Main Justice

Will Rosenzwieg was an Assistant US Attorney in Florida working on a significant Medicare fraud case when he was summarily fired by then AG Pam Bondi, citing Article Two. He’s now suing AG Todd Blanche and the Justice Department. His attorney, Margaret Donovan, joins this episode to share how a years-old blog Rosenzwieg had written criticizing Trump—before he was ever a federal employee—led to his dismissal, hours after it surfaced on social media via a right-wing influencer. “It's remarkable that the government wouldn't recognize what is so flagrantly a First Amendment violation,” Donovan says. After detailing the complaint, Mary and Andrew move to Todd Blanche’s confirmation, before examining a ruling by an Alabama judge rejecting a motion to dismiss the case against the Southern Poverty Law Center on vindictive grounds. Next, they look at the latest in Trump’s White House ballroom case after an appeals court upheld the block on its construction last Friday. Plus: a nod to his two new executive orders targeting birthright citizenship.

Further Reading: 

Here is the Will Rosenzweig complaint: https://www.justsecurity.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Rosenzweig-v.-Blanche-Complaint-Aug.-7-2026.pdf 

Here is the White House Ballroom Appeals Court decision: https://media.cadc.uscourts.gov/opinions/docs/2026/08/26-5123-2187096.pdf 

After wrapping this episode, the group representing Barbara in the “Barbara v. Trump” birthright citizenship case filed a Motion to Clarify the Preliminary Injunction. That motion is here: https://www.aclu.org/cases/barbara-v-donald-j-trump?document=Motion-to-Clarify-PI#legal-documents

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The first ticket on Mary and Andrew’s agenda: the latest on Todd Blanche’s confirmation. After prodding from two Republican Senators, Blanche released a Sunday night statement allegedly rescinding the $1.776 “Anti-Weaponization Fund” to pacify their concerns. And by all measures, it worked. But in Andrew’s estimation, the statement was “the world’s smallest fig leaf,” with both hosts noting that the “settlement agreement” can only be changed in writing if signed by both parties. Mary calls it “basically a press statement” rather than a legal order. Then, they turn to former FBI Director James Comey’s filing of multiple motions to dismiss his “Seashell” indictment, including one on the grounds of vindictive and selective prosecution. They detail court filings that show an array of issues with the case, including surveillance of him and his wife by the Secret Service. Next, Andrew and Mary detail why Jeanine Pirro’s Reflecting Pool case against Olympian David Hearn fell apart, after a disastrous rush to charge before the facts were in. And last up: Trump asks the Supreme Court to hear an appeal over E. Jean Caroll’s $83.3 million defamation verdict.

A Note to Listeners: As the 2026 midterm elections heat up, MS NOW is headed to the Lone Star State. Join more than a dozen of your favorite hosts - including Rachel Maddow, Lawrence O'Donnell, Jen Psaki, Michael Steele, Ali Velshi and more - in Arlington, Texas on September 26 for a day of community and conversation about the issues that matter most to you. Get your tickets at ms.now/together.

Further Reading: 

Here is the affidavit of James Comey's attorney, Pat Fitzgerald: AFFIDAVIT OF PATRICK J. FITZGERALD IN SUPPORT OF MOTION TO DISMISS FOR VINDICTIVE AND SELECTIVE PROSECUTION, MOTION TO SUPPRESS AND FOR FRANKS HEARING, AND MOTION FOR DISCLOSURE OF GRAND JURY PROCEEDINGS

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Mary and Andrew begin this week by addressing the Department of Justice dropping the subpoenas they ordered against New York Times journalists who reported on security concerns regarding President Trump’s new Qatari-government-gifted Air Force One jet, noting that the attempt to subpoena the writers speaks to a failed effort of “chilling and intimidating” other reporters. But still, there were even more subpoenas: last week, the DOJ filed subpoenas for 14 major law firms as part of an ongoing lawsuit between the American Bar Association (ABA) and the Executive Office of the President, which Mary and Andrew believe is an effort by the government to try and “get the law firms to pressure the ABA to drop this lawsuit.” They also touch on an update to journalist Katie Phang’s lawsuit against the federal government over Epstein files redactions and address Jack Smith’s criminal referral by House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan. Plus, two immigration-related cases: a judge’s decision to throw out a DOJ lawsuit challenging Minnesota immigration laws and an appeal court’s decision to reverse a lower court decision releasing Pro-Palestinian activist Mohsen Mahdawi.

A Note to Listeners: As the 2026 midterm elections heat up, MS NOW is headed to the Lone Star State. Join more than a dozen of your favorite hosts - including Rachel Maddow, Lawrence O'Donnell, Jen Psaki, Michael Steele, Ali Velshi and more - in Arlington, Texas on September 26 for a day of community and conversation about the issues that matter most to you. Get your tickets at ms.now/together.

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Last week, all eyes were on Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s confirmation hearing to lead the Justice Department. Mary and Andrew begin with their takeaways: from Blanche’s “evasive, hyper-technical non-responses” to why his close relationship with Donald Trump is problematic, noting a moment where Blanche referred to himself as “his lawyer” and then quickly corrected himself — which Mary called a Freudian slip. They then turn to Trump’s Thursday night address, where he claimed that U.S. elections have been compromised for years. Separating fact from fiction, the co-hosts look at how Trump’s undermining of public confidence may affect the upcoming midterms. Mary and Andrew also highlight reporting from the New York Times indicating a slew of cases brought by ICE against protesters and immigrants are failing the sniff test in court. Plus, an update on former Columbia graduate student Mahmoud Khalil, who recently filed a lawsuit alleging the government and others were part of an effort to suppress criticism of Israel from pro-Palestinian demonstrators.

Note to Listeners: As the 2026 midterm elections heat up, MS NOW is headed to the Lone Star State. Join more than a dozen of your favorite hosts - including Rachel Maddow, Lawrence O'Donnell, Jen Psaki, Michael Steele, Ali Velshi and more - in Arlington, Texas on September 26 for a day of community and conversation about the issues that matter most to you. Get your tickets at ms.now/together.

Further Reading: 

This is the New York Times’ reporting on ICE cases falling apart: They Were Charged With Assaulting ICE Agents. The Cases Are Crumbling.

And here is their reporting on ICE related shootings: At Least 23 People Have Been Shot at by Federal Immigration Agents Since Last Year

Andrew and Mary also wanted to note this new Compendium from Just Security: “Zero Evidence”: How Judges and Grand Juries Have Rejected the Trump Administration Efforts to Investigate and Prosecute

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With Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s confirmation hearing set to begin midweek, Andrew and Mary use this episode to look at the totality of his tenure at the Justice Department, detailing example after example of how — despite his role as the chief lawyer for the United States — he is still functioning as the de facto personal lawyer for the president. They start things off by dissecting a deeply consequential and searing opinion from District Judge Kathleen Williams over Trump’s IRS lawsuit, effectively finding, in Mary’s telling, that it “was collusion. It was the president being on both sides of that case, and it's no adversity between the parties.” Then, the co-hosts take a broader gaze into what Blanche has done: his handling of the Epstein files and Ghislaine Maxwell, the ongoing investigations and attempted prosecutions of Trump’s political enemies and how he has used the DOJ as the president’s personal law firm. Mary and Andrew also review the Justice Department’s recent actions with Blanche at the helm, including an example from the past week of the ongoing “assault on journalists”: subpoenaing New York Times journalists who wrote about the jet gifted to the US by the Qatari government.

Further Reading: 

Here is a transcript of Mary’s testimony during former Attorney General Pam Bondi’s confirmation hearing: https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/2025-01-16_-_testimony_-_mccord.pdf

Judge Williams’ Decision: Here is the Order in Trump v. IRS 

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