it’s up there! the goal of Friday is solidarity not blocking vehicles :) but another good option to plug into this work in Chi is showing up at 101 Ida B Wells’ south entrance around 9a on Mondays, where people engage in courtwatch in city limits
pragmatic optimist and well-known email author views are mine alone cohen489.substack.com
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it’s up there! the goal of Friday is solidarity not blocking vehicles :) but another good option to plug into this work in Chi is showing up at 101 Ida B Wells’ south entrance around 9a on Mondays, where people engage in courtwatch in city limits
likely more on Substack this week. barring major changes in legal posture, I’ll be back (NOT blocking vehicles) at 1930 Beach St, Broadview, IL from 7-9 on Friday, September 5, joined by @qasimrashid.com cohen489.substack.com
I got arrested yesterday! (real drop off from being a corporate law firm associate five months ago. or upgrade.) I was blocking vehicles leaving from ICE’s Broadview, IL, staging ground and de facto detention center at 1930 Beach St. full statement (for now) below.
it’s feeling ever more like major media reported on a deal that is not only non-papered but quite difficult to EVER paper as a sure thing two and a half weeks before a Q2 earnings call, because anonymous sources said it was real. insane.
I am no expert and would love others to weigh in, but Nvidia taking the position this is functionally an export tax is interesting given um…those are explicitly banned by the constitution (with thanks to the commenter who pointed this out!)
Nvidia update since my hyperfixation this week is the cronyism of it all—on their earnings call the company seemed to take the posture that this is a new regulation as opposed to a deal (others have pointed out no regs have been published).
Pragmatic Optimist @cohen489.bsky.social runs through the signs of corporate law firm cronyism as companies repped by law firms that cut deals with the President enter into questionable deals with him or his Commerce Department.
@cohen489.bsky.social Latest piece on the Legal AF Substack! Maybe the Real Pro Bono Was the Friends We Made Along the Way 🔗 open.substack.com/pub/michaelp...
I cannot overstate the import here: Nvidia not filing the deal with the Trump administration also means *you cannot verify to whom they promised to pay 15% of their revenue*. I genuinely think this is very big. Please share. open.substack.com/pub/cohen489...
Lack of public filing doesn't mean the deal doesn't exist at all, but it does mean either (1) it hasn't been signed/isn't written, (2) they missed their filing deadline or (3) they're taking the position it's not a materially definitive agreement.
NVIDIA, the largest publicly traded company in America, releases Q2 earnings today. This month, they announced a deal with Trump allowing them to sell certain chips to China - the problem is, that deal isn't publicly filed. I don't say this lightly, but holy shit. open.substack.com/pub/cohen489...
thank god
More of a video person? I explained the troubling (some might even say 'mob boss style') pattern of deal-making law firms representing companies making head-scratching deals with the Trump administration over on @legalafmtn.bsky.social - check it out. www.youtube.com/watch?v=43Ud...
@cohen489.bsky.social on @legalafmtn.bsky.social discusses conflicts of interest and ethics with lawfirms that capitulated to Trump, representing companies that Trump is taking a piece of. Like Intel. youtu.be/43Udmb1e6qE?...
New "How to Report ICE" zines up today for free printable download! California (by county/area) Chicago Colorado DC Metro Area (DMV) Massachusetts North Carolina Triangle Area NYC Philly Pittsburgh Portland, OR St. Louis Metro Area Washington State Please share! drive.google.com/drive/folder...
i could not sit with this knowledge alone and my relevant group text is asleep i fear
Nina Tran's LinkedIn describes CoreCivic as "a diversified, government-solutions company with the scale and experience needed to solve tough government challenges in flexible, cost-effective ways." i fear i need to go scream into lake michigan real quick
so as not to penalize only the person whose name i recognize, here's the full BOD: Mark Emkes Alexander Fischer Catherine Hernandez-Blades Damon Hininger Stacia Hylton Harley Lappin Thurgood Marshall, Jr. Devin Murphy John Prann, Jr. S. Dawn Smith Stacey Tank Nina Tran
www.sec.gov/Archives/edg... in his public-facing bios he references being on the board of "two publicly traded companies and The Third Way," I'm scared of what the other one might be
spending way too much time on SEC filings today has caused me to stumble across a truly un-fun fact, which is that Thurgood Marshall, Jr. literally sits on the board of directors for CoreCivic, one of the largest private prison companies contracting with ICE. also Third Way. nothing to see here.
US Steel golden share? Class G shares?? No! It’s worse than that, it’s a personal power granted to 🍊🤡👑!! From US Steel’s amended certificate:
Must-read from the inimitable Rachel Cohen on the stink of corruption surrounding the aftermath of the law firm deals with Trump cohen489.substack.com/p/maybe-the-...
Nvidia and AMD in their last filed SPAs, from 2020 and 2024, respectively. It was never about winning or losing. It’s always been about signaling fealty. open.substack.com/pub/cohen489...
and almost certainly repped Nvidia and AMD in their deal to get licenses to sell chips to China. It’s almost certain because for some reason, those deals are not yet filed with the SEC, despite licenses being issued weeks ago and a 4 business day filing requirement. But Latham repped both
News my old employer, Skadden, represented Intel in their sale of a 10% share to the government on shockingly poor terms got the wheels turning. Today, I realized dealmaking firms also repped U.S. Steel in its sale to Nippon (which resulted in Trump having consent rights written into their charter)
Deal-making law firms generally weren’t trying to avoid executive orders—they were trying to signal a willingness to do work that accelerates crony capitalism and authoritarianism. Just look at the kinds of deals they’re getting for clients now (fully explained on Substack): cohen489.substack.com
Pragmatic Optimists Rachel Cohen and RI State Sen. Tiara Mack slam Trump’s plan to “tackle homelessness and crime” by using federal agents to arrest Americans, noting it lacks real solutions. They spotlight places where smart policies cut crime and improved quality of life for all.
Pragmatic Optimists @cohen489.bsky.social and @mackdistrict6.bsky.social down Trump’s new order expanding civil commitment and other crackdowns on the unhoused. Mack explains root causes of homelessness, and Cohen recaps SCOTUS’s Grants Pass v. Johnson, which green-lit criminalizing homelessness.
This journalist is being detained illegally. If you are worried about the 1A, then fight for this one.
point i've been trying to make truthout.org/articles/by-...
So very proud of Lowell & Associates
JUST IN: Former Jan. 6 prosecutor Michael Gordon (prosecuted Riley Williams, Ray Epps, Bigo Barnett, among others) and press aide Patty Hartman have sued Pam Bondi over their terminations from DOJ. Their lawyer: Abbe Lowell storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
The Pragmatic Optimists, @cohen489.bsky.social & @mackdistrict6.bsky.social, are joined by Florida State Senator Jones, whose recent tour uncovered the abhorrent conditions facing people detained in Alligator Alcatraz.
I feel VERY STRONGLY about this one
RI Sen. @mackdistrict6.bsky.social, attorney @cohen489.bsky.social, & Somerville City Council member & mayoral candidate Willie Burnley Jr. talk LGBTQ protections, local/state policy tools, and the evolving political landscape shaping Willie’s campaign. New episode of Pragmatic Optimists below!
Pragmatic Optimists RI State Sen. @mackdistrict6.bsky.social & attorney @cohen489.bsky.social discuss U.S. v. Skrmetti, the SCOTUS case on gender-affirming care for minors, and why we must stand strong for trans rights amid rising attacks. Check out the full video below!
BREAKING: we just secured a preliminary injunction against Trump's illegal shutdown of AmeriCorps! Another great win for our team @democracydefendersfund.org with co-counsel Lowell & Assoc. @afscme.bsky.social, @democracyforward.org &more wonderful partners &clients We will never stop fighting
One of the arguments from sheriffs is that free/ cheaper phone calls means that people in jail are on the phone a lot. Almost like social death is bad and people in jail want to ...communicate.
rare that I root for conservative evangelicals and the GOP to be right about anything but recently I do find myself really hoping there’s an afterlife where eternal outcome is based upon what you did to and for others
I don’t think anyone is prepared for what they just did w/ ICE. This is not a simple budget increase. It is an explosion - making ICE bigger than the FBI, US Bureau of Prisons, DEA,& others combined. It is setting up to make what’s happening now look like child’s play. And people are disappearing.
On the top-ranked Legal AF podcast, Popok is joined by attorney Rachel Cohen to break down bold ways to fight Trumpism, flip DOJ weaponization on its head, celebrate a huge abortion win in Wisconsin, and expose new legal moves to hold Trump accountable! LIVE at 8 pm ET/5 pm PT. Don't miss it!
Welcome Tiara Mack @mackdistrict6.bsky.social & Rachel Cohen @cohen489.bsky.social to Legal AF as our newest contributors. With their podcast Pragmatic Optimists, Tiara and Rachel combine their legal and legislative expertise to equip you with the tools to keep fighting.
beyond grateful to be joining @legalafmtn.bsky.social together with @mackdistrict6.bsky.social starting tomorrow—we’re going to be combining legal and legislative expertise to give y’all a toolkit to fight even when it feels overwhelming. tune in!
I recently co-authored a piece with @cohen489.bsky.social urging women lawyers to rise in upholding the values of the legal profession during this pivotal time in our country. Democracy is depending on us. www.law.com/nationallawj...
I can’t believe we’re going to get an almost certain Mamdani primary victory and new Lorde album in the same week
Fixed it.
the dems are so fucking worried abt not presenting a united front and simultaneously so unwilling to give up an iota of their own individual privileges under the existing systems that they’ll end up uniting behind republicans
was having trouble finding clear visual/video explainer of the legal authority used in Trump national guard order so made this TT— leaned heavily on @stevevladeck.bsky.social ‘s writing on this (thank you!!) and all errors of ofc my own (and @annabower.bsky.social will explain them to me eventually)
In addition to funding, which is important, states and feds are passing laws that give preference to law enforcement in every aspect of life -- legal, economic, and social. Just yesterday, Trump met with FOP leaders who praised him for ending accountability and the "no tax on overtime."
I’ve been shifting away from “rule of law” messaging in personal capacity for this exact reason—it’s going to be exceptionally easy to use that messaging to try to make anti-authoritarian protests look hypocritical. Using “Constitutional rights” and “due process/legal process” instead for now idk
Guys the authority invoked is not the Insurrection Act don’t let ppl tell you it’s the Insurrection Act ok
I joke about WITAOD a lot, but seriously: If you're a reporter (or just a curious person) wondering why “who really runs DOGE?” is a central question in the litigation challenging its dismantling of the federal government — read this piece! www.lawfaremedia.org/article/the-...
extremely proud of Lowell & Associates’ work on this (and grateful that the litigation team didn’t make me do anything because it was a Memorial Day weekend fire drill)
Some women want love. Some seek power and money. Some seek attention and fame. Me? I just want to know who the administrator of DOGE really is. My manifesto, my magnum opus—“The WITAOD Chronicles”—is out now. ⬇️ 👇 www.lawfaremedia.org/article/the-...
this is fucked on so many levels but I am extremely hung up on anyone needing a three year study to know that cops violate the rights of the unhoused
Look how topical we are! Clairvoyant again!
multiple actions at rachelcohenofficial.com :) also I would be so remiss not to name—Katie has been such a strong supporter and amplifier not just on these issues but also in helping me navigate the weirdness of stepping into this era of my career. what a gift to have connected so early
Yesterday, I covered how Alina Habba got shamed by a federal judge. In today’s video with @cohen489.bsky.social, we take it a step further. Rachel breaks down exactly how YOU can file a bar complaint against Habba and hold her accountable. Don’t miss it! www.youtube.com/watch?v=keYO...
when the dispensary is playing traitor by olivia rodrigo it’s time to free the people in prison with possession charges
Grateful to @katiephang.bsky.social for having me!
Great interview by @katiephang.bsky.social of @cohen489.bsky.social
sorry realizing you didn’t ask about doing the complaints—so just a yes that is very much on our radars!! we are particularly worried abt firms dropping pro bono clients under admin pressure that’s why we started down the bar complaint path
we don’t have capacity to write the individual ones ourselves this often BUT are planning to put together a resource that has the steps and forms for every jurisdiction so people are empowered to do it themselves as things happen!!
also this is v much an action I would NOT take as a noncitizen—I think it is fairly low risk but my personal advice is not to take actions aimed at annoying the Trump administration with your full name on them just in case
also this is v much an action I would NOT take as a noncitizen—I think it is fairly low risk but my personal advice is not to take actions aimed at annoying the Trump administration with your full name on them just in case
bit.ly/njbarcomplaint
oops I forgot to tell yall we put together a ready-to-file grievance against Alina Habba that takes you 2 minutes to do and asks the NJ state bar to open an ethics investigation
This is extremely bad. Extremely.
the quote in question:
I know WITAOD has made it bc @cohen489.bsky.social is sending me WITAOD-related Hannah Arendt voice notes from a hot tub in Lake Michigan
haha thanks Jed
it would be cool if some members of the mainstream media cared as much about this administration lying about who's running the agency dismantling the federal government as they do about the former president’s age
We’ve taken him off! Thanks :)
🎤 TAKING THE STAGE! 🎤 @cohen489.bsky.social is joining Win The Fight LIVE! RSVP: winthefightlive.com #WinTheFightLIVE
The Appeal is one of the few forces pushing back. Every month we stay open means another month of exposing abuse, challenging impunity, and giving voice to those most harmed. 👉Will you make a donation today—and ask one friend to give with you? t.co/xuKhRcNvMx
Harvard researcher Kseniia Petrova has been charged criminally with smuggling goods -- e.g., frog embryos and samples thereof on slides, etc. -- into the United States on the same day the judge overseeing her habeas case questioned the government's authority to revoke her visa.
WOW. The Trump admin said they will review social media and deny immigration benefits to people saying antisemitic claims. They're even trying to deport people with green cards on alleged claims of antisemitism. Anyway, here's a tweet from an Afrikaner they flew here on Monday.
action for people without JDs related to law firm capitulation!!!! it’s at bit.ly/baddecisionmakers pls share it took a very long time!!
@cohen489.bsky.social out here telling non-lawyers what we can do to affect change regarding law firms who have capitulated to Trump. So. Much. Respect.
I ♥️ student journalism
Very proud of this powerful interview with the amazing @cohen489.bsky.social! “It cannot be simultaneously true that you are willing to pay $300,000 for this degree because it’s worth so much and it opens all of these doors but then you feel like you can’t do anything.” theflaw.org/articles/rac...
a rare crosspost from TikTok bc I am GEEKING OUT @ilhanmn.bsky.social thank you for being a guiding light always
I am thrilled to announce that today we are launching our High School Public Service Grant program! Our campaign wants to use our resources -- our money, platform, and volunteers -- to help young people develop and execute a project that benefits their community. Ninth District teens, apply today!
I’m in contact with Clay—his background/location/etc isn’t super aligned but I’m so proud of him and glad to know him!
UPDATE: Rachel Cohen @cohen489.bsky.social and Brenna Frey—two former Skadden associates who resigned over the law firm’s response to Trump’s executive orders targeting lawyers—are joining a new firm launched by Abbe Lowell, the high-profile criminal defense attorney who represented Hunter Biden.
Go Brenna!!!
play stupid games, win stupid prizes
Grateful to COURIER for the continued opportunity to sound the alarm.
HAPPENING NOW: A HUGE crowd of protesters march through the streets outside an FBI office in Milwaukee in support of Judge Hannah Dugan (Video: @unraveledpress.com)
This was shared. A site that some folks have put together to pressure institutional investors to divest from Tesla: divestfromtesla.com
i fear i was 20 min walking from FBI HQ and everyone is returning from lunch
I sent these to a grext in February. The FBI just arrested a judge for preventing the American Gestapo from ignoring a person’s civil rights as the US actively deports people to a concentration camp located in a country that does not track deaths in its prisons. Where. Are. Your. Lines.
Who are the 9 firms paying off Trump to avoid his attacks? Bookmark it: A&O Shearman: $125 million Kirkland: $125 million Latham & Watkins: $125 million Simpson Thacher: $125 million Cadwalader: $100 million Milbank: $100 million Skadden: $100 million Willkie: $100 million Paul Weiss: $40 million
Holy crap. Here are 91 pages of letters that 14 House Democrats just sent to the nine law firms that have paid off Trump to not attack them. Lots of Qs aimed at sorting out if they violated federal bribery/anti-fraud/racketeering laws. min.house.gov/sites/evo-su...
I'm going to tell you again. There is NO REASON to vote for this man and if you do, everything you hold dear in this city is going to be destroyed.
Two headlines in the New York Times today.
