Martin Gardner

26 Jan 2025

bit.lyJudge rules Maurene Comey, daughter of ex-FBI director, was unlawfully fired by Trump administrationA federal judge has ruled that Maurene Comey, the daughter of former FBI Director James Comey, was unlawfully fired from her job as a federal prosecutor in New York last year.

Maurene Comey wins on pretty much everything.

The Associated Press@apnews.com

BREAKING: Maurene Comey, daughter of a former FBI director, was unlawfully fired by the Trump administration, a judge ruled.

Such as, in this count, you say you want back pay. The court is already awarding you back pay. You can't have it twice.

Only other thing is court wants more briefing on the First Amendment issue, as, I suppose the court could award her damages separate from back pay on that one.

Maurene Comey wins on pretty much everything.

The Associated Press@apnews.com

BREAKING: Maurene Comey, daughter of a former FBI director, was unlawfully fired by the Trump administration, a judge ruled.

Judge goes with "if you read it out of context, which defendants do..."

Losing here for the right reasons. There's no relief here, other than the relief she's already won. It's duplicative. A couple of other counts fail for the same reason.

Maurene Comey wins on pretty much everything.

The Associated Press@apnews.com

BREAKING: Maurene Comey, daughter of a former FBI director, was unlawfully fired by the Trump administration, a judge ruled.

The lower courts are bound by SCOTUS decision. Defendants claim the Trump/Slaughter cases have effectively (but not explicitly) overruled them. Even if the court could entertain that argument, they'd lose.

Slaughter was about principal officers. Quite simple. Says so twice in this screenshot.

Maurene Comey wins on pretty much everything.

The Associated Press@apnews.com

BREAKING: Maurene Comey, daughter of a former FBI director, was unlawfully fired by the Trump administration, a judge ruled.

@lawfaremedia.org mentioned.

Brief aside. How did Trump v. United States get in here? What?

Maurene Comey wins on pretty much everything.

The Associated Press@apnews.com

BREAKING: Maurene Comey, daughter of a former FBI director, was unlawfully fired by the Trump administration, a judge ruled.

Court calls this out as BS for a bunch of reasons. Basically, she was "implicitly" fired for cause. This would just make any firing a firing for cause. Also, her record was actually exemplary. Source: literally the defendants.

For the purposes of the law, Comey as an employee and an inferior office.

Maurene Comey wins on pretty much everything.

The Associated Press@apnews.com

BREAKING: Maurene Comey, daughter of a former FBI director, was unlawfully fired by the Trump administration, a judge ruled.

a) as a lower court, I'm not even allowed to do this b) if I were, it's without merit

I've skipped subsection (a), which largely says "no, you didn't comply with Section 542(b), even you admit it". Including a constitutional avoidance argument? Regarding statutory interpretation?

Maurene Comey wins on pretty much everything.

The Associated Press@apnews.com

BREAKING: Maurene Comey, daughter of a former FBI director, was unlawfully fired by the Trump administration, a judge ruled.

Worth being brief, here, IMO.

"which they allege" is pretty scathing. Sounds like nobody filed an affidavit, or anything.

Maurene Comey wins on pretty much everything.

The Associated Press@apnews.com

BREAKING: Maurene Comey, daughter of a former FBI director, was unlawfully fired by the Trump administration, a judge ruled.

storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

Martin Gardner reposted

Roger Parloff

@rparloff.bsky.social

From @kendilanian-nbc.bsky.social re USA v Floris:

That, and the media are cowards.

Judd Legum@juddlegum.bsky.social

1. Not sure when a new, on-the-record rape allegation against a sitting president isn’t considered news — especially considering Trump was found liable by a jury in a similar case — but it was ignored by most mainstream media outlets

Martin Gardner reposted

Judd Legum

@juddlegum.bsky.social

storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

storage.courtlistener.comstorage.courtlistener.com

youtu.beSpice Girls - Say You'll Be There (Official Music Video)YouTube video by SpiceGirlsVEVO

17h

This week's UK chart from 30 years ago. youtu.be/9ro0FW9Qt-4?...

Oh no.

I've been following Cole & Marmalade on YouTube for like 10 years.

No freaking way.

youtube.comFaithless - Insomnia (Monster Mix - Official Audio)YouTube video by FaithlessVEVO

This week's UK chart from 30 years ago. The greatest club tune of all-time. www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBk6...

The Alaska lawsuit is insane because it's being brought by the government. It should be brought by the Republican Party. Whoever it is, they're way too late. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

And it's their job as the plaintiff, and no-one else's.

Also, neither of those two cases were National Voter Registration Act cases. They were about whether state law complied with due process and equal protection (here, from the syllabus of Bullock)

The Alaska lawsuit is insane because it's being brought by the government. It should be brought by the Republican Party. Whoever it is, they're way too late. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

The other case they cite, Jenness v. Fortson, 403 U.S. 431 (1971), is pretty similar. Neither of them are about "confusing names".

@joshuaerlich.bsky.social

To sum up -52 U.S. Code § 20510(a) gives the AG "bring a civil action in an appropriate district court for such declaratory or injunctive relief as is necessary to carry out this chapter." -They seem to be unable to name anything in "this chapter" which is being violated.

Martin Gardner reposted

Joshua Erlich

striking how WaPo can write a headline with such moral clarity when they want

washingtonpost.comWoman in ad who said a Democrat endangers kids pleaded guilty to endangering kidsShellie Flockhart, who called Iowa Democratic House candidate Sarah Trone Garriott “dangerous” for kids, pleaded guilty after authorities said she drove drunk with her children in the car in 2017.

The Alaska lawsuit is insane because it's being brought by the government. It should be brought by the Republican Party. Whoever it is, they're way too late. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

They primarily rely on a case called Bullock v. Carter, so now I need to read it to work out what relevance, if any, there is.

It's an excessive filing fees case. Texas candidates being forced to pay up to $8,900 just to get on the primary ballot. caselaw.findlaw.com/court/us-sup...

The Alaska lawsuit is insane because it's being brought by the government. It should be brought by the Republican Party. Whoever it is, they're way too late. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

This is just in Findings and Purpose. It's not a cause of action.

So, we've got "as in necessary to carry out this chapter" - but which part of it?

The Alaska lawsuit is insane because it's being brought by the government. It should be brought by the Republican Party. Whoever it is, they're way too late. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

I'm trying to work out the legal theory here, and... um...

This is an excellent example of when you shouldn't write out "don't" as "do not", because it's sounds ridiculous, if not technically incorrect.

Someone in the comments used the example of "let us go" to mean "let's go".

Martin Gardner reposted

Aaron Rupar

@atrupar.com

Trump on renaming things: "We have a lake, we have a gulf. We need a river, an ocean, and a strait. So I've got the strait. That's the Strait of Hormuz. We're gonna call it the Trump Strait ... I want to change the the name of the Atlantic Ocean to the American Ocean."

If you're going to bomb a foreign country, the President should probably know something about it.

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com

Q: Your ambassador to Turkey just said that 'absolutely, there could a strike on Iran this weekend.' Have you gone back on holding off until after the midterms? TRUMP: If that's the case, I don't know anything about it

youtu.beSneaker Pimps - 6 Underground (Official Music Video)YouTube video by Sneaker Pimps

This week's UK chart from 30 years ago. youtu.be/Wuwfe3DRJzE?...

@ericcolumbus.bsky.social

Took this on my way home yesterday.

Martin Gardner reposted

Eric Columbus

Replying to @joshtpm.bsky.social

Martin Gardner reposted

Lawrence Hurley

@lawrencehurley.bsky.social

The DOJ lawsuits on the election are giving me 2020 vibes, only this time they are being filed by the federal government, not by states and private parties.

@middleageriot.bsky.social

Trump voters are getting that forever war in the Middle East Trump promised them.

FactPost@factpostnews.bsky.social

Trump: Do we want to finish off the Iran War, or do we just want to let it wither? Because we're getting everything we wanted

Martin Gardner reposted

Middle Age Riot

BREAKING: Child rapist applauds ad attacking raped child.