into the unsealed Fulton County affidavit and what it shows about the basis of the administration's 2020 election fraud claims, before concluding with a couple due process updates: Judge Boasberg’s decision ordering the Trump administration to facilitate the return of some Venezuelan migrants unlawfully deported, and Judge Tim Kelly’s decision in a case about death row prisoners being sent to a “Supermax” prison on the government’s orders without due process, after Biden granted them clemency from the death penalty before leaving office.

Further reading:

 • Read Judge Richard J. Leon’s Memorandum Opinion on Mark Kelly v. Pete Hegseth 
HERE
 

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“Horsefeathers!”

“MS NOW Presents: Clock It” is an invitation to the liveliest and most informed groupchat in your feed. Symone Sanders Townsend and Eugene Daniels are long-time political powerhouses. And they understand more than most how culture influences politics, and the role politics plays in culture. On “Clock It,” they’re helping you put your finger on the pulse of the hottest political gossip and their off-air conversations too colorful for TV.

In the first episode of their new show, “Clock It,” they’re joined by actors Tony Goldwyn and Myles Frost for a conversation about making thought-provoking art when political tensions are at their highest. And they dig in on the Super Bowl halftime show, why cuts to The Washington Post matter for democracy, and the race to the Senate in Texas.

Stay here to get a sneak peek. Then search and follow the show to get new episodes every Thursday.

Sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts to listen to this show and other MS podcasts without ads. You'll also get exclusive bonus content from this and other shows.

 
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Orbán, OLC, and “I Love You, Sir”

Lyt når som helst, hvor som helst

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