@rgoodlaw.bsky.social
https://www.youtube.com/@RGoodLaw Co-editor-in-chief @justsecurity.org. Chaired Prof at NYU Law. Former Chaired Prof Harvard. Former Special Counsel Defense Dept. https://www.justsecurity.org/author/goodmanryan
I worked in Office of General Counsel at Department of Defense. This by Dan Maurer, former JAG, is spot on.
Hypothetical Legal Advice to SecDef Hegseth on “No Quarter” Statement (from Office of General Counsel)
Warns of criminal liability
Gives legal precedents
Recommends retraction of statement
2/ "The Pentagon and [NSC] significantly underestimated Iran’s willingness to close the Strait of Hormuz in response to US military strikes ... agency analysis and forecasts that would be integral elements of the decision-making process in past administrations were secondary considerations."
"Top Trump officials acknowledged to lawmakers during recent classified briefings that they did not plan for the possibility of Iran closing the strait in response to strikes."
www.cnn.com/2026/03/12/p...
This is the smartest piece I’ve read on the Epstein network’s crimes - and how authorities can still pursue some measure of accountability. Of course, the victims’ lives can never be made whole. But at least some of Epstein’s accomplices could still be brought to justice.
I hope this is one of the most consequential pieces I will have ever written.
Epstein and His Co-Conspirators’ New York Crimes: What NY officials can now do
I dissect Pete Hegseth's claim on 60 Minutes that his DoD "never target[s] civilians."⤵️
False: Think of the 156 people killed on boats in Caribbean.
And for deeper dive on Hegseth's deflection on elementary girls' school bombing, my substack newsletter: ryangoodmanlaw.substack.com/p/unpacking-...
🚨This is HUGE. In a lawsuit against Operation Metro Surge, a Trump appointee rules that DHS "likely maintained unconstitional policies" during the massive ICE operation.
However, "largely owing to" ICE's somewhat decreased presence in Minneapolis, the judge denied a court order on standing grounds.
6. Judge Tostrud concludes: "Plaintiffs are likely to prevail on the merits of their Fourth Amendment claim" (citing Kavanaugh)⤵️
Big win for plaintiffs. Writing is on the wall for this case
(He rejects preliminary injunction because hard to prove future risk "largely owing" to ICE drawdown in MN)
5/ An arrest deprives you of liberty and requires probable cause.
Judge Tostrud:
"Plaintiffs have made a clear showing that Defendants adopted a POLICY authorizing federal immigration officers to conduct warrantless arrests WITHOUT probable cause that the arrestees were violating immigration laws"
4/ Judge Tostrud on how these encounters unlawfully escalated (what should give Kavanaugh pause):
"Some of the arrests began as investigatory stops, but officers detained them for an unreasonably long time or used excessive force in conducting the stop."
3/ Judge Tostrud:
"These witnesses’ accounts and related evidence show these witnesses were detained by DHS officers and questioned about their immigration status based solely on their race or ethnicity."
Note: Many of them U.S. citizens
link: storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
2/ With a team, I had provided a graphic representation of some of the key declarants in the plaintiffs' case here:
www.justsecurity.org/130745/minne...
Important ruling on immigration operations in Minnesota
Judge Tostrud (Trump appointee):
"Plaintiffs have made a clear showing that Defendants have adopted a POLICY authorizing federal immigration officers to conduct investigatory stops based on ethnicity or race without reasonable suspicion."
1/
2/ Just last night, Hegseth's 60 Minutes interview, also on CBS News, ended with these words about the Iran war:
"What I want your viewers to understand is this is only just the beginning."
President Trump on Iran: "The war is very complete, pretty much."
After supporting the Kurd ground offensive, then not.
Supporting Iranian people's desire for regime change, then not.
Going after nuclear assets, now not?
Anthropic lawsuit against Department of Defense here:
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
An excellent analysis at @justsecurity.org on Friday by Harold Koh, Bruce Swartz et al here:
www.justsecurity.org/133247/anthr...
Crucially important read:
The DHS is abusing its power to brand American protesters as terrorists.
WSJ: 181 of the 279 “people accused by officials on X of attacking federal officers in the past year” are U.S. citizens.
About 1/2 never charged.
0 convicted.
www.wsj.com/us-news/immi...
One of the many costs in European and global security from the Iran war.
"American allies are watching in disbelief as the Pentagon reroutes weapon shipments to aid the Iran war, angry and scared that arms the U.S. demanded they buy will never reach them."
www.politico.com/news/2026/03...
President Trump says he's ruled out having Kurds join the Iran war. Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that Kurdish fighters in the region are willing to assist in efforts to topple the Iranian government, but their involvement would make the conflict more complicated.
Last year, this guy (left) from DOGE used ChatGPT to find NEH grants that were too “DEI” for Trump, and canceled them, including mine, as shown by the letter I received last April (right). Huge new NYT article on the back story link below
Former top DOGE official in his mid-twenties named head of Pentagon AI efforts.
"Kliger, in social media posts between October 2024 and January 2025, has voiced controversial views and reposted content from white supremacist Nick Fuentes and self-described misogynist Andrew Tate."
Anthropic v. Hegseth
Pretextual Designation and Unlawful Punishment
Important ground-setting analysis of the legal arguments Anthropic has at its disposal to win in court.
By distinguished legal experts Harold Hongju Koh and Bruce Swartz @yalelawschool-yls.bsky.social
"Russia is providing Iran with targeting information to attack American forces...
Russia has passed Iran the locations of U.S. military assets, including warships and aircraft...
'It does seem like it’s a pretty comprehensive effort,'" an official said.
Reuters Exclusive
"U.S. military investigators believe it is likely that U.S. forces were responsible for an apparent strike on an Iranian girls' school."
"The strike would rank among the worst cases of civilian casualties in decades of U.S. conflicts in the Middle East."
2/ Link to President Trump's interview with Reuters including on support for Kurdish forces.
www.reuters.com/world/middle...
Middle East War about to take a sharp turn in the likely direction of greater chaos.
President Trump on Kurdish ground offensive:
“I think it’s wonderful that they want to do that, I’d be all for it."
What could go wrong:
www.theatlantic.com/internationa...
3/ Another separate question: The U.S. attack on Iran (including its military assets) is unlawful under the UN Charter (indeed, the crime of aggression). "Jus ad bellum" is that body of law.
Under Geneva Conventions/"jus in bello" for targeting the vessel during armed conflict - that act is lawful.
2/
Separate question: the morality of striking the vessel.
Another separate question: legality of failure to search for and collect the shipwrecked.
But the initial attack to destroy the ship is no war crime. Note: the lack of law of war experts claiming it was.
Need to preserve the claim of "war crime" for when it accurately applies.
Lots of non-lawyers out there calling U.S. submarine sinking of Iranian military vessel a war crime.
That's wrong.
Vessel was clearly a legally targetable military object. And people on board weren't civilians.
1/
FT comments section this morning - saying what everyone else is thinking, right?