So, I get all jazzed to re-up my regular column summarizing the latest legal goings-on and promptly get so caught up in following all the lawlapalooza that I neglect to publish the next installment of it. To be clear, I didn’t forget about it — I just got swamped and wasn’t able to get to it last week. So this week, it will address the two weeks ending October 19 — double your pleasure (or grief, depending on how it lands):
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Donald Trump
The 2020 Election Case (D.C. District Court)
When last we left Special Counsel Jack Smith and his merry band of prosecutors, they’d filed their immunity motion before Judge Tanya Chutkan in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.
Subsequently Chutkan granted Smith’s team leave to file a redacted version of its Appendix (to its immunity motion, which was already unsealed). While she initially granted Trump’s legal team seven days to “evaluate litigation options” — i.e., determine if they wish to take an interlocutory appeal on her rulings, she later denied their motion to extend that stay until November 14. (Added note: The publicly docketed appendices caused a stir on Thursday, but appear to already be fading in the mists of campaign craziness. Ultimately, they may not have the desired effect — i.e., derailing Trump’s campaign.)
Related Coverage:
The New York Civil Fraud Case
New York’s appellate court is expected to issue its decision regarding Trump’s appeal of the civil fraud judgment against him soon — possibly on Tuesday. We’ll be keeping an eye out for it.
The Ryan Routh/Second Assassination Attempt Case
As Joe Cunningham reported, would-be Trump assassin Ryan Routh is asking for Judge Aileen Cannon to recuse herself from his criminal case because, he claims, she may have reason to be partial to Trump — you know, the guy he was attempting to kill.
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Would-be Trump Assassin Ryan Routh Demands Judge Aileen Cannon Recuse Herself From His Case
Bonus Trump
Trump can rest easy in one respect — a panel of three judges in Ohio has declined to issue a criminal warrant for him and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance, after a Soros-funded group called Haitian Bridge Alliance (HBA) accused them of inciting bomb threats against members of the community in Springfield by making claims that Haitian immigrants reportedly were eating cats and dogs belonging to residents.
Court Declines to Issue Criminal Warrant for Trump, Vance Over Dogs and Cats Claim
His lawyers, on the other hand, may need to watch their backs.
TDS Gets Real As Left-Wing Group Threatens Future Lawyers Who Work for Trump With Disbarment
Eric Adams
Yet another New York City official associated with Mayor Eric Adams has been charged by the Department of Justice — this time, it’s former aide Mohamed Bahi, who’s accused of encouraging a businessman and campaign donors to lie to the FBI, and deleting an encrypted messaging app from his phone during an FBI search of his home.
NEW: Former Eric Adams Aide Charged With Witness Tampering and Destruction of Evidence
Sean “Diddy” Combs
Sean “Diddy” Combs appeared in court in the Southern District of New York on October 10 for a pre-trial status conference. The court set deadlines for discovery and motions in the case, set the pre-trial conference for December 18, 2024, and set the trial for May 5, 2025. The court further ordered Combs to remain in custody pending the trial.
California/Gavin Newsom
After the California Coastal Commission denied SpaceX permission to launch, purportedly because they don’t care for Elon Musk’s political views, SpaceX filed suit against them. And, apparently, sensing the political winds, Governor Gavin Newsom voiced his support of…Musk.
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Why Did the California Coastal Commission Deny SpaceX Permission to Launch? ‘Orange Man Bad’
SpaceX Files Blistering Lawsuit Against California Coastal Commission Alleging Political Retaliation
‘I’m With Elon’ – Gavin Newsom Finds an Acorn on SpaceX Launch Rejection
Elections
In Georgia, Judge Scott McAfee denied the DeKalb County GOP’s request to issue a writ of mandamus ordering Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to ensure that Dominion voting systems are secure, reasoning that the relief requested really isn’t within the court’s purview. It’s time for the legislature to act on the matter.
Michigan judge Brock A. Swartzle found in favor of the Michigan GOP and ordered Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson to revise her instructions regarding the handling of absentee ballots before the tabulation begins on November 5.
Michigan GOP Racks Up Major Absentee Ballot Victory, Avoids ‘Hanging Chad’ 2.0
On Thursday, the Washington Free Beacon won its 10-month legal fight against Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) and his former wife, Kate Gallego, the current mayor of Phoenix, to lift the seal on the pair’s divorce case.
AZ Senate Opponent Gallego Tries to Weaponize Court Unsealing His Divorce Papers vs. Kari Lake
And Nebraska’s Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that people with felony convictions can vote in the upcoming election. (Ironic that it’s thought this ruling might tip the balance of the election in Harris’ favor, no?)
Supreme Court
The Supreme Court started its October 2024 term, hearing oral arguments in nine cases in the term’s first two weeks.
- Williams v. Washington
- Royal Canin U.S.A., Inc. v. Wullschleger
- Garland v. Vanderstok
- Lackey v. Stinnie
- Glossip v. Oklahoma
- Medical Marijuana, Inc. v. Horn
- Bouarfa v. Mayorkas
- Bufkin v. McDonough
- City of San Francisco v. EPA
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The next arguments will begin the week of November 4.
The Court declined to take up
Supreme Court Declines to Hear Texas Abortion Ban Case
But just in case you were wondering if the legacy media’s jabs at the court were fading, never fear — they’re still at it. The LA Times is attempting to resurrect the smears against Justice Brett Kavanaugh. (Apparently, it was time to take a break from targeting Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito.)
Let the Smears Begin—LA Times Beats a Dead Horse in an October Effort to Vilify Trump
First Amendment
Officials in Amsterdam, New York—a municipality of about 18,000 around 35 miles from Albany—tried to prevent a local businessman’s 100-foot “Vote for Trump” sign from lighting up, but on Monday, with just minutes to go before the scheduled ceremony, a judge reversed an earlier ruling and allowed the sign to go live.
Huge ‘Vote for Trump’ Sign Lights Up in Upstate NY Despite Local Officials’ Efforts to Shut It Down
On Tuesday, the Colorado Supreme Court dismissed a case on procedural grounds against Phillips, who is a Christian who refused to bake a cake for a transgender woman named Autumn Scardina. In a 6-3 decision, the Justices ruled that Scardina had not exhausted all of her legal options for restitution through another court before filing her suit. Justice Melissa Hart, writing for the majority, said, “We express no view on the merits of these claims.”
Moms for Liberty in Brevard County, Florida, along with individual plaintiffs, have won a lawsuit against Brevard Public Schools and specific school board members. The court ruled that the district violated the plaintiffs’ First Amendment rights when it interrupted, silenced, or removed them for making comments the district labeled as “abusive,” “personally directed,” or “obscene.”
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Moms for Liberty Trounces Florida School Board in Free Speech Lawsuit
During an interview with Fox News host Shannon Bream on Sunday, Walz tried his best to politically two-step around his past controversial comments, such as eliminating the Electoral College and his declaration that there is “no guarantee to free speech on misinformation or hate speech.” As Turley duly noted, decades of Supreme Court rulings run counter to Walz’s claim.
In a significant victory for free speech and government accountability, on Tuesday, the U.S. Supreme Court revived the lawsuit of independent journalist Priscilla Villarreal, who was jailed for asking a police officer to confirm facts related to local incidents. This ruling sends her case back to the Fifth Circuit for further review, overturning a previous dismissal.
‘Clear Violation of the Constitution’: Supreme Court Revives Case of Jailed Texas Journalist
Now, just days before the event, UCLA bureaucrats are getting in the way again, coming up with various restrictions related to ticketing, security, and other aspects of the event. YAF at UCLA organizers have been advertising the event and set up an Eventbrite page for people to acquire tickets, which are free. But now, five days before the event, administrators forced YAF to shut that down, invalidate the tickets, and redirect attendees to UCLA’s central ticketing office to obtain tickets.
EXCLUSIVE: UCLA Administrators Attempt to Derail Upcoming Ben Shapiro Speech; YAF Fights Back
Second Amendment
The case, Garland v. Vanderstok, centers on a 2022 regulation from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), which mandates that kits that can be used to assemble firearms without serial numbers must meet the same requirements as commercially sold guns. These requirements include licensing, serialization, and background checks for buyers.
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The Supreme Court’s Ruling on ‘Ghost Guns’ Could Be Pivotal
The justices had a series of questions for attorneys on both sides of the issue and reports suggest that the court could be leaning toward upholding federal rules on ghost guns.
Chief Justice John Roberts expressed skepticism toward the argument that ghost gun kits were merely tools for hobbyists. “Drilling a hole or two, I would think, doesn’t give the same sort of reward that you get from working on your car on the weekends,” he said, according to Fox News.
Supreme Court Appears to Lean Toward Upholding Biden-Harris ‘Ghost Gun’ Restrictions
Gov. Kathy Hochul on Wednesday signed into law a series of useless gun restrictions that will only protect violent criminals. The laws are ostensibly intended to reduce gun violence through enhanced education on firearms, more regulations on gun dealers, and stricter tracking of gun sales.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul Shows Once Again How Much She Despises the Second Amendment
Miscellany
There’s so much going on in the legal realm of late, I’m just going to include some additional headlines and links here:
Court Rulings Must Be Made Through the Lens of Liberty and Nothing Else
Army Scout Sentenced to Lengthy Term for Attempting to Help ISIS Ambush US Forces
Former Democrat Official Robert Telles Sentenced to 8 More Years for Murder of Las Vegas Journalist
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Texas Lawmakers Intervene to Halt Robert Roberson’s Execution for Death of Two-Year-Old Daughter
Nathan Wade Testifies Before House Judiciary Investigators – No Thanks to Fani Willis
The Week Ahead
Jury selection is set to start Monday in the trial of Daniel Penny, the former Marine charged in the death of Jordan Neely after placing him in a chokehold on the New York subway.
As noted above, the New York appellate court could well issue its decision in Trump’s appeal of the civil fraud judgment against him.