In a news cycle that keeps on churning, Main Justice hosts Andrew Weissmann and Mary McCord wade through the nonstop dispatches to set some focal points for this episode. They begin with the hearing held by Judge Dale Ho last week over the Eric Adams dismissal and the Judge’s appointment of Paul Clement as amicus, a.k.a. a friend of the court. Andrew details the important decisions Judge Ho has before him as Mary drives home why this case will reverberate beyond the embattled New York Mayor. Then, they touch on the latest resignation- this one, from Denise Cheung, the chief of the criminal division in the DC US Attorney’s office, after being asked to do something by the administration she believed was unsupportable. And last up, Andrew and Mary look at the Supreme Court denial of a stay in the case involving Trump’s firing of Hampton Dellinger, and the disconnect between DOJ representations about Elon Musk’s role in court versus what Musk is saying and doing in practice.

Further reading: Here is Andrew’s piece on Just Security: Why the Rule of Law Depends on an Evidentiary Hearing in Mayor Eric Adams’ Case.

And HERE is the letter of resignation from the head of the criminal division in the U.S. attorney’s office in D.C.

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The directive sent from acting deputy attorney general Emil Bove to drop the corruption charges against NYC Mayor Eric Adams has hit a fever pitch, so hosts Andrew Weissmann and Mary McCord use the bulk of this episode to break down this evolving story and what has come to light so far. They tick through how this standoff between federal prosecutors and the DOJ’s directive has led to a slew of resignations, and what to watch for as Judge Dale Ho calls for a Wednesday hearing on the matter in Manhattan. Andrew and Mary then take a beat to preview the first Supreme Court test of Trump’s executive power, over his attempt to fire Hampton Dellinger, the head of the Office of Special Counsel, without cause. (Note: this office is an independent watchdog agency- not part of DOJ). And they wind up this episode by highlighting allegations from whistleblowers that Kash Patel, Trump’s nominee to head the FBI, has been directing the firing of senior officials at the FBI.

Further reading: Here is Andrew's piece in Just Security: The People of New York v. Mayor Adams: Will Manhattan DA Bragg Come to the Rescue Yet Again?

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The flood of memos issued by newly minted Attorney General Pam Bondi in her first days was dizzying, so hosts Andrew Weissmann and Mary McCord zero in on several that have significant implications for national security and criminal law enforcement. Next, they give a rundown of litigation happening across the country, as courtrooms become the first defense in challenging some of President Trump’s questionable orders. And last up, Andrew and Mary talk through a few legal battles brewing over sanctuary cities and detail Mary and ICAP’s latest case aiming to protect places of worship as safe havens from immigration enforcement. And btw, the corruption case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams just went poof-- they dissect that too.

Further reading:

• Here is Just Security’s Litigation Tracker: Legal Challenges to Trump Administration Actions.
• HERE is the DOJ memo dropping the corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams without prejudice.
• And here is the statement from the American Bar Association that Andrew and Mary spoke about: The ABA supports the rule of law.

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