Ryan Goodman

Dave Matthews:

"This father and grandfather who was murdered by ICE in Houston, Texas. Then they say he’s not even the guy they were looking for. Well then don’t pull the trigger you assholes. ...

I want to send this to the memory of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo."

(h/t @marcofoster.bsky.social)

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"Under heavy pressure from a federal judge, prosecutors agreed on Thursday to unilaterally withdraw subpoenas issued to New York Times reporters.

The move followed sharp grilling about prosecutors’ actions ... The government called the subpoenas to reporters’ family members a 'mistake.'"

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BREAKING: Feds withdraw NYT subpoenas into reporting on Qatar-gifted jet

The government called the subpoenas to reporters' family members an “error.”

Before "the Iranian attack on Friday that killed two U.S. soldiers and left one service member missing in Jordan, Iran carried out three other strikes ... [that] injured dozens of U.S. service members ...

But the Pentagon did not disclose the earlier strikes, nor the casualties and damage."

Pentagon Withheld Dozens of U.S. Military Injuries in Iran War

Central Command is not required to release information about injured troops, especially when they quickly return to duty, a military official said.

“The appearance of federal law enforcement agents on the doorstep of news reporters should shock the conscience of any American who believes in the Constitution and the press freedom it protects.”

David McCraw, The Times’s top newsroom lawyer, in a statement on Friday evening.

Times Journalists Subpoenaed as Trump Escalates Pressure on Media

The Justice Department is seeking to compel testimony from reporters who wrote about the new Air Force One. The Times called the move a “brazen act.”

Properly invoking his legal authorities and obligations

Houston Mayor Whitmire vows "an independent and transparent” investigation by his office and District Attorney into ICE killing of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo.

Says FBI is "tightly controlling" evidence Houston Police Dept would normally have.

Headquarters @headquartersnews.bsky.social

Houston Mayor John Whitmire: For the Salgado family, life will never be the same. At no fault of theirs, Mr. Salgado was chased by a unmarked vehicles. Before he could identify himself and speak as a Houstonian, he was shot and killed. We'll use our resources to pursue a transparent investigation.

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WaPo: Secretary Rubio, in step with Sebastian Gorka, is tripling down on a bad idea.

Trying to enlist foreign states in bogus 'antifa' fight at July 16 ministerial meeting.

WaPo: Rubio-Gorka alienating U.S. allies in true counterterrorism efforts.

I wrote on threats to American civil liberties⬇️

Bogus “Antifa” Designations and FBI Warrantless Access to Americans’ Communications

How Trump administration's efforts to designate "antifa" as a foreign intelligence threat can abuse national security surveillance powers.

"The three men who were arrested during an immigration operation that resulted in the fatal shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo said a federal officer fired at them almost immediately after exiting his vehicle and that at no point did the driver veer in his direction."

Migrants who saw man killed by ICE in Houston say he did not ram officers

Three men who were in the vehicle alongside Lorenzo Salgado Araujo are contesting the Department of Homeland Security’s account of the fatal shooting.

WALTZ: "The people leaking this nonsense" - about depleted military stockpiles - "deserve to be in jail."

Pro tip: If they deserve to be in jail then ... it's not nonsense.

Jail time is for leaking genuine intelligence information.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com

WELKER: Is America backing away from a larger attack bc our stockpile has been depleted? WALTZ: We have to take a step back. A lot of our stockpiles were depleted because of Biden WELKER: But you acknowledge they're depleted? WALTZ: No. And the people leaking this nonsense deserve to be in jail

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Federal court takes needed, extraordinary step to prevent DOJ's extraordinary threat to elections.

Judge Ray (Trump appointee) quashes DOJ use of grand jury subpoena in Fulton County.

Blanche DOJ's action "threatens to chill participation in future elections."
www.justsecurity.org/wp-content/u...

"Under the change, responsibility for investigating cases involving federal immigration officers would likely fall to Homeland Security Investigations, an arm of ICE, effectively leaving the agency to investigate itself, according to guidance circulated among F.B.I. and ICE agents."

Federal Agents Were Told FBI Will No Longer Investigate ICE Confrontations

Senior officials deny such a change is in the works, despite guidance shared with agents around the country in recent days.

In this brief video, I put the prosecution of Davey Hearn, former Olympian, in the context of U.S. Attorney Pirro's pattern of abuse of power.

The arraignment (for reflecting pool felony charges) is on Thursday in DC.

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"The review, the most comprehensive to date, suggests that the administration’s use of the law has often been less about protecting federal agents than about providing legal cover to cow protesters and immigrants into submission."

www.nytimes.com/2026/07/18/u...

They Were Charged With Assaulting ICE Agents. The Cases Are Crumbling.

The Trump administration has lost or abandoned hundreds of criminal cases against protesters and immigrants, a Times investigation found.

There are two people among the most responsible for this abject violation of the First Amendment --

And the Republican-led Senate is contemplating confirming them for Attorney General of the United States and Director of National Intelligence.

Ryan Goodman @rgoodlaw.bsky.social

4/ In NYT case: "'Subpoenas are the last step, not the first step, but the last step,' the judge said, citing rules set to protect against violations of the First Amendment. He said the government’s actions had turned the law and the regulations 'on its head.' apnews.com/article/usme...

Government withdraws subpoenas of 3 reporters for The New York Times after admitting legal errors

The government has withdrawn subpoenas that would have compelled three New York Times reporters to testify about their sources for articles about President Donald Trump’s Qatari-gifted Air Force One j...

"The United States, according to some of the officials, went so far as to ask other countries in the region to warn Iran about the possibility Israel could target the two officials."

www.nytimes.com/2026/07/02/u...

U.S. Officials Believed Israel Was Plotting to Kill Iranian Negotiators

Reply to @rgoodlaw.bsky.social

2/ Same day as this:

Trump Administration Drops Subpoena Demanding List of Jews From Penn

www.nytimes.com/2026/07/23/u...

Trump Administration Drops Subpoena Demanding List of Jews From Penn

For more than a year, the Trump administration pressed the university for records about antisemitism complaints and a list of campus groups involved with Judaism.

Hegseth and Pentagon spokesperson's "consistent stream of derisive comments" against the independent media come back to haunt:

DC district court orders a preliminary injunction suspending the DoD's latest policy restricting press access

NYT vs. Dept of Defense
www.justsecurity.org/wp-content/u...

Reply to @rgoodlaw.bsky.social

2/ I highly recommend this important essay by @mikeschmitt.bsky.social at @justsecurity.org

Combat Experience as a Strategic Resource: Lessons of the Red Army Purges

Combat Experience as a Strategic Resource: Lessons of the Red Army Purges

Implications of Pete Hegseth's forcing out over two dozen senior U.S. military officers, collectively totaling over 900 years of military experience.

I joined forces with @dschulkin.bsky.social and Huzaifa Khan.

“Zero Evidence”: How Judges and Grand Juries Have Rejected Trump Administration’s Efforts to Investigate and Prosecute

We document EXTRAORDINARY number of subpoenas, indictments and more rebuffed.

New searchable resource.

Judges and Grand Juries Reject Trump's Efforts to Investigate

A detailed record of federal courts and grand juries rejecting the Trump administration’s use of subpoenas, search warrants, and indictments.

"Independence may be the theme of the day, but even a simple backyard barbecue relies at almost every turn on international law."

Another eye-opening essay by @corrarino.bsky.social.

A wonderful and necessary read.

www.justsecurity.org/145416/as-am...

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As American as International Law

A Fourth of July barbecue demonstrates how international law shapes daily life, and where that architecture is under strain.

With SCOTUS invalidating birthright E.O.

"Where were the lawyers when this decision was being made?...I have difficulty understanding how a member of the bar could state unequivocally that this is a constitutional order. It just boggles my mind.”

- Judge Coughenour (Reagan appointee) Jan. 23 2025

Reply to @rgoodlaw.bsky.social

3/ Table of the 25 senior United States military officers pushed out by Hegseth.

www.justsecurity.org/144739/comba...

Reply to @rgoodlaw.bsky.social

3/ Adds to an accumulation of subpoenas withdrawn, rejected by judges and more.

We've kept count of them all here:

www.justsecurity.org/146665/court...

Judges and Grand Juries Reject Trump's Efforts to Investigate

A detailed record of federal courts and grand juries rejecting the Trump administration’s use of subpoenas, search warrants, and indictments.

Reply to @rgoodlaw.bsky.social

2/ "Sebastian Gorka has had discussions with colleagues about using foreign terrorism labels for antifa to justify going after Americans ....

A linkage to foreign terrorist groups 'can unlock certain investigative tools,' such as surveillance, said one U.S. counterterrorism official."

Rubio tries to enlist other nations in antifa fight, but some allies recoil

The secretary of state plans to convene foreign ministers in Washington next week. The event has unsettled some U.S. and European officials.

Reply to @rgoodlaw.bsky.social

2/

The subpoenas were issued by Jay Clayton, who Trump has nominated to serve as Director of National Intelligence.

Clayton's nomination hearing is Wednesday, July 15.

www.nytimes.com/2026/07/11/b...

Times Journalists Subpoenaed as Trump Escalates Pressure on Media

The Justice Department is seeking to compel testimony from reporters who wrote about the new Air Force One. The Times called the move a “brazen act.”