Luis Cortes

UPDATE: DOJ has restored the doc showing 4 FBI formal interviews with the Trump accuser, which I reported accurately was taken down. (We still don't have access to 3 of the interviews.)

Link: justice.gov/epstein/file...

Proof the link was down earlier today: web.archive.org/web/20260219...

Minnesota's effort to end the surge is rejected as journalists are arrested, but pushback continues A judge denied Minnesota's ambitious request — a day after Don Lemon and Georgia Fort were arrested. But, in Texas, a judge orders 5-year-old Liam Ramos and his dad released.

“On Saturday, as this longest of months comes to a close, a federal judge in Texas granted a writ of habeas corpus ordering the release of 5-year-old Liam Ramos and his father, Adrian Conejo Arias.”

In today’s Law Dork:

A public letter signed by hundreds of tech workers from companies including Google, Amazon and TikTok, pointed to how CEOs helped dissuade President Trump from deploying federal officers to San Francisco in October and asked them to repeat that effort. https://wapo.st/45oBfVL

Ms. Halligan's response, in which she was joined by both the Attorney General and the Deputy Attorney General, contains a level of vitriol more appropriate for a cable news talk show and falls far beneath the level of advocacy expected from litigants in this Court, particularly the Department of Justice. The Court will not engage in a similar tit-for-tat and will instead analyze the few points that Ms. Halligan offers to justify her continued identification of her position as United States Attorney before the Court. Ultimately, the Court concludes for the reasons that follow that Ms. Halligan's continued identification of herself as the United States Attorney for this District ignores a binding court order and may not continue; otherwise, Ms. Halligan and anyone who joins her on a pleading containing the improper moniker subjects themselves to potential disciplinary action in this Court pursuant to the Court's Local Rules.

Ill. Conclusion The Eastern District of Virginia has long enjoyed the service of experienced prosecutors with unquestioned integrity from both political parties serving as the United States Attorney. Despite coming from different political backgrounds and holding very different ideological views, they all shared an unwavering commitment to the Rule of Law, putting the interests of the citizens of the District before their own personal ambitions, as true public servants do. Unfortunately, it appears that this ethos has come to an end. A district judge acting at the direction of the Chief Judge of the Fourth Circuit has ruled on behalf of the district judges of this District that Ms. Halligan was invalidly appointed as the United States Attorney. No matter all of her machinations, Ms. Halligan has no legal basis to represent to this Court that she holds the position. And any such representation going forward can only be described as a false statement made in direct defiance of valid court orders. In short, this charade of Ms. Halligan masquerading as the United States Attorney for this District in direct defiance of binding court orders must come to an end. For all of these reasons, the Court hereby STRIKES the words "United States Attorney" from the signature block on the Indictment (ECF No. 1), as well as all other Government filings in this case. (ECF Nos. 13, 18, 22.) The Court further BARS Ms. Halligan from representing herself as the United States Attorney in any pleading or otherwise before this Court until such time as she may lawfully hold the office either by Senate confirmation or appointment by this Court pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 546(d), should either occur. That bar shall become effective at 12:01 a.m. on January 21, 2026, and shall apply to any filings submitted thereafter.

The Court recognizes that Ms. Halligan lacks the prosecutorial experience that has long been the norm for those nominated to the position of United States Attorney in this District. Consequently, and in light of her inexperience, the Court grants Ms. Halligan the benefit of the doubt and refrains from referring her for further investigation and disciplinary action regarding her misrepresentations to this Court at this time. However, this Memorandum Order provides notice that, should Ms. Halligan persist in ignoring Judge Currie's Orders and this Memorandum Order in any matter before the undersigned, the Court will initiate disciplinary proceedings against Ms. Halligan and any other signatory to an offending pleading pursuant to Federal Rule of Disciplinary Enforcement V(A). Let the Clerk file a copy of this Order electronically and notify all counsel of record, the Chief Judge and all United States District Judges, Magistrate Judges and Bankruptcy Judges of this Court, Judge Currie, and all members of the Richmond Division of the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia with current CM/ECF registrations. The Court further ORDERS that Ms. Halligan shall provide a copy of this Memorandum Order to the Attorney General and Deputy Attorney General, since they appear as signatories on her Response. It is so ORDERED. /s/ David J. Novak United States District Judge Richmond, Virginia Dated: January 20. 2026

BREAKING: Federal court in Virginia—noting DOJ's filing "falls far beneath the level of advocacy expected from litigants in this Court, particularly the Department of Justice"—rules that Lindsey Halligan cannot hold herself out as "United States Attorney," striking that language from case filings.

This line graph illustrates the percentage change in agency staff levels from the previous year for nine major U.S. federal scientific and health organizations between the fiscal years 2016 and 2025. The agencies tracked include the CDC, Department of Energy, EPA, FDA, NASA, NIH, NIST, NOAA, and NSF. For the majority of the timeline between 2016 and 2023, the agencies show relatively stable fluctuations, generally staying within a range of +5% to -5% change per year. However, there is a dramatic and uniform plummet starting in the 2024–25 period. Every agency depicted shows a sharp downward trajectory, with staffing losses ranging from approximately -15% to over -25%. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) shows the most significant decline, dropping to roughly -26%, while the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) shows the least severe but still substantial drop at approximately -15%.

This is the most astonishing graph of what the Trump regime has done to US science. They have destroyed the federal science workforce across the board. The negative impacts on Americans will be felt for generations, and the US might never be the same again.

www.nature.com/immersive/d4...

I know I have it but I want them to want me to have it, you know? Anyway, launch the missiles.

Trump trying to start a weird stupid war no one wants out of spite because he's mad about not getting a Nobel Peace Prize is dead center "gag you would leave in drafts because it is both too obvious and not funny." Obviously this is all bad but it is also just incredibly hack. What a way to go.

i really think there is legit political space for running on "we are going to dismantle ICE"

I urge my colleagues to vote NO on HR 4371, a bill that treats refugee children as criminals. Let's champion legislation like my Family Reunification Act and the Upholding Protections for Unaccompanied Children Act instead.

Marco Rubio awkwardly leaning forward.

When not in use, the Rubio is powered down and placed in a corner.

Bill Melugin @BillMelugin_ BREAKING: Per four senior DHS & Trump admin sources, a mass removal of ICE leadership around the country is underway, with up to 12 ICE field office chiefs being removed & reassigned in an effort to increase deportation numbers. I'm told the move is spearheaded by Corey Lewandowski, and a handful of the ICE Chiefs will likely be replaced by Border Patrol & CBP officials, some of whom will be hand-picked by aggressive & controversial Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino. I'm told some of the ICE leadership removed from their positions include the ICE Field Office Directors in: - Los Angeles - Phoenix - Philadelphia - Denver - El Paso - San Diego - Seattle/Portland - New Orleans Border Patrol officials taking over ICE leadership positions would be extremely significant, as Border Patrol and ICE do different things, and I've done numerous ride-alongs/embeds with both.

Generally speaking, ICE typically conducts very targeted operations, largely going after criminal illegal aliens or those with deportation orders, but almost always knowing who they are targeting for arrest, often conducting surveillance to learn their schedules before and waiting hours before arresting them if needed. Border Patrol, under Trump 2.0, while sometimes doing their own targeted operations, has been extremely aggressive and has been at the forefront of some of the most controversial immigration enforcement operations we've seen so far, carrying out roving patrols in Los Angeles, Chicago, etc, often at Home Depot, car washes, flea markets etc, leading to a handful of federal judges around the country issuing injunctions against them. A majority of the viral videos you see online are Border Patrol agents, including the use of a Trojan horse style Penske moving truck at a Los Angeles Home Depot, an operation organized by Bovino. ICE often gets blamed for what Border Patrol does, as the media and activists often cannot tell the difference between federal agents, and everyone is called "ICE". I'm told there are growing concerns about the political and PR fallout associated with some of the roving patrols Border Patrol is conducting as lawsuits continue to stack up and mid-terms approach next year.

I'm told there is significant friction within different wings of DHS and the administration, with Border Czar Tom Homan & ICE Director Todd Lyons preferring to prioritize targeting criminal aliens & the "worst of the worst" or those with deportation orders, while DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, Corey Lewandowski, and BP Commander Bovino prefer to use aggressive tactics to arrest anyone in the US illegally, including but not limited to criminals, to ramp up deportation numbers and achieve President Trump's promises of mass deportations. I am hearing from both sides of this friction. One senior DHS official tells me: "ICE started with the worst of the worst, knowing every target they are hitting, but since Border Patrol started in LA in June, we've (DHS) lost our focus, going too hard, too fast, with limited prioritization. It's getting numbers, but at what cost?". Border Patrol agents I've talked to defend their tactics, with one telling me: "What did everyone think mass deportations meant? Only the worst? Tom Homan has said it himself, anyone in the US illegally is on the table."

It's quite a situation, as both sides of this are on the same team, with the same end goals, but different perspectives on how to get there. Another DHS official confirmed the personnel changes to me on deep background, adding that the moves are based on performance and doing what is needed to achieve the best results. Official statement to @FoxNews via @TriciaOhio : "While we have no personnel changes to announce at this time, the Trump Administration remains laser focused on delivering results and removing violent criminal illegal aliens from this country." 7:57 PM · Oct 27, 2025 · 29.6K Views

🚨BIG changes happening -- ICE leadership is being purged tonight. The old guard, which prioritized targeted enforcement operations aimed at people with criminal records, is being replaced with Border Patrol and Gregory Bovino's "Midway Blitz" style.

Think things are bad now? It'll get worse.

#NoKings event in Fairhope, Al.
A woman was arrested for "lewd conduct" because she was dressed in penis suit with a sign that said "No dick-tator"
3 cops on a 53 yo woman.

HAPPENING NOW: Emergency hearing before Judge Karin Immergut on Trump's effort to circumvent her temporary restraining order re: Oregon national guard deployment.

I plan to listen in for @lawfaremedia.org.

Follow along (court remote access technology permitting...) ⬇️🧵

Ilan Wurman @ilan_wurman · 10h This isn’t how judicial power works. Courts can’t “enjoin” or “restrain” the President from deploying the national guard. If a private party is injured by a guardsman, that party can bring a lawsuit. The legality and constitutionality of the action will be adjudicated. And compensation will be ordered if appropriate. A single district judge, however, doesn’t get to play commander in chief.

Ilan Wurman @ilan_wurman · Jul 2, 2024 Folks on this site are failing to appreciate the difference between a court setting aside unlawful executive actions, and civilly or criminally prosecuting a President in his personal capacity for attempting such actions. Which seems to be the point of immunity. 1/2 Ilan Wurman @ilan_wurman · Jul 2, 2024 The question is which unlawful acts (seizing the steel mills, forgiving student loans) are nevertheless official acts subject to presumptive immunity. That’s the relevant inquiry when we’re outside the core/preclusive powers that get absolute immunity. 2/2

Wurman has a very principled position: courts have no power to stop the President doing things he likes, but plenary power to stop the President doing things he doesn't like.

Hence courts having the power to enjoin all student debt relief, even in cases where no one with standing brought suit.

DACA Recipient Held at Adelanto Detention Facility Dies at Nearby Hospital, 14th Death in ICE Custody This Year Ismael Ayala-Uribe, 39, died two days ago on Sunday while in ICE custody at the for-profit Adelanto Processing Center in California, marking the 14th detainee death in immigration detention since the…

DACA Recipient Held at Adelanto Detention Facility Dies at Nearby Hospital, 14th Death in ICE Custody This Year

austinkocher.substack.com/p/daca-recip...

Juan works in Fresno CA picking grapes to be made into raisins. He shares he earns 35 cents for each sheet & can make 400 - 450 sheets in a 12 hour day in temps of 100+ if the grapes are good quality. He has a young daughter to support and he takes any work he can. #WeFeedYou

Des Moines Schools Superintendent Detained by ICE, School Officials Say

The school board president in Iowa’s largest city stated that she was unaware of the circumstances leading to the detention of Superintendent Ian Roberts, who has held that position since 2023.

#immigration

Here’s what appears to be a little girl shackled at the wrists and ankles boarding an ICE flight on Avelo Airlines yesterday. Seattle (Boeing Field) to Mesa, AZ, an ICE detention hub.

Not one of those men helped her up the stairs.

Courtesy @lalabote.bsky.social

Not a DaBaby song 😭😭

"An ICE official said Friday the agency is investigating the matter but would share no other information, refusing even to confirm that Leon was at the Philadelphia office in June."

Media should be hounding Trump, Noem, Homan, Miller, Lyons, about this travesty, among others

They'll lie. But ask

telling the forces recruitment propo of our age features domestic operations. almost makes you miss commercials with marines slaying dragons.

"A good day:" Detained U.S. citizen said agents bragged after arresting dozens at Home Depot A U.S. citizen who was tackled and arrested by border agents after filming and yelling at them, said his "blood boiled" when agents high-five'd each other after grabbing dozens at Home Depot on Thursd...

Garcia said he was shaken by what he heard while he was detained.

“They call them ‘bodies,’ they reduce them to bodies,” he said. “My blood was boiling.”

Demand for Investigation and Accountability Following Violations of Colorado Immigration Laws After the disturbing and illegal collaboration with ICE in Mesa County that led to the detention of Caroline Dias Goncalves and thewhistleblower lawsuit against Governor Polis for allegedly ordering s...

Please help uplift!! actionnetwork.org/petitions/de...

The first U.S. bishop appointed by Pope Leo XIV—a refugee himself—is mobilizing priests to accompany migrants at immigration court on June 20.

(Via Christopher Hale)

BUT, ALREADY —>

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA GAVIN NEWSOM, et al., Plaintiffs, Case No. 25-cv-04870-CRB v. DONALD J. TRUMP, et al, ORDER GRANTING PLAINTIFFS' APPLICATION FOR TEMPORARY RESTRAINING ORDER Defendants. On June 6, 2025, the federal government initiated immigration raids across the City of Los Angeles. Protests swiftly followed, and some individuals involved in those protests were unruly and even violent. State and local law enforcement responded. The following day, President Trump ordered that members of the California National Guard be federalized, and thereupon assumed control of those forces. At this early stage of the proceedings, the Court must determine whether the President followed the congressionally mandated procedure for his actions. He did not. His actions were illegal both exceeding the scope of his statutory authority and violating the Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. He must therefore return control of the California National Guard to the Governor of the State of California forthwith.

BREAKING: Judge Breyer orders Trump to "return control of the California National Guard" to CA Gov. Newsom, finding that Trump's order taking control was illegal because it did not follow the required procedure.

The order is stayed until noon Friday.

More to come at Law Dork: www.lawdork.com

“Currently, there is no plan for where everyone is sleeping tonight,” the source said, adding that there was an urgent need to find more portable bathrooms and dumpsters for garbage.