Injustice for All is a weekly collection about how the Trump administration is making an attempt to weaponize the justice system—and the people who find themselves preventing again.
Trump is a snowflake, and his unhappy emotions are price $20 billion
In what’s now apparently a pattern, Paramount has provided Donald Trump hundreds of thousands of {dollars} to settle a lawsuit that has no advantage. However Paramount’s proposed bribe of $15 million to a sitting president simply wasn’t sufficient for Trump, who desires $25 million and an apology from CBS for the imagined slights he suffered
Right here’s the factor: At the perfect, all Trump can level to is that “60 Minutes” might have engaged in some gentle modifying of an interview with Kamala Harris, which, final time we regarded, was neither a criminal offense nor price $25 million. However media corporations have realized that they must bribe Trump or they’ll face harassing investigations by the Federal Communications Fee or see their mergers blocked. And Paramount simply occurs to have a merger pending that requires approval.
Whereas Paramount is making an attempt to give you a quantity large enough to fulfill Trump, the lawsuit is continuing. A part of Trump’s argument in opposition to Paramount’s movement to dismiss the lawsuit is that he suffered “mental anguish” and his position as a “content creator” was broken. Oh, and that’s price $20 billion.
Sure, the massive robust president, king of the “Fuck your feelings” crowd, basically introduced a participation trophy lawsuit. He desires cash from Paramount as a result of CBS made him unhappy. It’s precisely the kind of lawsuit conservatives fake to abhor. However with regards to Trump, no quantity of tenderness—or money—is sufficient.
DOJ’s Civil Rights Division will be sure that racist Christian nationalists can thrive
Properly, a minimum of we all know which civil rights the administration is fascinated by preventing for.
On the request of devoted Christian nationalist Matt Meyer, the federal authorities has sued town of Troy, Idaho, to be able to drive town to let Meyer open a church in its downtown enterprise district, despite the fact that Troy’s ordinance prohibits all church buildings in that district, not simply Meyer’s Christ Church. Nonetheless, the administration’s lawsuit alleges Troy violated the Non secular Land Use and Institutionalized Individuals Act of 2000 by not waiving its zoning necessities for the church.
Associated | Rubio tells his employees to snitch on ‘anti-Christian’ colleagues
So, what sort of church is Christ Church? Regrettably, simply the sort this administration would adore. It’s led by Doug Wilson, who loves Christian nationalism and has outright mentioned that Moscow, Idaho, is an efficient place for a biblical takeover as a result of “We should want America to be a Christian nation.” Wilson is fairly adamant he’s neither racist nor sexist, a declare that’s undercut by his actions. He wrote a e-book defending slavery and he speaks at Accomplice “heritage” conferences. He thinks ladies must give up to males and be “led with a firm hand.”
Dunno, buddy. That sounds so much like racism and sexism.
The administration’s swimsuit in opposition to Troy makes no point out of the church’s beliefs however does have a protracted part of quotes from random individuals who mentioned imply issues in regards to the church. Completely regular submitting, yesiree.
Get to know a low-profile scumbag: Judd Stone
Properly, you truly in all probability do know who Judd Stone is now, although in all probability not for the explanations he needs.
Information broke earlier this week that in 2023, Stone had had resigned his gig as solicitor basic of Texas after a number of sexual harassment complaints from colleagues as a result of Stone wouldn’t cease speaking about his fantasy of … an asteroid raping his colleague?
We realized about this solely as a result of one of many ladies he allegedly harassed filed a lawsuit with all the small print you want you by no means knew about Stone’s extraordinarily odd and extremely particular model of sexual harassment. It additionally alleges that Texas Lawyer Normal Ken Paxton let Stone resign after he realized of the misconduct allegations, as did Sen. Ted Cruz over related allegations when Stone labored in Cruz’s workplace.
Stone’s title won’t have rung a bell earlier than this, however he was the Lone Star State’s prime appellate lawyer. He’s argued earlier than the Supreme Court docket eight occasions, together with defending the state’s abortion ban that permits personal residents to sue over another person’s abortion. Stone’s argument? That simply being conscious of another person’s abortion may trigger them “psychological harm” from their “extreme outrage” over abortion.
You understand what truly causes psychological hurt? Graphically describing your anal rape fantasies to your subordinates at work.
Stone has been in personal observe now for a few years, the place he has chosen to symbolize precisely the kind of individual you assume he would: He’s the lawyer for X in Elon Musk’s vendetta in opposition to Media Issues.
In a traditional world, the allegations in opposition to Stone would imply his high-flying authorized profession was over. Within the Trump period, he’ll in all probability get a judgeship as an alternative.
Talking of judges
Trump’s first slate of judicial nominees is out and, as per traditional, he’s picked some actual winners.
We already knew that Trump was nominating Emil Bove, his former felony protection legal professional and present high-level bully on the DOJ, for a seat on the Third Circuit Court docket of Appeals. However what about a number of the lesser lights Trump desires to placed on the bench? Listed here are a pair.
You won’t have heard of Joshua Divine, the present solicitor basic for Missouri, however given his views, you’re in all probability going to listen to so much from him if he will get a lifetime seat on the federal courtroom within the Present Me State. In 2010, Divine wrote a school op-ed arguing that folks must be required to move literacy checks earlier than they might vote.
You don’t want to be a authorized scholar or a Trump judicial nominee to see that that is straight-up racist Jim Crow stuff. It’s the rationale we’ve got a Voting Rights Act!
One in every of Divine’s colleagues, Maria Lanahan, has additionally been nominated for a seat on the Missouri federal bench. Because the principal deputy solicitor basic within the Missouri Lawyer Normal’s Workplace, Lanahan co-authored Missouri’s unhinged criticism that’s a part of an total conservative technique to get the abortion tablet, mifepristone, banned totally.
A few of Lanahan and Divine’s top-notch and completely true arguments? That the abortion tablet “starves the baby in the womb” and that entry to abortion creates “diminishment of political representation,” which may result in “loss of federal funds.”
In case you don’t converse fluent anti-choice, right here’s a translation: Their argument is that the state is harmed by not forcing extra individuals to have kids, as a result of the state desires the next inhabitants to extend its political may and federal funding.
Can’t wait to see nice arguments like this in judicial opinions.
Trump’s Workplace of Particular Counsel appointee has no thought what that workplace is, however will be horrible regardless
The Workplace of Particular Counsel is a type of tiny federal businesses that is essential, however one you doubtless have by no means heard of except you’re a federal worker or a whistleblower. Nevertheless, we now stay in a world the place Trump and fellow megalomaniac Elon Musk let untamed kids run amok by means of the federal authorities, so we’re all now deeply conscious of those kinds of issues.
The OSC protects federal workers from reprisal, notably for whistleblowing, and serves as a safe channel for federal whistleblowers to report wrongdoing. Trump illegally pushed out the earlier head, Hampton Dellinger, with out trigger, however the courts didn’t cease him, so right here we’re.
Let’s take a fast detour right here to speak about why Dellinger obtained that job. Earlier than being appointed head of the OSC, Dellinger represented whistleblowers, served as deputy legal professional basic in North Carolina, and was chief authorized counsel to the North Carolina governor, the place he investigated Medicaid fraud and political corruption.
Now, let’s speak in regards to the credentials of Trump’s decide Paul Ingrassia, who appears to assume his new job within the OSC is about “eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse in the federal workforce and revitalize the Rule of Law and Fairness in Hatch Act enforcement.”
It’s not shocking Ingrassia wouldn’t know something in regards to the job he’s getting, as a result of his earlier authorized work consists of representing infamous skilled misogynist Andrew Tate, with type of an oopsie the place he mentioned he was an legal professional greater than a yr earlier than he was admitted to the bar. This may tip you off that Ingrassia has not precisely had a protracted authorized profession, having graduated regulation college in 2022.
In his position as White Home liaison official for the Division of Justice, he was instrumental in getting the journey ban in opposition to Tate and his brother, Tristan, lifted. He’s additionally a giant fan {of professional} racist Nick Fuentes.
Ingrassia’s different work consists of writing for the Gateway Pundit and internet hosting a far-right podcast, that are undoubtedly issues that qualify you to run a federal company specializing in whistleblowing and the safety of federal workers.
Trump described him as a “highly respected attorney, writer, and Constitutional Scholar,” however he’s objectively none of these issues. Even in the event you assume Trump is nice and Ingrassia is terrific, nothing about his meager expertise provides as much as “highly respected attorney” or “Constitutional Scholar.” However hey! Not less than the “writer” half is right—in the event you rely stanning for Trump on the worst weblog conceivable.
