Oh, you don’t say.
Subscribe to www.lawdork.com for SCOTUS, Trump, LGBTQ, criminal justice, and other legal news. / Email: lawdorknews@gmail.com / Signal: crg.32 / About me: Sober. Queer. Bipolar. Buckeye. / He/him.
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And, subscribe to Law Dork for my current work, where I have been publishing my independent legal journalism for more than three years now: www.lawdork.com
In case you were looking for this tonight … How The 25th Amendment Actually Works — And What Nobody's Ever Figured Out www.buzzfeednews.com/article/chri...
In the midst of the Labor Day weekend, the Trump administration continued trying to make Donald Trump’s fascism happen. What I saw in response, though, was heartening — on multiple fronts. Tonight, at Law Dork:
Thanks!
This is worth reading
"...fighting back matters. And many are doing so. It works — both in fact, as to specific outcomes, and also to dismantle their propaganda of fear." @chrisgeidner.bsky.social
Thanks.
This is the kind of forthright reporting we need.
Thanks!
Really lovely piece by a stellar contributor
“It is simply a different action aimed at making Trump’s fascism happen. In turn, it is essential to remember that so much of that is accomplished through propaganda.”
They didn’t say they missed the order. They said they missed that there was a part addressed to them. (Further, someone else in replies has already explained this to you, so I am not sure what you are doing now?)
Here is my look at this weekend: www.lawdork.com/p/this-weeke...
Here it is: www.lawdork.com/p/this-weeke...
That’s not what the plaintiffs’ lawyers said.
Some thoughts on … all of this … on this Labor Day: www.lawdork.com/p/this-weeke...
NEW: This weekend in Trump's effort to make fascism happen. The Trump administration tried to illegally send children to Guatemala as troops walked aimlessly around Dupont Circle. This evening, at Law Dork:
Plaintiffs filed their status report. They say they didn't file b/c they missed there was a part addressed to them, as all of the children at issue are in gov't custody. (I certainly can't fault them for this, as that was how I initially misread the order.) storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
(But, actually, the encouraged blocking behavior here is a way enforcing community norms of “don’t be an asshole.” And, of course, some go too far, but I value it greatly. No one “deserves” my free posting.)
Block!
I haven't had a car since I moved back in 2009!
idk, but maybe coolingjets needs to ... cool his jets?
Dumbest fucking timeline.
And, no need to be an asshole to Dan, who correctly questioned your claim.
Literally none of this is accurate in DC — " people are getting out in the street, not in their cars and meeting their neighbors maybe for the fist time, and finding-out that there are others who think much like them" — so, no, you don't know what you're talking about.
This tracks.
bsky.app/profile/chri...
No. Ensign is not a plaintiff. This was the order to the plaintiffs.
That is not what this is about. I posted that in my thread last night as well.
I get it, truly, but I also provide the information for a reason (and word things carefully). If there was such a ridiculous move from the administration, that would have been in my post.
And, yes, there will be more on this topic in tonight's newsletter: www.lawdork.com
I take it you don't live in DC.
What are you talking about. I said "the last of the 76" — meaning the other 72 already had been returned. (Maybe you should read the thread from yesterday, which I provided, if you had a question.)
Yeah, I'd wondered about this. Judge Sooknanan asks the plaintiffs why they didn't file the status report that she had ordered them to file.
bsky.app/profile/chri...
I'll be covering this and more at Law Dork today: www.lawdork.com Fifth status report: storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us... In the meantime, here's my thread of Sunday's developments:
NEW: This morning, DOJ's Drew Ensign confirmed that the last of 76 children the Trump administration tried to put on planes & send to Guatemala in the middle of the holiday weekend are back in the custody of the Office of Refugee Resettlement, the result of a well-timed lawsuit & fast-moving judge.
Honestly, the hour-long run and march of people shouting “Free DC” up 14th Street today is the energy I needed this morning. I love you, DC.
Hockney, obviously. Sigh. Good night!
Damn autocorrect!
Night, all, and let us try to be good to one another — and ourselves. (Hope that everyone who could do so made it to the Hockey exhibit in Paris, as it closed on Sunday. I wrote about it here: www.lawdork.com/p/stepping-b...)
Alright, that’s it for now. This and much more will be in Monday’s Law Dork, so, if you appreciated my work today, please make sure you’re subscribed. www.lawdork.com
Reminder: the apparent plan was to spirit these children away in the middle of the night without them ever seeing the inside of a courtroom to challenge their deportation. Children.
Yeah, it's long, but read this.
A little before midnight, Ensign reported that three of the four children are back with ORR. Once the final child and another child newly a part of the class (who was not on a plane on Sunday) are with ORR, Ensign says DOJ will file another status report. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
Meanwhile, did you see? A federal judge on Friday allowed the Trump admin and the Oklahoma AG to use his court to subvert democracy through a sham lawsuit manufactured to get rid of a pro-immigrant state law they don’t like without needing to go through the trouble of actually repealing the law.
I responded in thread two hours ago:
After Ensign's latest, Sooknanan orders a fourth status report "when all putative class members are returned to ORR custody."
After Ensign's latest, Sooknanan orders a fourth status report "when all putative class members are returned to ORR custody."
And, we have a briefing schedule on a forthcoming preliminary injunction request in the case, with arguments set for 2p Sept. 10. The TRO will remain in place in the interim.
And, we have a briefing schedule on a forthcoming preliminary injunction request in the case, with arguments set for 2p Sept. 10. The TRO will remain in place in the interim.
Per the latest DOJ status report, "all but four" of the 76 children have been "returned" to the Office of Refugee Resettlement's custody. The remaining four are to be returned "at approximately 11:00pm EDT."
Per the latest DOJ status report, "all but four" of the 76 children have been "returned" to the Office of Refugee Resettlement's custody. The remaining four are to be returned "at approximately 11:00pm EDT."
Federal judges shouldn’t need to do this with DOJ, but thank god they are doing it.
And, to my point about Judge Sooknanan, she just said, “OK, you said by 10:30p, then given me an update by 10:45p saying they actually did it.”
I don’t think that speculation is well-founded.
Yeah, I hated that “only.” Was just trying to respond to multiple people asking about the 600 number, but, yes, in a full report, I would not use that because it’s not the right way of saying it.
I'm not sure, however, if there were more children already back with ORR earlier today — I'm thinking about the flights that never took off — or if no one other than the 76 ever left ORR's custody today.
For people asking about the 600 number, that appears to have come from the original CNN report — www.cnn.com/2025/08/29/p... — and was in the complaint. But, per the DOJ's status reports, it appears only 76 children were involved in today's stopped flight(s). As such, they are being returned to ORR.
Yes!
And, it shouldn't go unnoted that Judge Sparkle Sooknanan, who has done her job at all hours today over a holiday weekend, was one of the final Biden appointees confirmed to the bench. Each one of those lame-duck confirmations very much matter.
This was incredible, important lawyering from National Immigration Law Center (@nilc.org) over the past 24 hours. Here's their case page: www.nilc.org/litigation/l... Here was the statement from Efrén Olivares, NILC VP of litigation, from earlier today regarding the TRO:
NEW: DOJ reports that 76 children are involved, with 16 back with the Office of Refugee Resettlement and the 60 remaining to be with ORR by 10:30 p.m. (split as detailed). storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
NEW: DOJ reports that 76 children are involved, with 16 back with the Office of Refugee Resettlement and the 60 remaining to be with ORR by 10:30 p.m. (split as detailed). storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
How will that be any different? 🫣
Seems perfect then 🙃
🤣🤭
Timeline cleanse: Meet my new child! Her name is Hehe, and I love her!
I am not perfect; I get bent out of shape at times. But I am constantly trying—and just trying to get through this all, like everyone else. If my placing limits on my engagement makes me an asshole in your mind, that's none of my business. But that doesn't mean I'll keep you around to demean me.
Blocked. I went on a real vacation — like, actually disconnecting, as opposed to going up to NYC but working during the day — for the first time since 2019 this summer. And, yes, I learned some things about the stress I had been under and how I want to live. And that means allowing myself limits.
No. The deadline was on the docket but not in the hearing.
Yup! Within HHS.
This response goes a long way to proving my point. If my saying that I want to limit my responses to explaining myself once and not continuing to have fights about it makes you think I am an "asshole" and "drunk" — cute — and not smart or kind, it seems to me this is more about your entitlement.
But, you continued down the very line that I said this has nothing to do with. I'm sorry I was short, but there is an extreme tendency here to just (1) ignore what I say and (2) continue to have the fight you want. I don't want to waste my time on that when I have work to do.
You're having a fight that I have said I am not having. I am very well aware that the Trump administration is bad. That has nothing to do with the statement I made about what happened and is likely to happen w/r/t to the missed status report deadline. I also said I'm not defending Ensign here.
And, in response to DOJ's status report, Sooknanan orders a further status report to be filed by 8:30p. It "should address whether all putative class members are in ORR custody," and, if they are not, say when that is expected to have been accomplished.
No shit.
As I said …
This has nothing to do with what I wrote.
😭 Channeling Emily Blunt’s I love my job I love my job moment in Devil Wears Prada
<3
This has nothing to do with what they deserve. I am telling you what is happening and likely to happen. If you don't want me to explain what is happening and likely to happen, unfollow.
I'm not spending time defending Ensign. I'm stating a fact about litigation. Be mad if you want.
I mean, except for ... the opposite — per Ensign's filing — happened.
And, this is helpful context —>
Note —>
Here, this is helpful —>
(I get that everyone, myself included, has no love lost for Ensign, but this not some completely irrational explanation. The case was filed overnight, and he had to make sure his clients knew what they needed to do. If they did it, I think the timing of his status report today becomes a non-issue.)
Someone at DOJ was called?
That's not what this says. Why are you yelling?
What are you talking about?
(If that’s not the case, yes, it would be a pretty stupid statement from him.)
Presumably there was no status report ordered in the hearing?
DOJ status report: storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
BREAKING: DOJ tells the court that "that all of the class members that were on planes today have been deplaned and are in the process of being returned to ORR custody." The delay, Ensign says, was because he hadn't entered an appearance so hadn't gotten notice of the status report order.
BREAKING: DOJ tells the court that "that all of the class members that were on planes today have been deplaned and are in the process of being returned to ORR custody." The delay, Ensign says, was because he hadn't entered an appearance so hadn't gotten notice of the status report order.
