favs.blue
Sign in
@chrisgeidner.bsky.social avatar

Chris Geidner

@chrisgeidner.bsky.social
Most liked Most reposted
All time Last month

This is a prolific poster! Showing posts since November 16, 2024.

  1. 1

    BREAKING: In response to doctors' lawsuit, Judge John Bates, a George W. Bush appointee, orders CDC, NIH, and FDA to put back up websites and datasets cited by the doctors in their lawsuit as having been relied upon and pulled down without notice. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

    TOTE ASTRICT COLOR DOCTORS FOR AMERICA, Plaintiff, Civil Action No. 25-322 (JDB) OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT et al., Defendants. ORDER Upon consideration of [6] Plaintiff's motion for a temporary restraining order, [8] Plaintiff's supplemental declarations, [9] Defendants' opposition, [10] Plaintiff's reply, the hearing on February 10, 2025, and the entire record herein, and for the reasons stated in the accompanying Memorandum Opinion, it is hereby ORDERED that 1. Defendants Department of Health and Human Services, Center for Disease Control, and Food and Drug Administration (hereinafter "defendants") shall, by not later than 11:59 pm on February 11, 2025, restore to their versions as of January 30, 2025, each webpage and dataset identified by Plaintiff on pages 6-12 of its Memorandum of Law in Support of the Motion for a Restraining Order [ECF No. 6-1]; 2. Defendants shall, in consultation with Plaintiff, identify any other resources that DF A members rely on to provide medical care and that defendants removed or substantially modified on or after January 29, 2025, without adequate notice or reasoned explanation; and defendants shall, by February 14, 2025, restore those resources to their versions as of January 30, 2025;
    28,230 6,762
    Feb 11, 2025
  2. 2

    BREAKING: Documents filed in court today assert that officials from El Salvador told the United Nations that it "facilitated the use of the Salvadoran prison infrastructure" by the U.S. but that "the jurisdiction and legal responsibility for these persons lie exclusively with the" U.S.

    As set forth in the attached Report, the Government of El Salvador responded to the UN inquiry opened by the four families asking about the disappearance of their family members: 1 The attached exhibit has redacted personal identifying information for the four men discussed in the WGEID report. Petitioners can file an unredacted version of the exhibit under seal at the Court's request, with the exception of one of the cases for particular privacy reasons related to that individual. 1 Case 1:25-cv-00766-JEB Document 160 Filed 07/07/25 Page 2 of 4 The Salvadoran State emphatically states that its authorities have not arrested, detained, or transferred the persons referred to in the communications of the Working Group. The actions of the State of El Salvador have been limited to the implementation of a bilateral cooperation mechanism with another State, through which it has facilitated the use of the Salvadoran prison infrastructure for the custody of persons detained within the scope of the justice system and law enforcement of that other State. In this context, the jurisdiction and legal responsibility for these persons lie exclusively with the competent foreign authorities, by virtue of international agreements signed and in accordance with the principles of sovereignty and international cooperation in criminal matters. In this regard, the actions attributable to the Salvadoran State are limited to its sovereignty and territorial jurisdiction, and therefore it cannot be held responsible for the failure to observe the principle of non-refoulement with respect to the persons mentioned. Ex. 1 at 6, 9 (emphasis added).
    13,605 5,542
    Jul 7, 2025
  3. 3

    BREAKING: Kim Davis, the Kentucky clerk who refused to issue same-sex couples' marriage licenses, loses her appeal at the Sixth Circuit of a lawsuit she lost at trial that was brought by same-sex couples whose constitutional right to marry she violated. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

    UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE SIXTH CIRCUIT DAVID ERMOLD; DAVID MOORE, Plaintiffs-Appellees, No. 24-5524 V. KIM DAVIs, individually, Defendant-Appellant. Appeal from the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky at Ashland. No. 0:15-cv-00046-David L. Bunning, District Judge. Argued: January 30, 2025 Decided and Filed: March 6, 2025 Before: WHITE, READLER, and MATHIS, Circuit Judges. OPINION HELENE N. WHITE, Circuit Judge. Defendant-Appellant Kim Davis, in her capacity as the clerk of Rowan County, Kentucky, refused to issue a marriage license to Plaintiffs-Appellees David Moore and David Ermold. Plaintiffs sued Davis under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, claiming that Davis violated their constitutional right to marry. After several interlocutory appeals, the district court entered judgment for Plaintiffs on liability and a jury awarded them compensatory damages. Davis now appeals, arguing that she is entitled to qualified immunity, that she has affirmative defenses to liability under the Free Exercise Clause and the Kentucky Religious Freedom Restoration Act, and that Plaintiffs' evidence of their emotional distress was insufficient to support the jury's award. We AFFIRM.
    30,548 4,691
    Mar 6, 2025
  4. 4

    BREAKING: Chief Judge Boasberg denies the federal government's effort to vacate the TROs in the Alien Enemies Act case, finding that people the government claims are subject to the proclamation at least have a right to "individualized hearings to determine whether the Act applies to them at all."

    The Court need not resolve the thorny question of whether the judiciary has the authority to assess this claim in the first place. That is because Plaintiffs are likely to succeed on another equally fundamental theory: before they may be deported, they are entitled to individualized hearings to determine whether the Act applies to them at all. As the Government itself concedes, the awesome power granted by the Act may be brought to bear only on those who are, in fact, "alien enemies." And the Supreme Court and this Circuit have long maintained that federal courts are equipped to adjudicate that question when individuals threatened with detention and removal challenge their designation as such. Because the named Plaintiffs dispute that they are members of Tren de Aragua, they may not be deported until a court has been able to decide the merits of their challenge. Nor may any members of the provisionally certified class be removed until they have been given the opportunity to challenge their designations as well. The Motion to Vacate will thus be denied.
    17,119 4,292
    Mar 24, 2025
  5. 5

    BREAKING: Chief Judge James Boasberg finds that those people sent to CECOT under the Alien Enemies Act on March 15-16 had their due process rights violates and certifies them as a class. He orders that the government "facilitate" the ability for them to seek habeas relief.

    Plaintiffs' [103] Motion for Class Certification is DENIED WITHOUT PREJUDICE as to the Criminal Custody Class and GRANTED as to the CECOT Class with modifications. The latter Class shall be defined as follows: All noncitizens removed from U.S. custody and transferred to the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT) in El Salvador on March 15 and 16, 2025, pursuant solely to the Presidential Proclamation entitled, "Invocation of the Alien Enemies Act Regarding the Invasion of The United States by Tren De Aragua"; and 3. By June 11, 2025, Defendants shall submit a Notice to the Court advising how they intend to facilitate the ability of the CECOT Class to seek habeas relief. Case 1:25-cv-00766-JEB Document 147 Filed 06/04/25 Page 2 of 2 Is/ James E. Boasberg JAMES E. BOASBERG Chief Judge
    14,572 4,103
    Jun 4, 2025
  6. 6

    This should be the end of Noem’s career in public life. It almost certainly won’t be, however, which is itself damning.

    Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com
    HASSAN: What is habeas corpus? NOEM: Habeas corpus is a constitutional right that the president has to be able to remove people from this country HASSAN: That's incorrect
    undefined ▶
    17,950 3,996
    May 20, 2025
  7. 7

    BREAKING: In a new executive order sent out by the White House, Donald Trump has revoked the federal contractor nondiscrimination executive order, EO 11246, that was signed by Lyndon Johnson in 1965 and has protected employees of businesses seeking federal contracts from discrimination ever since.

    (b) The Federal contracting process shall be streamlined to enhance speed and efficiency, reduce costs, and require Federal contractors and subcontractors to comply with our civil-rights laws. Accordingly: (1) Executive Order 11246 of September 24, 1965 (Equal Employment Opportunity), is hereby revoked. For 90 days from the date of this order, Federal contractors may continue to comply with the regulatory scheme in effect on January 20, 2025. (ii) The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs within the Department of Labor shall immediately cease: (A) Promoting "diversity"; (B) Holding Federal contractors and subcontractors responsible for taking "affirmative action"; and (C) Allowing or encouraging Federal contractors and subcontractors to engage in workforce balancing based on race, color, sex, sexual preference, religion, or national origin. (iii) In accordance with Executive Order 13279 of December 12, 2002 (Equal Protection of the Laws for Faith-Based and Community Organizations), the employment, procurement, and contracting practices of Federal contractors and subcontractors shall not consider race, color, sex, sexual preference, religion, or national origin in ways that violate the Nation's civil rights laws. (iv) The head of each agency shall include in every contract or grant award: (A) A term requiring the contractual counterparty or grant recipient to agree that its compliance in all respects with all applicable Federal anti-discrimination laws is material to the government's payment decisions for purposes of section 3729(b) (4) of title 31, United States Code; and (B) A term requiring such counterparty or recipient to certify that it does not operate any programs promoting DEI that violate any applicable Federal anti-discrimination laws.
    6,341 3,110
    Jan 22, 2025
  8. 8

    BREAKING, via The Seattle Times: Trump's executive order to restrict birthright citizenship is blocked for at least the next two weeks by a Reagan appointee in Seattle who eviscerated the Trump lawyers present defending the order. www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...

    Senior U.S. District Judge John Coughenour on Thursday was blistering in his criticism of Trump’s action as he granted a temporary restraining order that blocks Trump’s executive order from taking effect nationwide. “I’ve been on the bench for over four decades, I can’t remember another case where the question presented is as clear as this one is. This is a blatantly unconstitutional order,” Coughenour, an appointee of Ronald Reagan, said from the bench. “There are other times in world history where we look back and people of goodwill can say where were the judges, where were the lawyers?” Coughenour interrupted before Brett Shumate, a Justice Department attorney, could even complete his first sentence. “In your opinion Is this executive order constitutional?” he asked. Shumate said, “it absolutely is.” “Frankly I have difficulty understanding how a member of the Bar could state unequivocally that this is a constitutional order,” Coughenour said. “It just boggles my mind.”
    11,797 3,102
    Jan 23, 2025
  9. 9

    BREAKING: Senate Dems' report on SCOTUS ethics inquiry decries "culture of misconduct," Thomas's gifts, Alito's failure to recuse, and Roberts's refusal to act.

    New, this morning at Law Dork: www.lawdork.com/p/senate-jud...

    Breaking: Senate Dems' report on SCOTUS ethics inquiry decries "culture of misconduct"
    Judiciary Dems' majority staff report calls for Congress to act given that "the justices have allowed ethical misconduct to persist for decades."
    7,656 2,925
    Dec 21, 2024
  10. 10

    NEW: RFK Jr.'s "radical transparency" means ending a 54-year-old transparency policy.

    A Nixon-era policy gave the public the ability to comment on HHS decisions relating to “public property, loans, grants, benefits, or contracts.“ RFK Jr. ended that on Friday. www.lawdork.com/p/rfk-jr-rad...

    RFK Jr.'s "radical transparency" means ending a 54-year-old transparency policy
    The Nixon-era policy gave the public the ability to comment on HHS decisions relating to “public property, loans, grants, benefits, or contracts.“ RFK Jr. ended that on Friday.
    8,118 2,925
    Feb 28, 2025
  11. 11

    ALERT: Attorney General Pam Bondi is apparently threatening some of those providing medical care to their minor transgender patients.

    If you receive one of these subpoenas, please reach out, have your lawyer do so, or send me a copy. My email is in bio, as is my Signal.

    The United States Department of Justice FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE WWW.JUSTICE.GOV/NEWS July 9, 2025 Department of Justice Subpoenas Doctors and Clinics Involved in Performing Transgender Medical Procedures on Children WASHINGTON - Today, the Department of Justice announced that it has sent more than 20 subpoenas to doctors and clinics involved in performing transgender medical procedures on children. The Department's investigations include healthcare fraud, false statements, and more. "Medical professionals and organizations that mutilated children in the service of a warped ideology will be held accountable by this Department of Justice." - Attorney General Pamela Bondi ＃井＃
    5,169 2,848
    Jul 9, 2025
  12. 12

    NEW: After The Washington Post reported Monday on the demolition of the "East Wing facade," a new picture obtained by Law Dork that was taken on Tuesday shows that a substantial portion of the entirety of the East Wing has been demolished.

    Photograph of ongoing demolition of the East Wing of the White House. Monday's photo from the Washington Post
    6,575 2,820
    Oct 21, 2025
  13. 13

    A reminder that debating Stephen Miller — who is not a lawyer and is not making legal arguments, he is spouting propaganda — is a win for him.

    14,731 2,396
    May 6, 2025
  14. 14

    Rob Reiner was one of the key people behind the effort to go to court to overturn California's anti-marriage equality Proposition 8 when it passed in 2008.

    Working with Chad Griffin, they founded the American Foundation for Equal Rights and got Ted Olson and David Boies to team up to fight Prop 8.

    9,864 2,318
    Dec 15, 2025
  15. 15

    It’s a long “memorandum,” but it’s essentially telling Pam Bondi and Kristi Noem to go after lawyers who challenge the federal government — which is many lawyer’s jobs.

    It’s basically a catch-all “let’s Paul Weiss whoever pisses us off” memo.

    MEMORANDUM FOR THE ATTORNEY GENERAL THE SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY SUBJECT: Preventing Abuses of the Legal System and the Federal Court Lawyers and law firms that engage in actions that violate the laws of the United States or rules governing attorney conduct must be efficiently and effectively held accountable. Accountability is especially important when misconduct by lawyers and law firms threatens our national security, homeland security, public safety, or election integrity. Unfortunately, far too many attorneys and law firms have long ignored these requirements when litigating against the Federal Government or in pursuing baseless partisan attacks. To address these concerns, I hereby direct the Attorney General to seek sanctions against attorneys and law firms who engage in frivolous, unreasonable, and vexatious litigation against the United States or in matters before executive departments and agencies of the United States. I further direct the Attorney General to take all appropriate action to refer for disciplinary action any attorney whose conduct in Federal court or before any component of the Federal Government appears to violate professional conduct rules, including rules governing meritorious claims and contentions, and particularly in cases that implicate national security, homeland security, public safety, or election integrity. In complying with this directive, the Attorney General shall consider the ethical duties that law partners have when supervising junior attorneys, including imputing the ethical misconduct of junior attorneys to partners or the law firm when appropriate. I further direct that, when the Attorney General determines that conduct by an attorney or law firm in litigation against the Federal Government warrants seeking sanctions or other disciplinary action, the Attorney General shall, in consultation with any relevant senior executive official, recommend to the President, through the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy, additional steps that may be taken, including reassessment of security clearances held by the attorney or termination of any Federal contract for which the relevant attorney or law firm has been hired to perform services.
    6,218 2,254
    Mar 22, 2025
  16. 16

    BREAKING: Judge Paula Xinis issues an order following tonight's Supreme Court ruling, ordering the government to "take all available steps to facilitate the return of Abrego Garcia to the United States as soon as possible." [1/2]

    Background at Law Dork: www.lawdork.com/p/breaking-s...

    IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF MARYLAND KILMAR ARMANDO ABREGO GARCIA, et al., Plaintiffs, v. KRISTI NOEM, Secretary, United States Department of Homeland Security, et al., Defendants. * * * * * * Civil Action No. 8:25-cv-00951-PX * *** ORDER The Supreme Court's April 10, 2025 decision in Noem v. Abrego Garcia, 604 U.S.-No. 24A949, affirmed this Court's Order at ECF No. 21 (the "Order"), and directed that on remand, this Court clarify its use of the term "effectuate," according proper deference to the Executive Branch in its conduct of foreign affairs. See Slip Op. at 2. To this end, the Court hereby amends the Order to DIRECT that Defendants take all available steps to facilitate the return of Abrego Garcia to the United States as soon as possible.
    7,848 2,091
    Apr 11, 2025
  17. 17

    This is truly one of the worst things the court has done — both in terms of legitimacy and in terms of the law — since I have been covering the court.

    Chris Geidner @chrisgeidner.bsky.social
    BREAKING: In an unsigned, per curiam opinion on the shadow docket, the SCOTUS conservatives allow Alabama to use a congressional map held repeatedly by a lower court to have been enacted with discriminatory intent.
    At this preliminary stage, the State has shown that it is entitled to interim relief from the District Court's injunc-tion. See Abbott v. League of United Latin American Citi-zens, 607 U. S. 一 (2025) (slip op., at 1-2). The State is likely to succeed on the merits as to both claims. As to intentional vote dilution, the District Court did not heed the presumption of legislative good faith, see Alexander v. South Carolina State Conference of the NAACP, 602 U. S. 1, 10 (2024), because it interpreted the State's legal disagreement with the court's earlier remedial order as proof of discriminatory animus. Cf. Abbott v. Perez, 585 U. S. 579, 608-609 (2018). And, as to both claims, the District Court's analysis departed from Callais. Under Callais, the District Court was required to deny relief unless the plaintiffs' alternative map performed "just as well" with respect to all of the State's constitutionally permissible districting crite-ria. 608 U. S., at— (slip op., at 29). Yet, the District Court found a violation even though the plaintiffs' alternative map would not perform just as well as to the State's constitutionally permissible criteria of keeping together the Gulf Coast community of interest and avoiding the pairing of in-cumbents. The District Court also failed to follow our instruction in Callais that the mere fact that voters of different races vote for different parties is not relevant to proving racially polarized voting patterns. See id., at _ (slip op., at 30).
    5,718 1,980
    Jun 3, 2026
  18. 18

    BREAKING: Second Circuit panel, one day after arguments, unanimously rejects government's arguments and orders that Rumeysa Ozturk be transferred to Vermont no later than May 14. ww3.ca2.uscourts.gov/decisions/is...

    For the reasons stated above, the government's motion for a stay of the transfer order requiring Öztürk's transportation from immigration custody in Louisiana to immigration custody in the District of Vermont is DENIED. The government's request for a writ of mandamus is also DENIED. The administrative stay entered by this Court is hereby VACATED. Recognizing both that the district court's original transfer deadline has passed, along with the practical and legal consequences of our decision for the parties, the government is hereby ORDERED to comply with the district court's transfer order within one week of the date of this opinion. Accordingly, the district court's April 18, 2025 Order is hereby amended as follows: "To support the Court's resolution of these issues, the Court orders that Ms. Öztürk be physically transferred to ICE custody within the District of Vermont no later than May 14, 2025." The district court may amend its hearing schedule as it deems necessary in light of this order.
    8,799 1,948
    May 7, 2025
  19. 19

    If I don't see multiple ~media reporters~ columns about the extraordinarily irresponsible Wall Street Journal report from yesterday morning — and their extensive promotion of that inflammatory report — you all should just pack up and go home.

    8,873 1,889
    Sep 12, 2025
  20. 20

    JFC.

    Impeach and remove this lawless man, you fools.

    Exclusive 1m ago The Trump administration will receive a $10 billion fee for brokering the deal that kept TikTok alive in the U.S.
    6,487 1,883
    Mar 13, 2026
  21. 21

    Reply to @chrisgeidner.bsky.social

    Fall 2017: Then-NYT reporter literally warning Epstein that someone is "digging around again."

    From: Thomas Jr., Landon Sent: 9/27/2017 2:47:47 PM To: Subject: Got another call from Connelly.. Importance: High Jeffrey Epstein [jeevacation@gmail.com] He is digging around again -- not clear if its another book/or expanded paperback version. Was asking me all sorts of questions about why you hired Ken Starr. I told him I had no idea - I think he is doing some Trump-related digging too. Anyway, for what its worth... Landon Thomas, Jr. Financial Reporter New York Times http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/t/landon_ir thomas/index.h tml
    6,071 1,883
    Nov 12, 2025
  22. 22

    Reply to @chrisgeidner.bsky.social

    A fantastically important postscript to this piece: David Graham asks Jeffrey Goldberg about possible retaliation, and Goldberg gives a perfect answer — with perfect swipes. www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/...

    David: Are you concerned about retaliation from the Trump administration because of this story? Jeffrey: It’s not my role to care about the possibility of threats or retaliation. We just have to come to work and do our jobs to the best of our ability. Unfortunately, in our society today—we see this across corporate journalism and law firms and other industries—there’s too much preemptive obeying for my taste. All we can do is just go do our jobs.
    7,277 1,879
    Mar 25, 2025
  23. 23

    ICE agents at a hotel in St. Paul woke up this morning to news that they’re getting kicked out of their hotel today at noon.

    Bill Melugin v @BillMelugin_•1h NEW: I'm told multiple ICE agents with rooms booked at the St. Paul Downtown Doubletree by Hilton received this notice today that their rooms are being cancelled & the hotel will temporarily close "due to heightened public safety concerns in St. Paul." I called the hotel & checked online & they are indeed not taking any bookings right now. They referred me to other hotels. I'm told this also happened today at the Intercontinental St. Paul, with ICE agents with bookings there notified the hotel will be temporarily closing today due to the ongoing unrest in Minnesota. An agent who talked to the front desk manager there says he was told it was done to protect staff because they have been getting threats from unknown individuals for lodging DHS agents. DOUBLETREE by Hilton" ST. PAUL DOWNTOWN Deat Room # * Please know that your safety and well-being will always be our top priority. Due to heightened public safety concerns in St. Paul, we have made the difficult decision to temporarily close our hotel, and your reservation will be canceled effective Sunday, January 18, 2026 by 12PM. We are taking this step out of care for you, our team members, and the surrounding community. Due to your unexpected departure, our team can assist you with alternate accommodations if needed. To support you during this difficult transition and as a gesture of goodwill, we can either refund your last night's stay or pay your first night's stay at your new hotel at the same rate as your canceled reservation with us. Thank you for understanding during this challenging time. With warmest regards, DoubleTree St. Paul Team
    7,777 1,849
    Jan 18, 2026
  24. 24

    I’m sorry, this might be a great investigation, but “as it was never intended” is obscene. This is precisely how many people specifically and repeatedly told us — warned us — it would be used.

    The Washington post Breaking News Post Exclusive 8 minutes ago Police use facial recognition as it was never intended: As a shortcut to finding and arresting suspects without further evidence Confident in unproven facial recognition technology, sometimes investigators skip steps, and at least eight Americans have been wrongfully arrested, a Washington Post investigation found.
    6,826 1,844
    Jan 13, 2025
  25. 25

    BREAKING: Federal judge blocks Elon Musk, Amy Gleason, and DOGE employees from access to Social Security Administration systems containing personally identifiable information, orders them also to delete any previously obtained non-anonymized SSA information.

    Case 1:25-cv-00596-ELH Document 48 Filed 03/20/25 Page 1 of 6 IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF MARYLAND AMERICAN FEDERTION OF STATE, COUNTY AND MUNICIPAL EMPLOYEES, AFL-CIO, et al. Plaintiffs, Civil Action No. ELH-25-0596 SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION, et al. Defendants. TEMPORARY RESTRAINING ORDER For the reasons set forth in the accompanying Memorandum Opinion, it is this 20th day of March 2025, at 2:12 p.m. by the United States District Court for the District of Maryland, ORDERED: 1. Plaintiffs' Motion for Temporary Restraining Order ("TRO," ECF 21) is GRANTED.
    6,761 1,812
    Mar 20, 2025