Rümeysa Öztürk and Mohsen Mahdawi still winning at the 2nd Circuit.

The #cambma Charter rewrite will be on the November ballot!

Hmm. D.Mass judges are getting annoyed with the Gov. over habeas litigation (again). Filing a notice that says in the title you're going to transfer a detainee without more is not OK, Judge Talwani writes. I wonder what happened:

PDF of Chutkan's TRO DENIAL in D.A. v. Noem here: storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

Back to a normal pace for the #cambma City Council, I guess. 17 people signed up to speak tonight, they get the full 3 minutes.

Side bets on whether DOJ OIL blows Judge Chutkan's 9pm deadline for a declaration? In this new thread, please. (ancillary note: DOJ counsel in D.A. also all appear in D.V.D.)

Judge Chutkan declines to order the D.A. case transferred to Massachusetts (with the D.V.D. v. DHS case before Judge Murphy), at least for now, and demands the Government explain its efforts. That's shy of ordering it "facilitate the return" that plaintiffs asked for.

Can attorneys with pro hac vice admissions in CM/ECF file appearances in additional cases on an emergency basis, or does the system technically restrict them from doing so? (Or does it depend? 94 districts, 214 ways of doing things…)

Who is paying attention to this D.A. v. Noem litigation? It seems like stuff is moving pretty fast? (This is the non-refoulement via Ghana litigation with the emergency hearing before Judge Chutkan at 2pm earlier today. I did not listen to the hearing.) www.courtlistener.com/docket/71323...?

According to the Mayor's Office, per Monday's Council agenda, there was an "an immigration-related emergency" regarding a #cambma high school student yesterday. This facts related seem more than a bit peculiar, however. cambridgema.iqm2.com/Citizens/Det...

New #cambma Charter update. The House passed it (see screenshot) and it's all set and waiting for Governor Healy to sign it, presumably tomorrow. Watch www.mass.gov/info-details... for details.

The ACLU's John Doe got a bond hearing on Monday and was released on $3,000 bond yesterday.

In case you'd forgotten about Rümeysa Öztürk's case before the Second Circuit Court of Appeals (DOJ is appealing her habeas case), it's finally briefed and oral argument is set for Sept. 30. Presumably also Mahdawi will be the same day.

The #cambma Election Commission voted 3-0 (LW absent) to deny the objection to Caroline Hunter's school committee candidacy. Basically, the allegation was based on Hunter's lack of a residential exemption, and she testified she has never claimed one anywhere.

The #cambma City Council is back from summer break tonight. Only 24 people signed up for public comment, despite the 514-page agenda packet. Hmm. I mean, I'm 5 minutes ahead of my benchmark 5pm time, but still:

Tiny update in Kseniia #Petrova's criminal case (Harvard xenopus frog embyro researcher charged w/ smuggling): looks like tomorrow's status conference will get postponed a month as discovery moves along, defense needs to ask for more stuff.

"The child’s attorney of record has not affirmatively protested the child’s reunification with their parent (or legal guardian) in Guatemala;"? w.t.a.f.? With notice to attorneys sent at 11:45pm for a 10:45am flight? So…11 holiday weekend overnight hours to lodge a protest, sua sponte?

The #cambma Historical Commission approves IN PRINCIPLE a certificate of appropriateness for 17 Story St., the Harriet Jacobs House, after several hours of hearing last month and just now tonight. And after initiating a landmark study last month.

Over in LGML v. Noem, plaintiffs just dropped this banger in their now-moot response to the Government's 1-day extension motion (moot because they filed it 36 secs after the Court ruled on it): the Government won't commit to not doing the same child deportation scheme this wknd w/ another country.

A day after this weird meeting as to the #cambma Charter vote by citizens, we have a funny ships-in-the-night-or-maybe-not policy order on the #cambma City Council agenda for Monday, asking the Election Commission for updates: cambridgema.iqm2.com/Citizens/Det...

In case anyone is wondering about the status of the #cambma Charter changes, the City Solicitor tells the Election Commission that the Cambridge legislative delegation (Decker, DiDominico) have said the Senate could vote on the charter tomorrow.

Oh hey! 4:16pm, it's a (partial) victory for Harvard in its latest litigation against the Trump administration (here HHS). Summary judgment win:

Just back from a big #immigration win by @aclum.bsky.social: Judge Talwani rules that a Special Immigrant Juvenile, arrested on July 4, can't be held in mandatory detention under the Laken Riley Act, if, as here, no charges were brought. She orders he must be given a bond hearing within one week.

In case anyone was wondering, sounds like #cambma's Valente Library is out of commission through September. It's been closed since June because of water damage from an air conditioning system failure. I hadn't realized it was such a big deal. www.cambridgema.gov/Departments/...

PARTIAL SETBACK for RÜMEYSA ÖZTÜRK, the Tufts grad student taken by ICE in March: Judge Sessions transfers her request to restore her SEVIS record (for US work authorizatino) to D. Massachusetts, but denies the Gov's motion to dismiss Opinion: storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

As I listen to M.G. Sherman's testimony, it strikes me that unless the military deliberately inserts "secret shopper" violators (aka "salts") of the Rules, command staff cannot have any real confidence that Rule violations would be reported, esp. where there's an incentive not to report violations.

Is there an exception the rule allowing leading questions on cross-examination when the witness is a party representative? Why is California objecting to leading cross examination? Just kidding, there is not. (But direct and cross are a little confused in this situation.)

Despite his standing order, CRB seems to not have much trouble with "speaking objections." Indeed, the subsequent colloquy felt almost appellate in character.

It's the #cambma City Council summer meeting! "only" [?] 58 people signed up to speak. It's been a month since the last regular (not special / emergency) meeting, so there's a looooong agenda. And a month 'til the next one.

Hi from the #cambma Ordinance Committee meeting on the "Welcoming Communities" ordinance that governs interaction between the Cambridge Police and ICE. There is an amendment by patty Nolan to reduce the set of activities the CPD might need to cooperate with ICE on.

I cannot overemphasize how rare it is for both a) a grand jury to return no true bill and b) a reporter to get around grand jury secrecy rules to confirm it

I absolutely detect prefixing questions with "Would it be fair to say…" in witness testimony, and I don't know what to conclude when I find myself using a related phrasing in, err, casual conversation. "It's a different context and less deplorable," I tell myself? Or maybe even, it has its place?

OK, we FINALLY have the closings transcript in AAUP v. Rubio. Which had quite a few…"interesting" moments in the Government's closings. knightcolumbia.org/documents/1y...

And, next door to Judge Young in courtroom 18, Judge Burroughs in courtroom 17 (Harvard v. HHS &c) just finishes hearing argument on summary judgment and takes the case under advisement. (She started at 9:30am and ran just past noon; Young started 10am and ran to 11:20 with time to spare.)

While I was in federal court, the #cambma City Council had an emergency special meeting (executive session, I assume) on the Vail Court litigation. Huh. I wonder when that got noticed…

Stop what you're doing and read this extraordinary essay by Rümeysa Öztürk: "I am free, but my true freedom is interlinked with the freedom of many women I lived alongside in ICE prison."

AAUP v. Rubio is back today (Thursday).

AAUP v. Rubio resumes in Judge Young's courtroom…now. See bsky.app/profile/john... midway though my continuous running thread, which is only the high points, not full blow-by-blow.

The #cambma Election Commission elects Liz Lyster as Vice Chair (replacing Susannah Barton Tobin). No other nominations.

Over in AAUP v. Rubio, Rümeysa Öztürk's Homeland Security intelligence report (ROA) was admitted as evidence and is displayed on screen in the courtroom. I do wonder if I should zoom/express myself over to the federal courthouse for this portion of the trial.

Well, looks like the Pham case (filed in D.C., @chrisgeidner.bsky.social covering it today) is being transferred to D. Mass to be heard along with the D.V.D. case ("presumably by Judge Murphy," Judge Moss says). Moss will continue his administrative stay for one hour.

Today is the first day to pull papers for the Cambridge City Council and Cambridge School Committee. So far 12 for Council (6 incumbents) and 4 for School (1 incumbent). Office closes at 5pm.

56 people in line for public comment at tonight's (June 30, 2025) #cambma City Council meeting...

Xenopus frog embryo researcher Kseniia Petrova's grand jury indictment was handed up today. Me for @cambridgeday.com: www.cambridgeday.com/2025/06/25/g... Also with audio of last week's probable cause hearing.

Kseniia #Petrova was indicated by a federal grand jury today, the indictment was docketed at 1:51pm today and the case assigned to Judge Leo T. Sorokin. H/T The Harvard Crimson. www.thecrimson.com/article/2025...

Finally, a respite! Only 13 people in line for public comment for tonight's #cambma City Council (June 23), and I am also reporting 20 minutes later than usual (5:30pm start).

I was on Lawfare Live today about Kseniia Petrova and also Harvard v. DHS. youtu.be/1BlJp52Pov0?t=2398

In a 3-page order without reasoning, Judge Allison Burroughs grants Harvard's preliminary injunction as to the cancellation of its student visas (argued Monday, TRO expiring today-ish). She had promised an opinion by Monday, but I'm not sure if this counts. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

My writeup for @CambridgeDay of Kseniia Petrova's wild probable cause hearing that took place yesterday : www.cambridgeday.com/2025/06/19/i... Blow-by-blow live bsky thread linked below, hopefully after the thread breakage.

1/SUMMARY: In today's 1h38m hearing, Atty Bill Fick made a v. strong case for no Probable Cause that KSENIIA #PETROVA committed smuggling. But PC in crim. court is an incredible low bar. The Gov's 1 witness could not define "biological" material or "merchandise which should have been invoiced."