Serious Trouble

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.serioustrouble.showThis week, we got our hands on the actual lawsuit Eric Deters has filed against Kimberly Guilfoyle and her attorneys, which is amateurish in certain ways, but Ken says the core defamation claims sound plausible enough to have legs. This week, we discuss that case, plus the investigation of Ilhan Omar and developments in the East Potomac Park case, where Judge Ana Reyes remains very displeased with the government’s conduct, and we also look at the indictment of Virginia State Senator Louise Lucas for running a marijuana dispensary.That’s for free subscribers. Paying subscribers also hear:* An interesting RICO trend: civil RICO suits against personal injury law firms for allegedly cooking up fraudulent cases. Civil RICO is very hard to plead, but in some places, courts are going for it.* Three stories about court officers who aren’t all there: A New Mexico prosecutor who may be disbarred for, among other things, accusing a defendant of witchcraft; a federal judge in Texas who appears to be having a mental health episode; and an alcoholic judge Ken helped nudge off the bench when he was a young law clerk.* And our take on “You Can See Everything” — the (fantastic) documentary on Elizabeth Holmes raises some interesting questions about what it’s like to be a prominent federal prisoner.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.serioustrouble.showPresident Trump said he’d stop using taxpayer money to air what certainly look like campaign ads, but then he kept doing it, so now, the Democratic National Committee is suing. Also this week: a Minnesota teenager arranged to buy an assault rifle to carry out an ISIS-inspired attack on the Mall of America — of course, it turned out the seller of the rifle was an undercover FBI agent, and the teen was arrested. Also in Minnesota, the government is mad at Patrick Schlitz and other federal judges for their public remarks criticizing the government’s disregard for their orders.That’s for all listeners this week. Paying subscribers also hear about some particularly weird cases:* A manslaughter case in Arizona where the victim was allowed to give an impact statement despite being dead — his sister wrote a script for an AI-generated avatar to read in court.* An IRS whistleblower who says the IRS maliciously leaked the fact that he paid his taxes late once, and an FBI whistleblower who says the government opened an unconstitutional investigation into anti-ICE protestors because the president saw a TikTok he didn’t like.* The UK’s explanation of why it wants the Tate brothers extradited.* A fight over Dolly Parton’s estate, and* The “Shrek’s penis” trial.To hear the whole episode, upgrade your subscription at www.serioustrouble.show.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.serioustrouble.showDonald Trump tried to ban CNN, MSNOW and Politico from the White House and, as Trump himself predicted, he was almost immediately ordered by a federal court to let those outlets back in. The judge was unimpressed with the government’s claims that the outlets were ejected on national security grounds, partly because that contradicts the president’s own public statements. But it’s an argument he loves to make in court — he says his planned triumphal arch near Arlington Cemetery serves a national security purpose, as does his ballroom and his efforts to block wind turbine projects. Courts traditionally give the president a wide berth on national security, but these increasingly implausible claims are leading courts to impose more scrutiny.Those conversations (plus a look at how aesthetic standing may matter again in litigation over that arch) are for all listeners. Paying subscribers also get our conversations about:* That ProPublica story about a federal investigation that looked at Susan Collins but did not lead to indictments of her or anyone in her direct orbit.* A prosecution for online threats against ICE in Tennessee.* Elizabeth Holmes’ impending move to a halfway house.* Clavicular’s indictment for rape in Massachusetts.* And an ignominious end to Matt Kalil’s lawsuit against his ex-wife, who wantonly told the whole world about his enormous penis.If you’re not a paying subscriber and you want to hear about all that, go to www.serioustrouble.show.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.serioustrouble.showThis week: the Lindsay Clancy murder trial jury hung 11-1, ending in a mistrial. We discuss how judges press juries to agree, and why they maybe shouldn’t. And the Tate brothers — one of whom has possessed a fake Mexican passport in the name of “Vladimir Scorpius” — unsurprisingly failed to convince a judge to give them bail pending extradition. We also discuss UEFA, the European soccer body, seeking help from American courts with a criminal investigation of FIFA’s effort to sell an equity stake in world soccer to a group led by Jared Kushner’s brother, Josh Kushner.Free listeners get our discussion of those cases. Upgrade your subscription to hear about:* Indiana prosecutors have decided the woman who falsely accused Pete Buttigieg of being a risk to his children is too insane to face criminal charges.* Former ICE agent Christian Castro wasn’t extradited to face criminal charges in Minnesota, but somewhat surprisingly, he’s now under a federal indictment.* Trump won’t get to revive his birthright citizenship restrictions, but he can proceed with building his ballroom, as Ken and I discuss who has the least plausible theory of aesthetic standing.* Marco Rubio faces a blow to his efforts to deport non-citizen left-wing student activists.* The alienation of affection lawsuit against former senator Kyrsten Sinema will proceed in a North Carolina federal court, to the apparent annoyance of the judge who will have to preside over it, and* Lebohang Morake, the guy who wrote and performed the Zulu chant at the start of The Lion King, owes legal fees because of a dumb lawsuit he filed against a comedian who offered an incorrect story of what the lyrics mean. Don’t sue over jokes, people.