Deborah Pearlstein

New Firm Seeks to Confront Trump on Executive Power

New Firm Seeks to Confront Trump on Executive Power www.nytimes.com/2025/08/04/u...

The President of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, has amended the constitution. From now on, he is no longer limited in how many times he can run for president — he can participate in elections as many times as he wishes.

Additionally, the presidential term has been extended from 5 to 6 years.

JUST IN: Senate confirms Jeanine Pirro as US Atty for DC, 50-45

Civil Service The federal government employs approximately 3 million individuals, making it the largest employer in the United States. Most of these employees enjoy tenure protections under the civil service law…

By request, I updated my website with a list of all the essays and podcasts I have done on the civil service. I'll keep it updated as I write and speak.

nbednar.com/civil-servic...

Turkey’s Erdogan Fires Statistics Chief After Record Inflation The president of the Turkish statistical institute, Sait Dincer, was removed from office and replaced by Erhan Cetinkaya, who had been deputy president of Turkey’s Banking Regulation and Supervision A...

um. www.wsj.com/world/middle...

Okay, *now you can start to worry about data being manipulated.

FLAG: Trump just directed his team to fire the Commissioner of Labor Statistics over the latest jobs numbers reports.

Um, srsly no thanks.

Omg

🧵

California’s NPR and PBS stations will cut staff and programs after funding slashed Small NPR and PBS stations in California are teetering after Congress pulled funding from public broadcasting. Even big stations are bracing for cuts.

California’s NPR and PBS stations will cut staff and programs after funding slashed www.latimes.com/business/sto...

On the left:

Washington Post report: Smithsonian removes Trump from impeachment exhibit in American History Museum
www.washingtonpost.com/entertainmen...

On the right:

Background reading, Professor Jason Stanley's vital Sept 2024 book
www.simonandschuster.com/books/Erasin...

US judges recount death threats, 'swatting' after rulings against Trump A group of federal judges took the rare step of speaking out publicly about receiving death threats and mysterious pizza deliveries in the name of a judge's murdered son after they issued decisions blocking major parts of U.S. President Donald Trump's agenda.

A group of federal judges took the rare step of speaking out publicly today about receiving death threats and mysterious pizza deliveries in the name of a judge's murdered son after they issued decisions blocking major parts of U.S. President Donald Trump's agenda. www.reuters.com/legal/govern...

Congress has not appropriated the substantial funds this would require nor does this have the legally required approval of the Commission of Fine Arts (which must approve architectural changes to the White House among other properties).

NEW FROM @reuters.com: Top U.S. law firms have sharply scaled back their efforts to challenge the federal government in court, especially on behalf of pro bono clients, in the face of threats from President Trump.

www.reuters.com/investigatio...

During President Trump's first term, the most powerful U.S. law firms represented plaintiffs in about 2.5% immigration lawsuits against the government -- people challenging their detention, their denial of status, etc.

Since Trump took office, those firms' share of the cases dropped to 0.6%.

Trump’s war on Big Law leads firms to retreat from ’pro bono’ work for underdogs Major law firms are scaling back the free work they do for advocacy groups fighting the government in the wake of Donald Trump’s attacks on the profession. Interviews with over 60 lawyers and 30 nonprofits show legal aid groups now have fewer resources to defend the vulnerable.

Thank you to the smaller law firms that are helping us defend the freedoms of speech and the press against the Trump admin's predations. Especially grateful right now to Sher Tremonte, Selendy Gay, and Zimmer Citron & Clarke. We couldn't do our work without them. www.reuters.com/investigatio...

HAPPENING NOW: Appeals court judges raise immediate skepticism about whether President Trump had the power to impose sweeping and broad-based tariffs under his emergency powers.

"IEEPA doesn’t mention the word tariffs anywhere," one judge noted.

Judge Bars Trump Administration From Punishing 2 Law Professors for I.C.C. Work

Judge Bars Trump Administration From Punishing 2 Law Professors for I.C.C. Work www.nytimes.com/2025/07/30/u...

Protect Democracy - Protect Democracy is hiring a Counsel, Litigation Operations and Partnerships - Apply by August 15 Protect Democracy seeks a Counsel, Litigation Operations and Partnerships with significant litigation experience to lead & optimize the most critical functions of our litigation teams and casework...

One of the best orgs trying to defend the Republic is @protectdemocracy.org. They're looking to hire an experienced attorney to help lead litigation operations. Here's the posting:

protectdemocracy.recruitee.com/o/counsel-li...

It's a great opportunity to do good where it's needed right now.

US House budget threatens over 600 public defender jobs, judiciary warns Federal public defenders would be forced to eliminate over 600 positions or defer paying court-appointed criminal defense attorneys for over two months under a proposed Republican-backed budget plan in the U.S. House of Representatives, a top U.S. judiciary official warned in an internal memo.

New: US House budget threatens over 600 public defender jobs, judiciary warns - www.reuters.com/legal/govern...

BREAKING: A FOURTH whistleblower has come forward with information about Emil Bove, a Trump judicial nominee who Senate Republicans rubberstamped yesterday.

Bove helped orchestrate the blanket pardons of violent January 6 rioters.

Brown University reaches agreement with Trump administration to restore federal research funding - The Boston Globe The deal settles three open investigations into the university, and does not require the Ivy League institution to admit any wrongdoing or make a payment to the federal government.

EXCLUSIVE: Brown University has reached an agreement with the Trump administration to restore the university’s federal research funding and address allegations that it failed to do enough to stop the harassment of Jewish students. @bostonglobe.com

www.bostonglobe.com/2025/07/30/m...

| Knight First Amendment Institute

Recent law grads — we're now hiring for legal fellows to begin in Fall 2025. Our First Amendment rights are under daily assault. I hope you'll consider applying to work with us at @knightcolumbia.org to push back.

knightcolumbia.org/page/legal-f...

Trump Sees Emergencies Everywhere. Judges Are Considering Whether to Rein Him In. In a latest test, an appeals court is set to weigh the president’s claim that economic emergencies allow him to impose sweeping tariffs unilaterally.

Across America, President Trump sees one emergency after another, and that is posing a host of challenges for the federal courts. A major test comes Thursday, when #tariffs Trump imposed by declaring an emergency face review before an appeals court. www.wsj.com/us-news/law/...

US placed on rights watchlist over health of its civil society under Trump International non-profit Civicus says ‘sustained attacks on civic freedoms’ put US on par with El Salvador and Kenya

"A group of global civil society organizations have placed the US on a watchlist for urgent concern over the health of its civic society, alongside Turkey, Serbia, El Salvador, Indonesia and Kenya"

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Heartbreaking sign of the admin’s destruction of anything like academic freedom at the academies. This chaired Prof -former Rhodes scholar, bronze star winner - was stripped of her chair, best I can tell b/c she served as U.S. cybersecurity protection under Dem admins. Also, y’know, DEI something.

There is still a pending contempt of court proceeding before Judge Boasberg in D.C., temporarily paused by the D.C. Circuit, involving the planes of immigrants sent to prison in El Salvador.

When that finally resumes, new 3d Circuit judge Emil Bove may well find himself held in contempt.

YEA 50 NAY 49 Nomination of Emil J. Bove Ill, of Pennsylvania, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Third Circuit

BREAKING: The Senate Republicans just confirmed Emil Bove to the U.S. Third Circuit Court of Appeals, a man whose lawless actions should lead to his being disbarred — not confirmed to an appeals court.

Background: www.lawdork.com/p/emil-bove-...