18 years for having a stillbirth. Medical testing showed meth but a med examiner testified he couldnt say it was the cause of death. She’s 1 of at least 20 Alabama women who suffered miscarriage/stillbirth then faced sentencing as severe as for murder, rape or kidnapping. www.al.com/news/2022/09...

Last week, SCOTUS stood up for its right to engage in judicial review of executive branch decisions. This week it's Congress' turn & at least a few representatives seem inclined to insist that when they pass a law, they mean business. Learn about inherent contempt: open.substack.com/pub/joycevan...

1/Here's a sample of what you get if you sign up (including free subscriptions) to my newsletter, Civil Discourse: Every Sunday night, I write a column called "The Week Ahead," so you know what to expect for developments at the intersection of law & politics. joycevance.substack.com/p/the-week-a...

Ronald Reagan is rolling over in his grave

Get caught up: SCOTUS rules in the Illinois Nat'l Guard case, some hints the judge in Abrego Garcia's criminal case is actively pursuing claims of vindictive prosecution, & the prospect of accountability for DOJ for its faulty release of the Epstein Files. joycevance.substack.com/p/the-week-a...

Trump is deploying his DOJ in a defensive stance designed to protect him at all costs, while calling the files a Democratic hoax. But really, he could do the survivors a great service by sharing what he knows. joycevance.substack.com/p/he-looks-l...

All of last week’s Civil Discourse columns in one convenient place! Easy to catch up on the news and analysis you may have missed over the holiday. open.substack.com/pub/joycevan...

Loved everything about this conversation with my sisters, but especially the plain talk about SCOTUS after they told Trump “no” on Nat’l Guard deployment. www.politicon.com/podcast-epis...

Trump will push crime as an election issue in 2026. Read about what the most recent statistics *actually* show & the gap between reported patterns & perceptions. In a truth-free presidency, knowing the facts matters more than ever. open.substack.com/pub/joycevan... open.substack.com/pub/joycevan...

A country that had begun to make progress in believing women is regressing. In this environment, it becomes more and more difficult for victims to come forward, which means that the people committing crimes against them are going to get away with it. Again. open.substack.com/pub/joycevan...

Merry Christmas to all who celebrate!

The AG is *supposed* to be the people’s lawyer, not the president’s. This is outrageous. It also indicates Trump feels that he needs protection from Epstein file disclosures.

Interesting aspect of this one: Trump had argued his decisions on the Guard were effectively unreviewable by the courts. Apparently, SCOTUS isn’t quite ready to put itself completely out of business.

So worthy of reading

SCOTUS tells Trump no on deployment of Illinois Nat’l Guard, finding a valid exception to the Posse Comitatus Act doesn’t exist. Huge loss for the Trump Administration. s3.documentcloud.org/documents/26...

Join Norm Eisen and me for our chat about his newest case, challenging the addition of Donald Trump’s name to the Kennedy Center.

At 10:30 ET, join me on Substack Live with @normeisen.bsky.social, one of the lawyers in a case filed to force Trump to take his name off of the Kennedy Center. Get some law & democracy-strikes-back energy before you check out for the holiday. (Prep involves 🍿 => 🐓 so they’ll be quiet while we chat)

Some people have a knack for discussing dark topics without leaving you depressed. Really enjoyed my conversation with @andyostroy.bsky.social

A Conviction, Two Orders, and A Lawsuit by @joycewhitevance.bsky.social with @katiephang.bsky.social joycevance.substack.com/p/a-convicti...

Judge Boasberg is true to law and order and justice. Thanks for the speedy summary of his ruling, Joyce.

A Conviction, Two Orders, and A Lawsuit Also announcing a very special Substack Live in the morning by @joycewhitevance.bsky.social #USA #Trump #uspoli open.substack.com/pub/joycevan...

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It was one of those nights. 2 judges ruled in highly significant cases & a new lawsuit got filed, all while I was at dinner with my husband. Catch up on the news & watch my conversation with the amazing @katiephang.bsky.social about Judge Dugan’s conviction. open.substack.com/pub/joycevan...

1/ In The Week Ahead: What can Congress do about DOJ's incomplete release of the Epstein Files? Will the public hear from Jack Smith? & A great letter written by Senator Kelly's lawyer, calling out the political nature of DoD's investigation into the "you don't have to obey illegal orders" video

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It’s essential. And it’s free. Subscribe now. Join me and my guests each morning for informed & irreverent analysis of breaking legal and political news. Link: youtube.com/@jentaub?si=...

Civil Discourse is a newsletter for people who want to understand what’s happening in our country, not just survive it. Here’s what you need to know to be ready for the week ahead. open.substack.com/pub/joycevan...

In case you missed anything: All of this week’s columns collected in one place. open.substack.com/pub/joycevan...

💯

Listen to the newest episode of our podcast here 👇🏼

“None of this is surprising. Not DOJ’s failure to comply..Not DOJ’s failure to release material that would give survivors more insight into the crimes committed against them & who was responsible. That’s important..because they’ve had to fight to be believed." open.substack.com/pub/joycevan...

Tonight, a very special edition of “Five Questions” that helps us understand how ordinary people become heroes and defenders of democracy. joycevance.substack.com/p/five-quest...

I’ve never heard of using this standard for redactions before…

DOJ has almost grudgingly released “some” of the Epstein documents, not all of them, as the law requires. www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2025/...

Donald Trump can name as many national buildings after himself as he wants to, but it won’t make him a great president.

Same energy

Thursday night, there were major developments in both the Brown University mass shooting, where the gunman was identified & found dead & the prosecution of Wisconsin Judge Hannah Dugan, which resulted in a conviction. All the details you need to be up to speed here: open.substack.com/pub/joycevan...

For those asking about sentencing, the 1505 charge carries a 5-year maximum, but Judge Dugan's guideline sentence will be much lower, because she's a first-time offender & there are mitigating factors. And of course, there will be an appeal before the conviction becomes final.

This is the charge in count two that Judge Dugan was convicted on. An explanation of it and count one is contained in the linked article. joycevance.substack.com/p/the-trial-...

Which legal battles defined 2025? @preetbharara.bsky.social and I look back on the year and share our predictions for 2026 in a livestream on Substack. Watch: cafe.visitlink.me/2XmkWL

Have you been called out for your Nazi tattoo? Did someone tell you that repeating the 14 Words is not permitted in the workplace? Did you get told that you can’t use the N word anymore? Quick, dial 1-800-wht-ddes now. Our agents are standing by. No case too small.

Trump is a lame duck with bad energy open.substack.com/pub/joycevan...

Sure. Maybe if we pretend it’s not happening, climate change will just go away. www.nbcnews.com/science/clim...

It’s ironic that the same people who applauded DOJ for indicting Jim Comey & Tish James are complaining there was a lack of evidence to search Mar-a-Lago.

Shameless self-promotion: You can subscribe to my newsletter, Civil Discourse, for free if you find discussion of the facts and analysis, grounded in 25 years of experience at DOJ, helpful in these confusing times. joycevance.substack.com

Republicans are saying there was no probable cause to search Mar-a-Lago. That is not true. I explain and provide all the facts in this piece (If you find information like this useful, you can sign up for my newsletter for free): joycevance.substack.com/p/jack-smith...

Jack Smith is testifying behind close doors because House GOP, who subpoenaed him refuse his request to testify publicly. Read the details here: open.substack.com/pub/joycevan...

Jack Smith is testifying behind closed doors on Wednesday and there’s a lot to know about what the stakes are. open.substack.com/pub/joycevan...

If survivors remain after a Venezuelan boat strike, what does the law require the US to do? @preetbharara.bsky.social and I break it down on a new episode of @cafedotcom.bsky.social Insider: cafe.visitlink.me/SZYoDN