Court Watch, Part V.

 Expect a major hissy fit.

I think we can confidently assume this project is dead, and that some lesser more useful construction will take place after Trump is out of office.

The judge ruled that the plaintiff was likely to prevail as the administration likely lacks the authority they tried to exercise here.

They should refund the money and Trump should pay for this destruction himself.

April 1, 2026

Trump's executive order on mail voting is set to face legal challenges

April 2, 2026

From the CST:

Basically the judge decided the issues in the two matters weren't sufficiently identical for consolidation.

On other matters:

Lex Anteinternet: Courthouses of the West: Donald Trump attends oral...: Courthouses of the West: Donald Trump attends oral arguments in Trump v. Ba... : That's the birthright citizenship case. Trump's goi...

I posted this yesterday.

Courthouses of the West: Donald Trump attends oral arguments in Trump v. Barbara

Courthouses of the West: Donald Trump attends oral arguments in Trump v. Ba...: That's the birthright citizenship case. Trump's going to lose this case, which will be another example of the wheels coming off of h...

Donald Trump attends oral arguments in Trump v. Barbara.

That's the birthright citizenship case.

Trump's going to lose this case, which will be another example of the wheels coming off of his administration.  His presence at the Court will not impress anyone, let alone the Justices. Trump seems to have lost any sense that he's not that impressive to about 70% of Americans.

His attendance is, frankly, appalling.

Cont (April 1, 2026)

JUSTICE NEIL GORSUCH: Do you think Native Americans today are birthright citizens under your test and under your friend's test?

D. JOHN SAUER, U.S. SOLICITOR GENERAL: I think so. I mean, obviously, they've been granted citizenship by statute ...

GORSUCH: Put aside the statute. Do you think they're birthright citizens?

SAUER: No, I think the clear understanding that everybody agrees in the congressional debates is that the children of tribal Indians are not birthright citizens.

GORSUCH: I understand that's what they said. But your test is the domicile of the parents, and that would be the test you'd have us apply today, right?

SAUER: Yes, yes. So, if a tribal Indian, for example, you know, gives up allegiance to ...

GORSUCH: Are tribal members born today birthright citizens?

SAUER: I think so, on our test, if they're lawfully domiciled here. I'm not s—, I have to think that through, but that's my reaction.

GORSUCH: I'll take the yes. That's alright.

Gee Louise, this administration is really something. 

It turns out that Trump left after Justice Jackson pretty much eviscerated the solicitor, D. John Sauer, who was sent to argue this.  Sauer's career really ought to be over for such a lame argument that was so obviously legal deficient.  He's a former Missouri solicitor and, more important, one of the lawyers who was willing to represent Trump in the past.

Last edition:

Court Watch, Part IV.

Labels: 2025 White House Vandalization, Abortion, California, Court, Court Watch, Donald Trump, election, Epstein Scandal, Pamela Jo Bondi, Texas, The 2021 Insurrection, The Second Trump Administration, Utah, Wyoming (Weston County)

Court Watch, Part IV.

Weston County, Wyoming, courthouse.

The Justice Department has sued California to block new congressional district boundaries approved by California voters last week.

It's leaving the Texas crap districts alone, however.

In Utah, a Court blocked an effort to prevent their new commission designed districts, which features, gasp, a Democratic seat.

Cont:

Trump ordered the Justice Department to investigate links Jeffrey Epstein had to prominent Democrats and institutions including former President Bill Clinton and former treasury secretary, Larry Summers. Read as he bounces off the wall in panic like a grade school dodge ball.  Bondi, of course, a loyal sycophant, appointed a prosecutor.

November 15, 2025

Weston County Clerk In Court, Pleads Not Guilty To Ignoring Legislative Subpoena

Wyoming Supreme Court Pauses Judge's Order For More School Counselors, Computers

 November 17, 2025

* * *

The judge is clearly signaling that this case is well on the way towards being dismissed.

November 18, 2025

A Federal Court in Texas has blocked the state from using its recently redrawn Congressional District map.

Oops.

This will be appealed, but if the decision is upheld it would mean that the five GOP (probably) seats that the state added won't be, while California, in a recent election, added five.

Oops.

Additionally, early indicators are that Texas Hispanics are following the national tread and are becoming disenchanted with the GOP, so some Texas districts may swing Democratic on their own.

Oops.

All of this could mean that the 2026 election could see the House not only swing Democratic, but perhaps massively so, and that some of the Returning Republicans are no longer big fans of Trump, to which those survivors will be reassessing their loyalty to Trump.

November 21, 2015

Sen. Elissa Slotkin, Sen. Mark Kelly, and Reps. Jason Crow, Chris Deluzio, Maggie Goodlander and Chrissy Houlahan, all veterans, released  a video urging member of the armed forces not to follow illegal orders.  Donald Trump is now threatening them with prosecution for sedition, and the death penalty, which is ironic, as Trump is a seditionist.

A Federal Court ordered the illegal Trump deployment of National Guardsmen to Washington D.C. to come to an end.

November 24, 2025

The North Dakota Supreme Court upheld the state's abortion ban, causing abortion to again become illegal in the state.

cont:

Federal criminal indictments against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James were dismissed after a finding the prosecutor was not lawfully appointed.

December 3, 2025

Rasner’s Defamation Case Against Bouchard Survives First Hurdle

Two well known names from the state's Republican politics.

December 4, 2025

Family of Colombian man killed in U.S. strike files human rights challenge

December 5, 2025

Headline in CST:

Court allows Texas maps

A Federal grand jury declined to indict New York Attorney General Letitia James on mortgage fraud.

December 12, 2025

The DOJ failed a second time to indict Letitia James

cont:

The National Trust for Historic Preservation has sued to stop construction of the giant White House ballroom.

December 16, 2025

Weston County Clerk Says Legislators Broke Law By Issuing Subpoena

December 17, 2025

Jack Smith tells lawmakers his team developed ‘proof beyond a reasonable doubt’ against Trump

December 18, 2025

Platte County Complaint Against Commissioners Contain False Claims

December 29, 20205

Wyoming AG Appeals Wind Lease Ruling As Gordon, Gray Clash Over Decision

Sued For Defamation, Former State Senator Says WyoFile Should Be Sued Too  

December 31, 2025

Deposition testimony of Jack Smith.

From the deposition:

President Trump was by a large measure the most culpable and most responsible person in this conspiracy. These crimes were committed for his benefit. The attack that happened at the Capitol…does not happen without him.

January 6, 2026

The big news, of course, is that an illegitimate foreign head of state has been indicted in the United States brought here in a raid by an illegitimate head of state who has experience with the criminal justice system himself.

Total bogosity.

In other news, and in more bogosity of a sorts, the National Rifle Association is suing the NRA Foundation, a trust that benefits the NRA in what partially can be attributed to an ongoing inter NRA feud.

That things were going wrong at the NRA was pretty evident for quite some time.  Things are still going wrong at the NRA.  The organization was run for decades by Wayne LaPierre who followed in the footsteps of Haron Carter in fundamentally changing the organization.

Carter rose to power in the organization in 1977.  Prior to that date the organization had been agnostic on gun control. Following that it moved to being an ardent opponent.

It was under Wayne LaPierre, however, that the organization became radical, frequently using extreme claims to raise funds.  His personal life a bit of a mystery, but he was undoubtedly successful in building up the NRA which became effectively a fundraising arm of the Republican Party, which it remains in spite of LaPierre's fall in a corruption trial.  While LaPierre is gone, the current NRA maintains the script, even though its numbers are falling dramatically off.  It will, for instance, no longer issue a print edition of the American Rifleman starting this year.

What exactly this trial entials I don't know.  It'll be interesting to watch.  It's already accused the Foundation of being run by the disgruntled.

At any rate, while NRA concerns about gun control were well placed into the 1990s, the supposed threats they posed were really waning by late in that decade and the organization has been crying wolf for years.  Gun owners know that and have been dropping out of it, tired of the message that Stalingrad is right around the corner.  Moderate Republicans who are horrified by Trump have not been impressed with NRA's ongoing drumbeat for him.  The LaPierre tactics that lead to its rise, and fall, foreshadowed the rise and tactics of MAGA to some degree, and like a lot of things touched by Trump, the organization appears to be dying.  In recent years, it's support for Trump have lead to claims of hypocrisy by some on the left.

A sad thing is that the NRA really does do some very important firearms work.  It supports shooting programs, matches and range safety in a major way.  There's nothing to replace it in these areas.

January 8, 2026

Wyoming Attorney General To Ask For One Last Chance To Defend Abortion Bans

January 10, 2026

Weston County clerk subpoena was valid, court filings argue: The Natrona County District Attorney maintains the Wyoming Legislature was acting in its legal authority.

Odd news here:

Casper Man Pleads Guilty To Making Violent Threats Against Jewish Organization

January 13, 2026

Sen. Mark Kelly has filed a lawsuit Monday seeking to reverse Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s letter of censure and effort to potentially demote him.  Kelly will win the suit.

January 17, 2026

I have to wonder if this:

Will influence the United States Supreme Court, which is about to rule on the legality of Trump's tariffs.  A sane ruling would strike them down as illegal.  If they were thinking of supporting them, as of right now they knew that Donald Trump is Bat Shit Crazy and ought to be reined in with a curb bit until he gags.

He's nuts.

Maybe this will influence the Court.

February 18, 2026

Basically, the Trump Administration has been white washing history displays at the parks, part of both a MAGA knee jerk and National Conservative agenda.

Last edition:

Court Watch, Part III.

Labels: 2020s, 2025, 2025 White House Vandalization, California (Los Angeles), California National Guard, Court, Court Watch, The Second Trump Administration, transgenderism, University of Wyoming, Wyoming (Glenrock)

CliffsNotes of the Zeitgeist, 110th Edition. Ballooning ballrooms and murder on the sea.

The Autocrat and the Architect.

Reports are leaking out that Trump's architect and Trump are now at odds over the ever expanding ballroom, with McCreey having told Trump that the building, which now will hold over 1,000 people, is getting too big and is going to engulf the White House itself.  McCreery is no longer taking a day to day role in the vandalization.

It frankly is looking more and more like this project will never get built.  Trump's dementia is racing through his cerebellum now and the clock on his illegitimate occupancy of the Presidency is likely winding down.

The ballroom, which nobody other than Trump wants, and has not been wanted for 150 years like Trump likes to claim, is a major focus for Trump.  He's desperately looking for a physical monument to himself.

Looking for somebody to blame for murder.

Over the last few days, since the Washington Post broke the news that survivors of the first illegal Venezuelan boat sinking were subsequently murdered on the water, the Trump administration has been bouncing off the walls to get ahead of the story.

On the Weekend shows, Noem slandered the newspaper, saying she wouldn't believe the story.  Since then it's gone from Hegseth ordered everyone killed, but that was before the first illegal act, and the Navy commander of the operation acted independently, apparently interpreting his orders in that fashion.

The irony is that, of course, the same group of people were having a fit about a collection of Senators who are veterans urging service members not to follow illegal orders.  Now it turns out that a major illegal order was just given.  In fact, the entire boat sinking campaign off of Venezuela is illegal, so the first strike was itself murder.  Killing the survivors is definitely illegal.

Gray complaining about Gordon.

Chuck Gray is complaining about the Governor not granting him extra money to publicize a moronic initiative to completely destroy the state's finances by cutting property taxes 50%.  

Gray will take off before the chickens ever come home to roost on this.  He's still aligned with the Freedom Caucus but it's pretty this legislative session, where they are going to loom large, is going to be their high water mark.  Gray wants to be governor, but he's not going to get that position.  I'd guess that Barlow will, although its quite early.  When that effort fails, Gray might take a run at the Senate, if he's still around, and then depart, or just depart.

Postscript:

The official position is that the Admiral in charge of the operation ordered the second strike, with Hegseth saying he had left by the time it occurred.  He also cited the fog of war as the reason for the killing, which would presuppose there being a war, which there isn't.

Last edition:

CliffsNotes of the Zeitgeist, 109th Edition. Lost love. Painting Targets. Piggy. Articles of Surrender. Voting in opposition of something that isn't going on.

Labels: 2020s, 2025, Charlie Kirk, Chuck Gray, Communism, Donald Trump, Francois Mitterrand, law, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Mental Health, Misogyny, Politics, Russia, Russo Ukrainian War, Socialism, Turning Point USA, Zeitgeist

White House Hall of Shame.

A new list of the entities supporting the vandalization of the White House has been released by its illegitimate occupant, although the list is still incomplete.

Amazon:

Apple: 

HP: 

Meta: 

Micron Technology: 

Palantir Technologies: 

Coinbase: 

Ripple: 

Tether: 

Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss: 

Caterpillar: 

NextEra Energy: 

Paolo Tiramani: 

Union Pacific: 

Adelson Family Foundation: 

Betty Wold Johnson Foundation: 

Laura & Isaac Perlmutter Foundation: 

Benjamin Leon Jr.: 

Kelly Loeffler and Jeffrey Sprecher: 

Lutnick family: Howard Lutnick is Trump’s commerce secretary.

Comcast:

Discovery.

Hard Rock International:

T-Mobile: 

Altria Group: 

Booz Allen Hamilton: 

Stefan E. Brodie: 

J. Pepe and Emilia Fanjul: 

Edward and Shari Glazer: 

Harold Hamm: 

Stephen A. Schwarzman: 

Konstantin Sokolov: 

Court Watch, Part III.

This is the U.S. Federal Building & Courthouse in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.  This building, built in 1960s, is s survivor of the brutal domestic terrorist attack that wrecked the Murrah building that was across from it.  A memorial to the victims of that attack is now located there, across from the courthouse.

Oklahoma City U.S. Federal Building & Courthouse, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.  Bombed by a guy whose views were regarded as extreme at the time, but which would be regarded as solidly MAGA today.

August 27, 2025

The Trump Administration's moronic lawsuit against Maryland's Federal Bench was tossed out.

There's no surprise to this at all.

On a locally controversial matter:

University of Wyoming sorority free to admit who it wants, including transgender students, judge rules: The 2023 federal complaint against Kappa Kappa Gamma for welcoming a transgender woman was dismissed Friday for the second time.

This puts the Wyoming Federal Court basically at odds with the direction of the Trump Administration as well. 

August 30, 2025

Judge Awards Nearly $1 Billion To Rock Springs Family Over Botched Baby Delivery

Well, there's absolutely no surprise.  Trump's illegal tariffs were affirmed to be illegal.

D'uh.

The Court's decision starts:

The Government appeals a decision of the Court of International Trade setting aside five Executive Orders that imposed tariffs of unlimited duration on nearly all goods from nearly every country in the world, holding that the tariffs were not authorized by the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), 50 U.S.C. § 1701 et seq. Because we agree that IEEPA’s grant of presidential authority to “regulate” imports does not authorize the tariffs imposed by the Executive Orders, we affirm.

Even here, however, the Court granted a stay of thirty days on the implementation of its order, which a private litigant would be unlikely to have received, and the government shouldn't have received here.  The order should have gone into effect immediately absent the government posting a bond to cover the damages, which would be all the tariffs collected while the matter was on appeal, and all that it has already collected, which should need to be fully refunded.

But a refund won't happen and the implementation of the ruling is delayed by 30 days, so the government can appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, which doesn't actually have to take the appeal.

Whether the S.Ct upholds it, or proves to be a pure political arm of the government, is another matter.

There were three dissents in the en banc decision.

September 3, 2025

A Federal Court has ruled Trump's deployment of the National Guard in Los Angeles to be illegal.

September 17, 2025

Wyoming Sorority Members Not Giving Up Legal Case Over Transgender Member

September 26, 2025

In an act that's outrageous, former FBI Director James Comey has been indicted by a grand jury on two out of the three charges the government brought before it.

The Trump administration, and hence the Republican Party, has gone over to outright fascism with acts of this type.   The test now is whether the Courts can withstand the onslaught.  

October 1, 2025

Judge Says Ousted UW Dean Can Keep Suing For ‘Retaliation’ Demotion

October 13, 2025

In addition to Comey, now Letitia James has been indicted.  More such indictments are apparently coming.

Trump's efforts to deploy the National Guard into cities is universally failing in the Courts.

Comey is being prosecuted for lying to Congress, which Pam Bondi just did herself.

October 16, 2025

And now John Bolton has been charged with eight counts of unlawful transmission of national defense information and 10 counts of unlawful retention of national defense information by a grand jury.

The Department of Justice has become a department of persecution for Trump.  It'll take years to undo the damage that has been done.  Moreover, because of the extent of this, it's my prediction that many who are now involved in these Trump efforts will face bar sanctions, and likely some prosecutions, in the future.

October 17, 2025

An Illinois court ordered ICE agents to wear body cameras.

October 25, 2025

Way milder than it could have been, but at least somebody tried to do something:

If the TRO is granted, construction will stop, but I would have asked for the structure to have been returned to the status quo ante.

October 29, 2025

$350M Lawsuit Over Banking Trade Secrets Names Town Of Glenrock And Mayor 

November 10, 2025

The Supreme Court rejected a petition for a writ of certiorari by a court clerk which would have presented an opportunity to overrule Obergefell.

Last edition

Court Watch, Part II.

Labels: 2020s, 2025, Animals, California, Court, Court Watch, Crime, election, Epstein Scandal, law, National Guard, Public Land, Texas, Washington DC, Wyoming, Wyoming (Sublette County)

CliffsNotes of the Zeitgeist, 107th Edition. Tacky Crap, Delusion, and the Sgt. Schultz defense.

The House of the Rising Sun 

Lex Anteinternet: Gilded Age Brothel School of Interior Design: 

Gilded Age Brothel School of Interior Design

Nuclear weapons should not be entrusted to anyone pleased by Trump’s Gilded Age Brothel school of interior design.

George F. Will.

Trump has now put a gold lettered sign outside the Oval Office which says "The Oval Office".

This has, of course, sparked derision, as its stupid.  The question is, however, does Trump not realize that all the tacky gold crap is going in the dumpster just as soon as he's gone?  He probably actually doesn't.

"I know nothing".

Mike Johnson hasn't seen it.  Whatever it is, he hasn't seen that.  

Poor Mike, knowing nothing is his only defense.

Freak Out!

At least based on Twitter, which isn't a good place to actually judge how people feel, MAGAs are freaking out about the election results, as in "it means nothing at all it isn't donny's fault he wasn't on the ballot and people love him groceries are now free and Saudi chicks have a lot of money and everything is fine and new york will be sorry as they elected an Islamic commie I'l ltell my ma when Iget home the girls won't leave the boys alone. . . 

Get a grip.

Well, actually don't.  The results do mean something and you took a dope slap.

Last edition:

CliffsNotes of the Zeitgeist, 106th Edition A series of Zeitgeist predictions about New York City.

Labels: 2025 Off Year U.S. Elections, Donald Trump, Mike Johnson, New York, Politics, Predictions, Republican Party, Social Democracy, Socialism, Zeitgeist, Zohran Mamdani

Arches.

Sigh. . . 

White House fires arts commission expected to review Trump construction projects

The move comes as President Donald Trump pursues efforts to build a White House ballroom and a triumphal arch in Washington.

So, if you've been distracted or are just sick of reading stories about the toddler in the White House, here's what this is about:

What we know about White House plans for an 'Arc de Trump'

The BBC article discounts Trump's ability to get this thing built, but that was penned before Trump showed that he'll just ignore the law in this area, as with everything else.

The United States needs a triumphal arch about as much as it needs to build its own version fo the Brandenburg Gate, which we should have blown to bit at the end of World War Two.  At least its not as butt ugly as McCreery's gigantic garden shed that will be a temporary "ballroom" attached to the White House.  That will get partially constructed and then ripped down, to be followed soon after by:

Did you work on illegal White House construction projects?  You were likely exposed to asbestos and should sue the ass of off Donald Trump, call . . . 

Anyhow, Triumphal Arches date back at least to the Romans, and they're particularly associated with them.  The gigantic one in Paris, the Arch de Triomphe, we can blame on Napoleon whom, we should remember was deposed by a coalition of non wacky powers in the 19th Century and sent to die on Elba, where he was likely poisoned.

Triumphal Arches have been emulated ever since the Romans built them, and they appear in many countries.  They are particularly associated with autocratic powers, which suffer from knowing they aren't worthy and therefore try to monument themselves into worthiness, but there are some in democratic states including in the U.S.

There's probably a smaller chance that construction gets started on this before Trump leaves office or collapse in his Happy Meal while babbling, but again, getting it rolling wouldn't be too surprising.  Keeping it up? That's another matter.

I give the White House Garden Shed about an 80% chance of being torn down.  If an arch goes up, I'd give it about a 40% chance.