In unrelated hearing on DC with DC leadership, Rep. Ro Khanna is introducing a motion to subpoena FCC Chair Brendan Carr to come testify before Oversight Committee after the Jimmy Kimmel cancellation

while Republicans howl about DC being a den of iniquity, worth remembering that House GOP still refuses to let the district use $1B of its own taxpayers' money. That plus the economic hobbling from the DOGE layoffs have left the district in a much more damaged state than it was pre-January 20th

Scoop from me & @joshkovensky.bsky.social: After receiving a subpoena and being threatened with criminal/civil investigations by Trump's DOJ, the University of Michigan's statewide hospital system will stop providing gender-affirming care to patients under 19 talkingpointsmemo.com/news/univers...

The state of Texas (+ Florida) now asking to intervene in the case that attempted to revoke FDA approval of mifepristone, which scotus turned back b/c the anti-abortion doctors lacked standing. Missouri, Kansas + Idaho tried to pick up the mantle, prompting the defendants to say, in so many words:

couple dozen national guard sauntering up and down the wharf amid gaggles of tourists and $9 miller lites 🫡🫡🫡

Still think it's underrated the degree to which Trump's willingness to just say a scandal out loud instead of in secret makes it seem Less Bad. In this case, he said explicitly that he wants to end mail-in voting because he thinks it'll help Republicans in the midterms

The hellish Sweeney news cycle is a helpful microcosm of how Dems simply can't win culture war fights - even if they see that the 'liberal' take is dumb & opt out. Or as I call it: “The left and the right are clashing over x. The left is an Oberlin sophomore and the right is the governor of Texas.”

Scoop: The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists will no longer accept federal funding, citing changes in funding laws and regulations under the Trump admin. This will have knock-on effects, including on programs meant to improve maternal health. Statement to TPM:

Worth noting that Gorsuch seems fully cowed after his surprise vote w/ Roberts in Bostock to find that Civil Rights Act forbids discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation/gender identity. He didn't speak during oral arguments for this trans care case (rare) + didn't write in today's opinion

Roberts wrote that Tennessee's ban on gender affirming care is somehow not discrimination against trans people, and that it doesn't trigger heightened legal scrutiny. talkingpointsmemo.com/news/supreme...

For all the hemming and hawing about Amy Coney Barrett being a secret lib, she chimes in here to say that trans people can never be a suspect class deserving of heightened protections because...discrimination against them hasn't been enshrined in law enough?

Thomas also cheers the sidelining of medical experts - "elite sentiment" - proudly reminding the readers that the court did the same in Dobbs

Thomas chimes in to add that maybe we should stop applying heightened scrutiny to sex-based discrimination in general since courts have only been doing it since the 70s (a. eek b. Thomas footnotes like this one are a good way to know which way the right-wing legal world winds are blowing)

Sotomayor scoffed at the majority’s attempt to recast Tennessee’s ban in a neutral light by claiming that no minor of any sex can get gender affirming care for gender dysphoria, and that any minor of any sex can receive the treatment for other diagnoses:

Sotomayor: "By retreating from meaningful judicial review exactly where it matters most, the Court abandons transgender children and their families to political whims. In sadness, I dissent."

SCOTUS decision upholding the ban of gender affirming care for trans kids (but allowing cis minors to get the exact same treatment) is one of the most poorly reasoned decisions I've ever read. Roberts unbelievably says that trans youth lacks the "maturity" to get this care and may regret it - while

For MAGA influencers (both in and out of office), right-wing violence doesn't exist. When those on the right commit it, they are either secretly liberal (Minnesota shooter), it wasn’t actually violence (Jan. 6 “tourists”) or their victims deserved what they got (the hammer attack on Paul Pelosi).

You may have heard that due to southern migration patterns, Dems are electorally doomed come the 2030 census. I looked under the hood & some key factors — the pandemic, who is moving & the wildcard of immigration — make the future far less predictable. Dive in: talkingpointsmemo.com/news/2030-ce...

Dem senators giving a series of floor speeches expressing horror at Padilla's treatment. Many visibly upset, many imploring Republican colleagues to speak up (seems unlikely for all but the Murkowski type exceptions - Graham told reporters Padilla "got what he wanted, he's on TV")

Padilla in a brief press conference: "I was not arrested. I was not detained. I will say this. If this is how this administration responds to a senator with a question, if this is how the Department of Homeland Security responds to a senator with a question...

Padilla's office says he is no longer detained, and that he was in LA at the presser: "He tried to ask the Secretary a question, and was forcibly removed by federal agents, forced to the ground and handcuffed. He is not currently detained, and we are working to get additional information.”

We knew the death knell on independent agencies was coming, but watching the Court majoritty take this much time to land on "but the Fed is different!! for (spins wheel) its 'unique structure' and (throws dart) its 'historical tradition'!!!" is really something to behold

With a final Supreme Court ruling all but certainly coming down the pike, Trump has been gifted the ultra-powerful, unbounded presidency of Project 2025’s dreams. talkingpointsmemo.com/news/supreme...

In granting Trump's request to have NLRB/MSPB members stay fired for now, SCOTUS tips its hand — it mentions in a 2 page ruling that the Federal Reserve is unlike those other agencies, has a "distinct historical tradition." In other words, it can send indy agencies into extinction except for the Fed

Katsas (Trump appointee) brings up the obvious issue with Trump's firing of NLRB/MSPB members — "What's left of Humphrey's?" (the case that protects those members from at-will firing — Trump admin betting that SCOTUS will overturn that case, but lower courts are still supposed to be bound by it)

Today in DC Circuit args on survival of indy agencies- Judge Pan to government: "Your position is we’re not allowed to have independent agencies in this country even if they’re beneficial, like the federal reserve," she says, adding: "Can you explain why that’s a good way to run the government?"

Wow — Trump's SG won't agree with Barrett that the admin will always follow appellate court precedent while in that circuit. She asks: If the 2nd circuit finds the executive order unconditional, will the admin respect that? Sauer only says that "generally" they do

Sotomayor using a conservative-friendly hypothetical: asks if there's really "no way to stop a President" from executing a "clearly, indisputably unconstitutional act" such as taking guns away from every citizen

Kagan: "There are all kinds of abuses of nationwide injunctions but I think the question that this case presents if one thinks it’s quite clear that the EO is illegal, how does one get to the result on what timeframe by your set of rules without a nationwide injunction?"

Sotomayor says Trump theory on universal injunctions "makes no sense whatsoever." Says Trump's birthright citizenship executive order violates "four Supreme Court precedents" and the administration wants no lower judge to be able to block that

Another federal judge rejects Trump's invocation of the Alien Enemies Act: "The destination, El Salvador, a country paid to take our aliens, is neither the country from which the aliens came, nor to which they wish to be removed... (1/2)

Right-wing justices in rare form today - Kavanaugh now holding forth about Maryland's being founded "on religious liberty." Says he's "surprised that this is the hill we’re gonna die on" w/r/t "not respecting religious liberty." Even thanks MontCo lawyer because it was a "tough case to argue"

Alito clearly smells blood in the water - now taking veiled shots at the MontCo Public Schools lawyer for being able to afford to send kids to other schools while most parents cannot (does not comment on finances of parents who brought suit up to scotus, some of whom removed kids to private school)

Alito now getting very excited about his idea of reading the books to teach LGBTQ inclusion during sex ed classes, from which students can opt out

Parents seem likely to win here - Roberts now fretting about young children lacking the independence to know that what a teacher is exposing them to is not necessarily right - calls it "dangerous" for young kids to be taught they don't have to listen to their teachers

Jackson asks what happens if there's a gay teacher with a photo from her wedding on her desk — can students be opted out of being taught by that teacher? It's 'not just books,' she says - 'it's exposure to people of different sexual orientations'

Sotomayor says she has a whole list of cases in which parents objected to material about women's achievements outside the home, interfaith marriage, evolution, divorce - adds that kids will see these in real life, including women sitting on the Supreme Court. Muses about where to 'draw the line'

Tensions high in the court. Alito jumps in to say story of two men marrying sends a "clear message" applauding the marriage that some may oppose on religious grounds. Sotomayor tries to cut in, Alito snaps "can I finish, please?"

Sotomayor pinning down parents' lawyer in case of parents' 1st A rights vs LGBTQ content in public school system: "Is the exposure of children to the fact of two people of the same sex getting married coercion?" she asks. Lawyer immediately pivots to 'well what if it was porn' argument

Justice Kagan gets in a pointed swipe during arguments over ACA preventative care requirements: "We don't go around just creating independent agencies — more often, we destroy independent agencies," she quips, getting laughs in the courtroom

A cagey Trump administration arrived at court Thursday, where a judge presided over the early stages of a lawsuit stemming from a March executive order mandating that proof of citizenship be added to federal voting forms. talkingpointsmemo.com/news/trump-e...

Leon uses a Dylan lyric to mock the idea that the USADF board members didn't know they were fired: "You don't need a weather man to know which way the wind blows." If Leon decides that the firings were ok (despite the board prez saying there was no notice), board prez seems likely to lose standing

DC District Court's Judge Leon, in the DOGE/African Development Foundation case, says that he can't tell the lawyers when to expect his opinion because "we're a little busy around here these days." Adds: "We're all flooded with TROs and PIs right now - every judge in this court."

DOJ's Drew Ensign reeeeeeally doesn't want to tell Boasberg who was involved on day of deportations. Boasberg currently putting the screws to him on who ordered the planes not to turn around - Ensign not telling. Started by saying it violated atty-client privilege, now says he doesn't know

Judge: "What you were willing to do to try to do this as quickly as possible & avoid being enjoined by a court was risk putting people on those planes who shouldn't have been on those planes in the first place!" Says that happened to "at least 1 that we know of," referring to Kilmar Abrego Garcia

Boasberg asking DOJ incredulously what other "inference" one could draw other than that there "was an expedited effort to get people on planes before my hearing at 5 o'clock, before I ruled." Says gov't rushed "so plaintiffs couldn't challenge it, so it couldn't be enjoined by a court"

I'm at court for the Alien Enemies Act deportations case. Judge Boasberg says he can't believe Trump admin would have operated the way it did if officials believed everything they did the day of the deportations was "legal" and "could survive a court challenge"

The Random Assortment Of Excuses ICE Used To Send Venezuelan Detainees To El Salvador Hellhole talkingpointsmemo.com/where-things...

“Nazis got better treatment under the Alien Enemies Act than has happened here,” Judge Patricia Millett of the D.C. Circuit Court said, adding: “These people weren’t given notice, they weren't told where they were going.” talkingpointsmemo.com/news/federal...

Judge Walker (Trump appointee) taking shots at the district judge (who Trump has been attacking for days), asking if there are any other cases where an order interfering with a 'national security operation' survived appeal. Clear where Walker and Millet stand - Henderson hasn't asked any questions