P. Andrew Torrez
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andrewtorrez.bsky.social
P. Andrew Torrez
@andrewtorrez.bsky.social
12K followers 1.7K following 2.5K posts
HLS '97, ex-BigLaw

Practicing lawyer and cohost of the @lawandchaospod.bsky.social podcast with @lizdye.bsky.social

READ MY STUFF! lawandchaospod.com
LISTEN TO MY STUFF! patreon.com/lawandchaospod

he/him
Posts Replies Media Videos
andrewtorrez.bsky.social
Nothing like Thanksgiving for a brand new @lizdye.bsky.social
atrupar.com Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 1d
"Weeks of watching Florida insurance lawyer Lindsey Halligan flail around like a toddler trying to teach calculus should serve as a warning about the perils of crowdsourcing legal research to literal randos on the internet. *But it won’t.*" — @lizdye.bsky.social
Bill Pulte and Ed Martin's shitposting legal strategy
It's backfired so spectacularly that now *they're* the ones being investigated.
www.publicnotice.co
November 27, 2025 at 7:58 PM
Reposted by P. Andrew Torrez
atrupar.com
"Weeks of watching Florida insurance lawyer Lindsey Halligan flail around like a toddler trying to teach calculus should serve as a warning about the perils of crowdsourcing legal research to literal randos on the internet. *But it won’t.*" — @lizdye.bsky.social
Bill Pulte and Ed Martin's shitposting legal strategy
It's backfired so spectacularly that now *they're* the ones being investigated.
www.publicnotice.co
November 26, 2025 at 2:25 PM
Reposted by P. Andrew Torrez
reichlinmelnick.bsky.social
ICE has just under four years to spend $29.9 billion, they are going to outsource AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE to contractors because money is essentially not a problem anymore for the agency.
dell.bsky.social dell cameron @dell.bsky.social · 2d
NEW: ICE has torn up its $180M cap on a proposed immigrant-tracking program and is now guaranteeing private surveillance firms at least $7.5M each, with potential payouts reaching $281M per vendor. The change signals a shift from “pilot” to full-scale outsourcing of street-level investigative work.
ICE Offers Up to $280 Million to Immigrant-Tracking ‘Bounty Hunter’ Firms
Immigration and Customs Enforcement lifted a $180 million cap on a proposed immigrant-tracking program while guaranteeing multimillion-dollar payouts for private surveillance firms.
www.wired.com
November 25, 2025 at 9:31 PM
andrewtorrez.bsky.social
If you want to know all the ins & outs of the latest Lindsey Halligan ruling, including what happens next, we’ve got you covered!

With @lizdye.bsky.social

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/law-and-chaos/id1727769913
Law and Chaos
Government Podcast · Updated Weekly · Ignorance of the law is no excuse! That's true for a traffic stop, and it's true if you want to participate in whatever's left of American democracy. If the event...
podcasts.apple.com
November 25, 2025 at 8:29 PM
Reposted by P. Andrew Torrez
macfarlanenews.bsky.social
Per multiple sources:

Two hours after ruling that Lindsey Halligan was unlawfully appointed to her post as US Atty in Virginia, prosecutors in the office were notified to put name of an assistant U.S. Atty atop cases

At 430p, instruction was reversed. They were told to resume using Halligan’s name
November 25, 2025 at 2:19 PM
andrewtorrez.bsky.social
BREAKING
1/ Judge Currie rules that Lindsey Halligan was not lawfully appointed as Interim US Attorney for the EDVa & therefore dismisses James Comey's indictment without prejudice.

Much more TK!
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
OPINION AND ORDER GRANTING MOTION TO DISMISS INDICTMENT (ECF NO. 60) On September 25, 2025, Lindsey Halligan, a former White House aide with no prior prosecutorial experience, appeared before a federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Virginia. Having been appointed Interim U.S. Attorney by the Attorney General just days before, Ms. Halligan secured a two-count indictment charging former FBI Director James B. Comey, Jr. with making false statements to Congress and obstructing a congressional proceeding. Mr. Comey now moves to dismiss the indictment on the ground that Ms. Halligan, the sole prosecutor who presented the case to the grand jury, was unlawfully appointed in violation of 28 U.S.C. § 546 and the Constitution’s Appointments Clause. As explained below, I agree with Mr. Comey that the Attorney General’s attempt to install Ms. Halligan as Interim U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia was invalid. And because Ms. Halligan had no lawful authority to present the indictment, I will grant Mr. Comey’s motion and dismiss the indictment without prejudice.
November 24, 2025 at 5:38 PM
andrewtorrez.bsky.social
Also: you won’t have Lindsey Halligan to kick around much longer
andrewtorrez.bsky.social P. Andrew Torrez @andrewtorrez.bsky.social · 6d
There’s a reason why the right hates Judge James Boasberg (D.D.C.) so much. We think it’s because he won’t just look the other way & pretend this administration didn’t lie to his face.

We talk sanctions & so much more.

with @lizdye.bsky.social

podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/l...
Law and Chaos
Government Podcast · Updated Weekly · Ignorance of the law is no excuse! That's true for a traffic stop, and it's true if you want to participate in whatever's left of American democracy. If the event...
podcasts.apple.com
November 22, 2025 at 11:12 PM
andrewtorrez.bsky.social
There’s a reason why the right hates Judge James Boasberg (D.D.C.) so much. We think it’s because he won’t just look the other way & pretend this administration didn’t lie to his face.

We talk sanctions & so much more.

with @lizdye.bsky.social

podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/l...
Law and Chaos
Government Podcast · Updated Weekly · Ignorance of the law is no excuse! That's true for a traffic stop, and it's true if you want to participate in whatever's left of American democracy. If the event...
podcasts.apple.com
November 21, 2025 at 2:39 PM
Reposted by P. Andrew Torrez
lizdye.bsky.social
Halligan's team is now docketing hourly motions explaining that she absolutely, positively DID NOT F— UP the Comey indictment

storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
This confirms the Court's recognition that the two-count true bill is the valid, operative indictment. III. The Transcript Leaves No Room for Ambiguity The complete record eliminates any doubt: • The foreperson confirmed the vote. • The Court acknowledged the vote. • The Court docketed the two-count true bill as the operative indictment. • Only Count One lacked concurrence; Counts Two and Three were true-billed by at least twelve jurors. IV. Conclusion Accordingly, any assertion that the grand jury "never voted on the two-count indictment" is contradicted by the official transcript. For the reasons stated herein, the government respectfully
November 20, 2025 at 7:33 PM
andrewtorrez.bsky.social
In the MAGA justice system, Donald Trump is represented by two separate yet equally important groups: obsequious incompetent toadies who are willing to break the law; and... other toadies who are also willing to break the law but really hate that first group of guys. These are their stories.
kendilanian-nbc.bsky.social Ken Dilanian @kendilanian-nbc.bsky.social · 7d
SCOOP: A federal grand jury in Maryland is investigating whether FHFA director Bill Pulte and Justice Department prosecutor Ed Martin improperly appointed unauthorized people to help in mortgage fraud investigations of President Trump's critics. With @carolleonnig.bsky.social
November 20, 2025 at 5:47 PM
andrewtorrez.bsky.social
Remember this summer when the Texas state Dems broke quorum and fled the state to “draw national Democratic attention” to Republican gerrymandering?

Remember feeling… skeptical that would do anything? (I do.)

Well, it turns out that strategy actually worked!
November 20, 2025 at 4:47 PM
Reposted by P. Andrew Torrez
atrupar.com
"If there’s a bright spot it’s that media outlets now realize that paying Trump off is risky. ABC, which give his presidential library $16m after Stephanopoulos called him an adjudicated rapist — he’s actually an adjudicated sexual abuser — finds itself back in the crosshairs" — @lizdye.bsky.social
CNN shows that when media orgs fight Trump, they win
Take this grift and shove it.
www.publicnotice.co
November 19, 2025 at 10:02 PM
andrewtorrez.bsky.social
I’m listening to this JGG hearing right now and it is 🔥
November 19, 2025 at 7:31 PM
Reposted by P. Andrew Torrez
lizdye.bsky.social
Trump's trollsuits are all garbage. Any company that settles is *choosing* to pay a bribe.

When media outlets fight, they win.

www.publicnotice.co/p/trump-cnn-...
CNN shows that when media orgs fight Trump, they win
Take this grift and shove it.
www.publicnotice.co
November 19, 2025 at 4:32 PM
andrewtorrez.bsky.social
You should be reading @marciej.bsky.social
November 18, 2025 at 9:02 PM
andrewtorrez.bsky.social
Sanctions are a-comin’ for the Trump administration in front of the judge who scares them the most.

With @lizdye.bsky.social

podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/l...
Law and Chaos
Government Podcast · Updated Weekly · Ignorance of the law is no excuse! That's true for a traffic stop, and it's true if you want to participate in whatever's left of American democracy. If the event...
podcasts.apple.com
November 18, 2025 at 1:49 PM
Reposted by P. Andrew Torrez
emptywheel.bsky.social
Reup: I happened to do a video this morning laying out the Fourth Amendment problems that might blow up this week, as they just did.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=auQZ...
A General Warrant for Jim Comey
YouTube video by emptywheel
www.youtube.com
November 17, 2025 at 4:43 PM
Reposted by P. Andrew Torrez
lizdye.bsky.social
Is it like bad when the prosecutor tells the grand jury that there's no Fifth Amendment right not to testify in your own criminal case?

storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
First, after having advised the grand jurors that the prosecutor was their legal advisor (ECF 178-1 at 46), the prosecutor stated: " (ECF 178-1 at 105) The prosecutor's statement that is a fundamental and highly prejudicial misstatement of the law that suggests to the grand jury that Mr. Comey does not have a Fifth Amendment right not to testify at trial. The prosecutor's statement ignores the foundational rule of law that if Mr. Comey exercised his right not to testify the jury could draw no negative inference from that decision. See Griffin v. California, 380 U.S. 609, 615 (1965) (holding that the Fifth Amendment "forbids either comment by the prosecution on the accused's silence or instructions by the court that such silence is evidence of guilt.") The prosecutor's statement that may have reasonably set an expectation in the minds of the grand jurors that rather than the government bear the burden to prove Mr. Comey's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial, the burden shifts to Mr. Comey to explain away the government's evidence. See Victor v. Nebraska, 511 U.S. 1, 22 (1994) (holding that the Due
November 17, 2025 at 4:34 PM
andrewtorrez.bsky.social
Paging @emptywheel.bsky.social

Magistrate Judge Fitzpatrick's head exploded trying to unpack Lindsey Halligan's (probable) lies about when she returned to the grand jury, noting that the 7-minute gap between when Halligan said she was notified & when she got the indictment does not add up.
On November 14, 2025, the prosecutor filed a declaration with the Court attempting to address the issue of whether the transcript of the grand jury proceedings filed with the Court was the full and complete transcript. ECF 187-1. The prosecutor stated that after the grand jury was left to deliberate on the first indictment at approximately 4:28 p.m., she had no further contact with the grand jury. The prosecutor further stated that at approximately 6:40 p.m. she was notified by the then-First Assistant United States Attorney that the grand jury returned a true bill on only two of the three counts presented by the government.11 Id. The prosecutor, according to her declaration, then proceeded to the courtroom for the return of the indictment. Id. The hearing on the return of the indictment began at approximately 6:47 p.m. ECF 10. The short time span between the moment the prosecutor learned that the grand jury rejected one count in the original indictment and the time the prosecutor appeared in court to return the second indictment could not have been sufficient to draft the second indictment, sign the second indictment, present it to the grand jury, provide legal instructions to the grand jury, and give them an opportunity to deliberate and render a decision on the new indictment. If the prosecutor is mistaken about the time she received notification of the grand jury’s vote on the original indictment, and this procedure did take place, then the transcript and audio recording provided to followed by FN 11 11 If the Court is to read the prosecutor’s declaration as suggesting there was no contact between any government official and the grand jury after 4:28 p.m., then it begs the question of how the then-First Assistant learned that the grand jury had refused to indict on one count, and how the First Assistant knew which count had been rejected by the grand jury, all before the indictment was returned in open court.
November 17, 2025 at 4:19 PM
andrewtorrez.bsky.social
Magistrate Judge Fitzpatrick orders the government to turn over all grand jury materials to Comey's defense team.

That's separate from Judge Currie's continuing investigation into the legality of Halligan's appointment & her behavior before the grand jury.

www.courtlistener.com/docket/71459...
ORDERED that, by 3:00 p.m. on November 17, 2025, the Clerk of Court shall make available to the defense all grand jury materials filed on the docket under seal by the government (ECF 179); and it is further ORDERED that the government shall, no later than 5:00 p.m. on November 17, 2025, produce to the defense the complete audio recording of the grand jury proceedings; and it is further ORDERED that the Clerk of Court shall file on the public docket the version of the Memorandum Opinion containing narrow redactions of grand jury material; and it is further ORDERED that the Clerk of Court shall maintain the unredacted version of the Memorandum Opinion under seal until further order of the Court as to James B. Comey, Jr. Signed by Magistrate Judge William E. Fitzpatrick on 11/17/2025. (jlan) (Entered: 11/17/2025)
November 17, 2025 at 4:01 PM
andrewtorrez.bsky.social
Our saga of trying to unravel the administration's (probable) lies about exactly what happened with the James Comey grand jury - particularly during the 2+ hours the court reporter was not in the room! - continues.

Featuring sleuthing by @lizdye.bsky.social

www.lawandchaospod.com/p/lindsey-ha...
Lindsey Halligan's Math Ain't Mathin'
How do you get three indictments out of one presentment?
www.lawandchaospod.com
November 17, 2025 at 3:50 PM
Reposted by P. Andrew Torrez
lizdye.bsky.social
This is a tremendous piece of journalism
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
‘It’s a Culture Now of Fear: A Year of Chaos Inside the Justice Department’
www.nytimes.com
November 17, 2025 at 1:50 PM
andrewtorrez.bsky.social
The “signature policy” doctrine was announced by the Supreme Court in Trump v US (2024).
atrupar.com Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 11d
Bessent on tariffs: "This is one of President Trump's signature policies, and traditionally the Supreme Court does not interfere with a president's signature policy."
November 16, 2025 at 4:48 PM
andrewtorrez.bsky.social
Imaginary US Atty Lindsey Halligan filed a "Notice Correcting the Record" this afternoon in the Comey prosecution.

I was pretty sure she was lying & spent about an hour spelunking documents to prove it. I should have just read @emptywheel.bsky.social instead!

www.emptywheel.net/2025/11/14/l...
Lindsey the Insurance Lawyer's Story Gets Stupider - emptywheel
Lindsey Halligan now claims that she got at least two indictments out of one grand jury presentment. And Pam Bondi thinks that's cool.
www.emptywheel.net
November 14, 2025 at 10:08 PM
andrewtorrez.bsky.social
What’s a discharge petition and when are we getting the Epstein files??

With @lizdye.bsky.social

podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/l...
Law and Chaos
Government Podcast · Updated Weekly · Ignorance of the law is no excuse! That's true for a traffic stop, and it's true if you want to participate in whatever's left of American democracy. If the event...
podcasts.apple.com
November 14, 2025 at 12:45 PM