Harry Litman
@harrylitman.bsky.social
290K followers 170 following 1.5K posts
Host & exec prod, "Talking Feds Pod" and "Talking San Diego." FCA Lawyer. Teach con law at UCSD & UCLA. Senior Fellow USC. Former US Atty, Dep Assis AG. Founding Contributor, The Contrarian
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Reposted by Harry Litman
klasfeldreports.com
The Seventh Circuit REFUSES to allow Trump to immediately deploy the National Guard in Chicago, but allows them to be federalized pending appeal.

Same initial ruling as the Ninth Circuit, before oral arguments.

Doc storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
storage.courtlistener.com
harrylitman.bsky.social
Admin has played its hand so poorly from the day in march they deported him contrary to orders to today that he actually may see freedom (US promised that would never happen) at least temporarily.

Judge Signals She Is Likely to Order Abrego Garcia’s Release Soon www.nytimes.com/2025/10/10/u...
Judge Signals She Is Likely to Order Abrego Garcia’s Release Soon
www.nytimes.com
harrylitman.bsky.social
There are all kinds of guidelines, including consultation with public integrity, which is now been ravaged and it’s two lawyers instead of 30. Everything about this is abnormal, in the literal sense of abandoning all the norms.
harrylitman.bsky.social
Guaranteed that this “ wanted to get it done“ trope is incomplete or a bald lie. A spanking new US attorney who brought a (weak) case against a sitting state AG without coordinating with main justice would get a phone call from the deputy AG firing them within 10 minutes
www.wsj.com/us-news/law/...
Trump’s Favored Prosecutor Is Moving at Full Steam
Lindsey Halligan wasted no time in bringing charges against two of the president’s adversaries.
www.wsj.com
Reposted by Harry Litman
muellershewrote.com
The hush money payoff to Stormy Daniels cost more than house Leticia James bought for her grand niece.
harrylitman.bsky.social
Uh you think so?
And the indicting GJ never heard her testimony.

“Ms. Thompson’s testimony that she has lived in the house rent-free —Ms. James pays even for basic upkeep, — cd make it difficult for prosecutors to convince a jury that the house was meant to be used as a rental investment property.”
harrylitman.bsky.social
United States attorneys offices all have prosecutorial guidelines – amounts of financial loss or property damage, etc. below which they won’t bring a case. I’ve never heard of a financial fraud guideline loss threshold anywhere near as low as 18 K, which is the amount of loss in the James case.
harrylitman.bsky.social
Boom there it is!

untethered to the facts

no credible evidence

if that's a judge's view, no degree of deference should dictate the opposite result. This is a really important principle
jonseidel.bsky.social
Perry: "I have seen no credible evidence that there is danger of rebellion in the state of Illinois."
harrylitman.bsky.social
Charges against James based on a different property from that Pulte had ID'd. Her attorney says she wrote the mortgage broker "THIS PROPERTY WILL NOT BE MY PRIMARY RESIDENCE. IT WILL BE Shamice's (her niece)." Looking forward to discussing the indictment on @allinwithchris.bsky.social at 8 PM ET.
harrylitman.bsky.social
Lindsey Halligan indicts Letitia James on one count of bank fraud in EDVA. We are in an absolute nightmare.
harrylitman.bsky.social
In 9th Cir argument on appeal of Judge Immergut order, Judge Nelson opines,
“The Pres gets to direct his resources as he deems fit, and it just seems a little counterintuitive to me that Portland can come in and say, ‘No. You need to do it differently.’”

Really crazy statement and a bad augury.
Reposted by Harry Litman
talkingfeds.bsky.social
In this week’s 1 on 1, @kateshaw.bsky.social joins Harry to preview the SCOTUS term—executive power, gay rights, and the rise of the shadow docket—and asks the chilling question: is any precedent safe? bit.ly/KateShawTF
harrylitman.bsky.social
Just sayin’:
“Comey’s attorney said he planned to challenge the case as selective and vindictive…He is also planning to argue the indictment should be dismissed because Halligan wasn’t lawfully appointed as U.S. attorney.”

My prediction and analysis from last week:
open.substack.com/pub/harrylit...
DISMISS THIS!
Dumping the Comey Case Before Trial
open.substack.com
Reposted by Harry Litman
catherine-p-henry.bsky.social
"Chicago"--by Carl Sandburg
Stormy, husky, brawling,
City of the Big Shoulders:...
Laughing even as an ignorant fighter laughs who has
never lost a battle,
Bragging and laughing that under his wrist is the pulse,
and under his ribs the heart of the people,
Laughing!
harrylitman.bsky.social
Word. I spent a few years there as well. The amnesia of the country about one of the most important & righteous prosecutions in our history is remarkable.Of course you had to try to figure out about the communications b/t Mark Meadows and members of Congress. It remains a terrible gap in the record.
pbump.com
I spent more than a decade at The Post. It was good to me and I was proud to work there. I’ve largely refrained from being critical since I left. But this framing of the special counsel probe is embarrassing and flatly wrong. Stunning, but not. www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...
Opinion | Jack Smith’s lawfare and James Comey’s arraignment on pathetically weak charges
Good people will be deterred from public service if they see a meaningful risk of winding up in jail afterward.
www.washingtonpost.com
Reposted by Harry Litman
pbump.com
I spent more than a decade at The Post. It was good to me and I was proud to work there. I’ve largely refrained from being critical since I left. But this framing of the special counsel probe is embarrassing and flatly wrong. Stunning, but not. www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...
Opinion | Jack Smith’s lawfare and James Comey’s arraignment on pathetically weak charges
Good people will be deterred from public service if they see a meaningful risk of winding up in jail afterward.
www.washingtonpost.com
harrylitman.bsky.social
They obviously had to look really hard to dredge these two up & nobody at all in EDVA was willing. What a mess she’s bought into. “Halligan was the only lawyer for the government listed on the docket until Tuesday, when 2 federal prosecutors from North Car entered their appearances alongside her.”
harrylitman.bsky.social
Even apart from the rank lawlessness of a reprisal prosecution, this has to be about the lousiest case I've ever seen. If it gets to trial, US will get its head handed to it.

Prosecutors Warned Main Comey Witness Would Doom Entire Case newrepublic.com/post/201467/... via @newrepublic.com
Prosecutors Warned Main Comey Witness Would Doom Entire Case
There’s a reason federal prosecutors didn’t want this indictment to happen.
newrepublic.com
harrylitman.bsky.social
National Guard from TEXAS, untrained in domestic law enforcement, are now patrolling Illinois (and apparently cracking heads), based on the wholly fictitious premise of a rebellion in Chicago. Looking forward to discussing on #deadlinewhitehouse with @nicolewallace.bsky.social at 5 PM ET.
harrylitman.bsky.social
“Bondi seemed pleased with her performance, which is a further indication of her essential puerility. It doesn’t take much skill to throw insults at Senators, just a hypertrophic spleen.”

open.substack.com/pub/harrylit...
A Ridiculous Attorney General
Bondi’s smug evasions revealed volumes about the Administration
open.substack.com
harrylitman.bsky.social
"Bondi is a patent lightweight & essentially a programmed attack dog for Trump. She is destined to be remembered as a consummate traitor to the DOJ mission,her portrait gathering dust in the basement. But her service to Trump captures the admin's great contempt..."

open.substack.com/pub/harrylit...
A Ridiculous Attorney General
Bondi’s smug evasions revealed volumes about the Administration
open.substack.com
harrylitman.bsky.social
Comey’s lawyer Pat Fitzgerald tells the court they will be filing a selective prosecution motion and I’m sure others as well. That’s the right move even though Comey had seemed rarin’ to go to trial.
Trial set forJanuary 5. EDVA moves fast, but not that fast given the motions practice. It will slip.
harrylitman.bsky.social
Two details to focus on at Comey’s arraignment:1) who is at the table for the government, since the entire EDVA loathes the case; 2) does judge Nachmanoff set immed schedule for motions (or even ask the parties what motions they are planning) or instead set another hearing date at which to do that?