Profile avatar
lawofruby.bsky.social
msnbc legal correspondent & recovering litigator; former off-air legal analyst, the rachel maddow show & alex wagner tonight. Don’t let the pearls fool ya.
34 posts 68,255 followers 23 following
Regular Contributor
Conversation Starter

I can’t stop thinking about this: The Trump Administration invoked the state secrets privilege on the same day we learned cabinet secretaries discussed strike plans in detail by Signal and inexplicably copied a journalist.

NEW: After Paul Weiss came to a truce with Trump, he nonetheless doubled down on his war on law firms. But this isn't a swipe at millionnaire lawyers; it's another step in our slouching toward totalitarianism. Here's why: www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...

And if you want to talk the future of law firms in the Trump era, or anything else, you can always find me on Signal:

Seeking: BigLaw associates, counsel, partners, etc. with thoughts on the Paul, Weiss deal and Trump’s latest salvo against firms. This former BigLaw girl is interested in how you’re experiencing it on the inside.

This morning, on air, this LA public school kid got some DC prep schools confused. While the judge overseeing the Alien Enemies Act indeed went to St. Albans School, Justice Kavanaugh did not. He (like Justice Gorsuch) is an alum of Georgetown Prep.

The world has lost a giant in former Rep. Nita Lowey. I was lucky enough to be on her staff for under 18 months in my pre-law life; she epitomized grace and grit alike. And mothering was always at the center of her public service. May her memory be a blessing. www.nytimes.com/2025/03/16/u...

Waiting for Trump to take the stage at Main Justice, where he’ll be making a speech today. And the music? You Don’t Own Me, which was the last song played before Taylor Swift opened every night of her Eras tour.

And DOJ has already filed its notice of appeal. Count on this to be the first of the presidential removal power cases to reach SCOTUS—and just as Trump’s DOJ likely wants it. 1/

News In a loss for Trump's DOJ, a federal judge issues a temporary restraining order restoring Hampton Dellinger as Special Counsel for OSC. Judge Amy Berman Jackson sets a hearing for a temporary restraining order on Feb. 26. Doc https://buff.ly/4jTCZvP

Remember when I said Trump would be looking to fire more members of multi-member commissions like the FEC or FTC? Well, according to the acting Solicitor General, a 1935 SCOTUS precedent should be overruled to clarify Trump’s authority to do just that. x.com/steve_vladec...

An interesting look at the longstanding conservative, accomplished woman widely heralded for her principles who now heads the Justice Department’s most prestigious office: SDNY. www.nytimes.com/2025/02/12/n...

NEW: Trump has been telling lots of federal agency leaders, "You're fired!" But will a lawsuit from one of those dismissed ultimately succeed--or end with the Supreme Court validating Trump's broad powers to remove federal officials? My latest for @maddowblog.msnbc.com: www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...

NEW: Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley has noticed a confirmation hearing tomorrow at 10:15 for Todd Blanche, Trump’s former personal lawyer, to be Deputy Attorney General and for Gail Slater, Trump’s nominee to lead antitrust enforcement at DOJ.

The make-or-break moment for the rule of law isn’t just looming. It’s on our collective doorstep. If the executive branch openly flouts court orders, the president’s rule will be the only one left. www.nytimes.com/2025/02/09/u...

When Trump removed members of the EEOC and NRLB, my first thought was that he would next turn to other commissions designed, under law, to have multiple members of both parties with staggered terms. 1/

What in the world even is an executive order? And is Trump using them lawfully—or awfully? I’ve got you covered with a new video for @msnbc.bsky.social on YouTube : www.youtube.com/watch?v=V58t...

The Trump administration has unleashed a dizzying slew of policy directives, immigration enforcement operations and firings. But, can they do that? @lawofruby.bsky.social and @debpearlstein.bsky.social break down what’s legal, what’s not and who might fight back. www.youtube.com/watch?v=V58t...

NEW: Many of the FBI firings went down during or after Kash Patel's Jan. 30 testimony. So did he know they were coming? "Not that I recall," Patel now says. My latest on Patel's responses to the Judiciary Committee's "questions for the record": www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...

NEW: As the interim D.C. U.S. Attorney awaits a preliminary report on the “1512 Project,” his investigation into the use of the obstruction of Congress charge, one former Jan. 6 prosecutor spoke to me about his “chilling” comments: www.msnbc.com/morning-joe/...

The two ranking Democrats on the House and Senate appropriations have made clear that the WH edict freezing “vast swaths of federal financial assistance” as of 5 pm today “will have devastating consequences across the country.” democrats-appropriations.house.gov/sites/evo-su...

"Senator Joni Ernst, Republican of Iowa, said that because Samantha Hegseth had denied the allegations, the affidavit 'carries no weight.' But the divorce agreement suggests that Samantha Hegseth is contractually obligated not to speak ill of her former husband." www.nytimes.com/2025/01/24/u...

New reporting tonight on Pete Hegseth and what his divorce agreement with his second ex-wife requires: www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...

1/In case you're wondering, nothing new in the 11th Circuit, where Trump & his former co-defendants are trying to prevent DOJ from releasing not only the part of the Special Counsel's report about the classified documents case, but also about the J6 case. The 11th Cir rejected that request, but...

If you think the road to Trump’s sentencing will be smooth, you’re in for some surprises. Here’s why I expect it to be a wild one, and not necessarily one that ends with any sentencing at all: www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...

NEW: Trump's defense lawyer and pick for deputy attorney general, Todd Blanche, has been the subject of more profiles than you have fingers and toes. (Well, almost.) Is there anything else to say about his selection? Actually, yes. My latest for @maddowblog: www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...

First time for everything. Hello, friends. 💙