Word seems to be out that Trump damage verdict of $5.6 million has been paid to Jean Carroll. Not sure that's true; Trump team still has a challenge motion pending at 2d CA and SCt has not denied rehearing petition.

Florida fed judge undercuts any legal basis for the Trump $1.8 B slush fund and finds serious ethical violations in the proceedings leading to creation of that fund and to a new immunity grant for Trump. Details at: lyldenlawnews.com/2026/07/13/t...

SCt docket in Trump v. Jean Carroll (the $5 million verdict) has now been revised to show that the corrected rehearing petition has been accepted as filed. Don't know if that will make any difference in speeding up payment of verdict amount to Carroll.

8th CA, like SCt before it, made no sense in remand NoDak Native Amer redistrict case under Callais. If thr was no standing to sue under Sec 2 of VRA, there is zip to decide on remand. No matter what Dist Ct now does re Callais impact, CA has not abandoned its ban on private Sec 2 suits. What's up?

SCt refused today to let Trump legal team file petition for rehearing after Ct denied review of Trump challenge to $5 million verdict for Jean Carroll. No reason given but probably a flaw in the rehearing plea under SCt Rule 44.2. This is a major insult to Trump lawyers. Any speculation on it here?

I would much appreciate seeing a copy of the filing E. Jean Carroll's lawyers made seeking enforcement of the $5 million judgment against Trump. I've seen a couple of references but no link. Thanks.

SCt clears the decision docket and heads for recess. Final opinion day brings reaffirmation of birthright citizenship and rulings against transgender rights in school sports and allowing more money into political campaigns. Details at: lyldenlawnews.com/2026/06/30/b...

CJ Roberts finally has a majority to scuttle New Deal era ruling in Humphrey's Executor curbing presidential power to fire govt. officials. Separate ruling protects the Fed, though. Tomorrow to bring final rulings of the term. Details at: lyldenlawnews.com/2026/06/29/n...

This coming week brings SCt rulings in final cases of the term -- Monday and at least 1 other day. All are significant, but there probably is a real blockbuster in presidential power to fire officials across the Exec Branch. Details at: lyldenlawnews.com/2026/06/28/n...

Wondering if Miami fed judge Williams is about to rule in a significant way on challenge to Trump tax immunity and slush fund. She says she does not need further amici to help her decide, turning aside new briefs by state AGs and ex-govt. tax officials. Worth checking her docket frequently.

Major SCt rulings due next week, esp. on citizenship and presidential power, but keep watch for possible Alito retirement. My own sense: better than 50-50 prospect. His 3 big decisions yesterday seem like a swan song. Timing for a Trump replacement won't get better.

SCt by 6-3 votes rules that courts have no role when Trump Admin ends protection of non-citizen immigrants from strife-torn countries. Ruling may affect up to a million non-white immigrants. Details at: lyldenlawnews.com/2026/06/25/c...

Focusing directly on the potential illegality of the sweeping legal immunity grant given to the Trumps by Acting AG Blanche, a group of former govt. tax experts urge Miami judge to make a broad investigation. Details at: lyldenlawnews.com/2026/06/23/t...

Retired judges challenging Trump "slush fund" suggest anew that the legal immunity Trump, his family and business got as part of the new draw of Treasury payments is probably illegal and should fall with the scuttling of the rest of the plan. Details at: lyldenlawnews.com/2026/06/20/t...

Trump legal team sternly advises judge in Miami to drop a probe of how those lawyers handled Trump case against IRS, leading to creation of the "slush fund" on Treasury payouts. Details, background here: lyldenlawnews.com/2026/06/13/t...

Virginia fed judge Brinkema bears down harder on Trump Admin to assure her that the slush fund is dead and won't be brought back. Full details at: lyldenlawnews.com/2026/06/12/n...

The SCt "Callais" decision requiring stronger proof to win a Voting Rights Act case is spreading. New Justice Dept memo does the same for the main employment bias law, Title VII. Full explanation at: lyldenlawnews.com/2026/06/10/a...

Trump's "slush fund" may be dead (DOJ lawyers formally say so in court filings) but that may not mean the broad new legal immunity given to him in the deal also lapses. Full explanation at: lyldenlawnews.com/2026/06/07/n...

News media have been busy with reports of the end of the Trump $1.8 billion grasp of Treasury money but might be premature. No promises in writing yet. Details at: lyldenlawnews.com/2026/06/03/t...

It is not clear that the Trump "slush fund" has fully and finally shut down. Some in Senate GOP say there are talks on how to change it. It will need more than that to end the effort altogether. Also not clear that Fla. judge will abandon her Rule 11 inquiry into collusion in Trump v IRS case.

For the second time on Friday, a federal judge has raised serious questions about the legality of the arrangements leading to creation of the new Trump "slush fund." Details of new development in US DCt in Miami: yldenlawnews.com/2026/05/29/trump-lawyers-new-fund-in-trouble/

Trump's new "slush fund" for paying followers is blocked, at least temporarily, by a federal judge in Virginia. Case set for hearing June 12 on stronger ban. Details at: lyldenlawnews.com/2026/05/29/t...

Trump's bold new plan to pass out $1.8 billion of Treasury funds to friends and followers may be in deeper legal trouble as 35 retired US judges challenge it as a fraud on the court system. Full details at: lyldenlawnews.com/2026/05/28/n...

New criminal charges against Raul Castro might be a move to create a legal pretext for invading Cuba to bring him to US to face the charges.That's exactly what was done in capture and return of Maduro from Venezuela. Not much other reason to explain these charges.

Trump's plan to compensate those he feels were hounded by federal criminal charges/investigations is under heavy questioning of its legality. Now, 2 Jan.6 police officers have sued to block it. Details at: lyldenlawnews.com/2026/05/20/t...

DistJudge Wms in ending Trump v IRS case notes that there is no formal record of a settlement and suggests IRS and Treasury should have made clear to the court that settlement was "appropriate," and did not do so. Does that make settlement a dead letter? Can the new "slush fund" even be set up?

Questions for attorneys: if Trump v IRS was not legit lawsuit, was there nothing to settle? Is it now too late to raise that? If too late, would anyone have standing to claim settlement use of federal funds violates Constit. because not appropriated by Congress?

The Voting Rights Act key provision, Section 2, appears to be on life support at SCt. Today, in 2 unexplained orders, it bypasses the basic issue of who can sue to enforce Section 2. Leaves issue unsettled and in conflict in lower courts. Details at: lyldenlawnews.com/2026/05/18/w...

Without explanation and with no noted dissenting votes, SCt denied Virginia Democrats an emergency order to allow them to use more favorable congressional districting maps this year. Details at: lyldenlawnews.com/2026/05/16/v...

Interesting: Virginia NAACP amicus filed in SCt in Va redistricting case claims violation of constl. due process in state SCt invalidation of all votes in the referendum approving new Dems' map. Will it have any effect?

With apologies to readers, the post put up last night about the Native American voting rights now awaiting SCt action was riddled with typos. It was finished late at night. Here is a cleaned-up version: lyldenlawnews.com/2026/05/13/v...

Just days after SCt's major decision narrowing Sec. 2 of Voting Rights Act, it is set to look at a test case on who can sue to enforce what's left of that provision. Details at: lyldenlawnews.com/2026/05/13/v...

The SCt, already deeply engaged in the spreading gerrymander wars, is in deeper now: Virginia files a plea challenging Va. state SCt ruling against Dems' map that would shift 4 GOP seats. Details at: lyldenlawnews.com/2026/05/11/c...

Heading for the SCt now is the Virginia state SCt ruling blocking a Democratic gerrymander that might have picked up 4 GOP seats. Unclear what federal issues will be raised. Complete details at; lyldenlawnews.com/2026/05/09/w...

Donald Trump already has one appeal at SCt in the Jean Carroll sexual assauilt/defamation dispute, and soon will be filing another in a new plea for legal immunity. Full details at: lyldenlawnews.com/2026/05/08/t...

SCt further clears the way for La. special state legisl. session to draw new congrl. district maps, likely meaning one and maybe two Demo. districts will become Repub. districts. SCt did not explain new order in La. case, even tho it is a sharp departure from customary practice.

Embarrassing moment for SCt Justice Alito & his law clerks: they seem to have overlooked black La. voters' plan -- told to SCt last week -- to seek rehearing of Callais ruling on VRA. SCt per Alito went ahead Monday and issued the ruling based on claim that there was NO rehearing request. Oops!

SCt jumps into the middle of the new partisan gerrymandering cycle, putting into immediately effect its Voting Rights Act decision of last week. Full implications spelled out at: lyldenlawnews.com/2026/05/05/c...

Intriguing thought: was SCt actually tempted in La. redistrict case to strike down entirely VRA sec. 2 on theory it could not survive 15th Am. but that idea lost majority support so Alito et al. simply made it unenforceable? A cynical way to pretend SCt was not nullifying Sec. 2 in toto?

Of course, eager pols and activist lawyers are moving much faster than SCt in fashioning the next steps toward nullifying a dozen black-majority congrl. districts. Will SCt be moved to protect its process, or just let the dismantling go forward at will?

The hours pass at SCt today while more lawsuits and political maneuvers spread across the South. When will Justices act, to provide guidance on whether any of these new moves will be allowed to forward?

Sure wish I were a fly on the wall at SCt today as it sorts out how or whether to allow state of La. and fedl Dist. Ct. to flout SCt regular procedures about putting into effect the new ruling on Voting Rights Act and gerrymandering.

It was no surprise but it still was historic: the SCt conservatives yesterday sharply narrowed the last effective section of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, its Section 2. Full details at: lyldenlawnews.com/2026/04/30/h...

On the way to SCt now is a historic test of states' power to mandate the display of the Ten Commandments in every public school classroom. Full explanation at: lyldenlawnews.com/2026/04/26/t...

The journalistic coup by NYTimes, disclosing internal SCt documents from "shadow docket," is stirring new debate about the Court's legitimacy. Details at: lyldenlawnews.com/2026/04/22/t...

Truly sad to see Prof. Kurt Lash fronting for John Eastman's profound misreading of presidential election law as if it were free speech protected by 1st Amdmt. Lawyers, incl. law professors, ought to have some limits on promoting frivolous theory.

Every day, it seems, the WashPost forfeits more of its rep as a serious newspaper. Today, news of the revolutionary vote against Orban in Hungary made it only to page 9 and even then ranked as the second foreign affairs story on inside pages.

If everyone who wins in sports were as gracious in victory as Rory McElroy is, the world would be a better place. Remarkable 2 days at the Masters, and Rory deserves the glory in the way he won again.

Are there any dependable results yet from the election in Hungary?

Trump Admin effort to scuttle law protecting presidential records from destruction is quickly challenged, in new lawsuit by historians, etc. Explainer at: lyldenlawnews.com/2026/04/07/n...