Alex Botoman
@abotoman.bsky.social
Appellate public defender, tennis umpire, member of U.S. Soccer’s Fan Council, former SID
Reposted by Alex Botoman
The America I love is the one that welcomes Arthur Liu - a refugee from communist oppression - and his daughter becomes an Olympic gold medalist! I don't love the America that excludes people like him, or deports them back to their oppressors, as right now with many Cubans, Venezuelans, and others.
February 20, 2026 at 4:04 AM
The America I love is the one that welcomes Arthur Liu - a refugee from communist oppression - and his daughter becomes an Olympic gold medalist! I don't love the America that excludes people like him, or deports them back to their oppressors, as right now with many Cubans, Venezuelans, and others.
This is an important point. I know many lawyers who have no idea how to use CM/ECF because they have staff that can handle filings for them. Staff are great, but you should still know how to file—if only to avoid being hapless when something needs to be filed ASAP and your staff can’t do it
You really really should know how to file documents.
Feds blew a deadline in one of my habeas cases. Didn't file everything until 4pm the next day. Court ordered the AUSA to explain why he filed late. His response? It was 11:30pm and “I do not know how to file documents through CMECF.”
My response below:
My response below:
February 20, 2026 at 3:41 AM
This is an important point. I know many lawyers who have no idea how to use CM/ECF because they have staff that can handle filings for them. Staff are great, but you should still know how to file—if only to avoid being hapless when something needs to be filed ASAP and your staff can’t do it
My father and grandparents came here lawfully as refugees. Under this memo, they—and every other refugee in America—would have been subject to mandatory arrest and detention after one year in the country, even if they did nothing wrong. Truly evil stuff
Let me explain what this genuinely EVIL memo does. The admin is doubling down on its plan to arrest, detain, and interrogate tens of thousands of legally present refugees; people already vetted who’ve lived here legally for 1+ year.
Hundreds were arrested in Minnesota before a court blocked this.
Hundreds were arrested in Minnesota before a court blocked this.
February 19, 2026 at 5:01 PM
My father and grandparents came here lawfully as refugees. Under this memo, they—and every other refugee in America—would have been subject to mandatory arrest and detention after one year in the country, even if they did nothing wrong. Truly evil stuff
The Federal Public Defender’s office in the Central District of California (Los Angeles) is hiring an appellate attorney!
We’re also hiring in nearly all of our other units (trial, habeas, non-attorney positions, etc.). I’m biased, but it’s a truly amazing place to work. Come join us!
We’re also hiring in nearly all of our other units (trial, habeas, non-attorney positions, etc.). I’m biased, but it’s a truly amazing place to work. Come join us!
February 5, 2026 at 6:18 PM
The Federal Public Defender’s office in the Central District of California (Los Angeles) is hiring an appellate attorney!
We’re also hiring in nearly all of our other units (trial, habeas, non-attorney positions, etc.). I’m biased, but it’s a truly amazing place to work. Come join us!
We’re also hiring in nearly all of our other units (trial, habeas, non-attorney positions, etc.). I’m biased, but it’s a truly amazing place to work. Come join us!
Quote with 5 jobs you’ve had:
1. Uber driver
2. Tennis umpire
3. Sports information director
4. Newspaper evening clerk
5. Press officer
1. Uber driver
2. Tennis umpire
3. Sports information director
4. Newspaper evening clerk
5. Press officer
Quote with 5 jobs you’ve had:
1. Car wash attendant
2. Gallery manager
3. Bellman
4. Webmaster
5. "Information Architect"
1. Car wash attendant
2. Gallery manager
3. Bellman
4. Webmaster
5. "Information Architect"
Quote with 5 jobs you’ve had:
1. Tutor
2. Entrepreneur (sold candy at my middle school until school officials banned my business)
3. Car dealership front desk
4. Grocery store cashier
5. Movie theater floor staff
1. Tutor
2. Entrepreneur (sold candy at my middle school until school officials banned my business)
3. Car dealership front desk
4. Grocery store cashier
5. Movie theater floor staff
January 29, 2026 at 4:21 PM
Quote with 5 jobs you’ve had:
1. Uber driver
2. Tennis umpire
3. Sports information director
4. Newspaper evening clerk
5. Press officer
1. Uber driver
2. Tennis umpire
3. Sports information director
4. Newspaper evening clerk
5. Press officer
Reposted by Alex Botoman
Our country was founded on resistance to a tyrant.
Attorney General Pam Bondi: "Our country was founded on law enforcement"
Bondi: "It's extremely organized. The signs they have are all matching, they're well written. And look at what's happening today. How did these people go out & get gas masks? These protesters. Would you know how to walk out on the street and buy a gas mask? Think about that. We're not gonna have it"
January 25, 2026 at 1:15 AM
Our country was founded on resistance to a tyrant.
Reposted by Alex Botoman
I try to avoid hyperbole when it comes to Trump policies, but this is absolutely frickin’ insane—on about eleventy different levels.
Massive, systemic Fourth Amendment violations because … reasons.
Massive, systemic Fourth Amendment violations because … reasons.
ICE secretly told its officers that any time someone has been ordered removed, ICE can break down their door.
It has been accepted for generations that the only thing which can authorize agents to break into your home is a warrant signed by a judge. No wonder ICE hid this memo!
It has been accepted for generations that the only thing which can authorize agents to break into your home is a warrant signed by a judge. No wonder ICE hid this memo!
![May 12, 2025
MEMORANDUM FOR: All ICE Personnel
FROM: Todd Lyons Acting Director
SUBJECT: Utilizing Form I-205, Warrant of Removal
On January 20, 2025, President Donald J. Trump issued Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion, directing the Secretary of Homeland Security to "ensur[e] the successful enforcement of final orders of removal." 90 Fed. Reg. 8443, 8444 (Jan. 20, 2025) (E.O. 14159). Essential to the removal of aliens subject to final orders of removal is the ability to locate and arrest them. To this end, certain supervisory immigration officers within both Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) are authorized to issue an administrative warrant, Form I-205, Warrant of Removal (Form 1-205), for the arrest of an alien with a final order of removal. 8 C.F.R. § 241.2(a)(1). All U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) special agents and deportation officers are authorized to execute Forms 1-205. 8 C.F.R. § 287.5(e)(3)(iii) - (y)
Although the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has not historically relied on administrative warrants alone to arrest aliens subject to final orders of removal in their place of residence, the DHS Office of the General Counsel has recently determined that the U.S. Constitution, the Immigration and Nationality Act, and the immigration regulations do not prohibit relying on administrative warrants for this purpose. Accordingly, in light of this legal determination, ICE immigration officers may arrest and detain aliens subject to a final under of removal issued by an immigration judge, the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA), or a U.S.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:2vtbmhmrwzbqcfv4we4uxzzt/bafkreifrzrvaszfhj4bzhgtyvx3fm6ht4kc2zrwtvozijyxl3zxgp7vx6a@jpeg)
January 21, 2026 at 10:28 PM
I try to avoid hyperbole when it comes to Trump policies, but this is absolutely frickin’ insane—on about eleventy different levels.
Massive, systemic Fourth Amendment violations because … reasons.
Massive, systemic Fourth Amendment violations because … reasons.
Reposted by Alex Botoman
I think it is probably a bad idea to put clearly unhinged, angry psychopaths in federal law enforcement positions.
January 9, 2026 at 2:15 PM
I think it is probably a bad idea to put clearly unhinged, angry psychopaths in federal law enforcement positions.
Is there something I’m missing for why state authorities can’t issue a subpoena or go get a search warrant if federal authorities refuse to turn over incriminating evidence? It seems like for all their tough talk, the state officials in MN are looking to fold at the first sign of resistance
The state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension says they've been informed by the FBI that US DOJ has said FBI will solely lead the investigation into Renee Nicole Good's killing by a federal officer. State investigators no longer have access to "case materials, scene evidence/investigative interviews"
January 8, 2026 at 5:35 PM
Is there something I’m missing for why state authorities can’t issue a subpoena or go get a search warrant if federal authorities refuse to turn over incriminating evidence? It seems like for all their tough talk, the state officials in MN are looking to fold at the first sign of resistance
Meanwhile these Democrats are so “strong” that they were willing to put their names behind these complaints….oh wait
Some Democrats hate that their party is largely positioning itself in opposition to the operation that resulted in Maduro's capture.
"Everything Trump touches must be bad according to the base," one House Dem told @axios.com
Said another: "It looks weak." www.axios.com/2026/01/04/m...
"Everything Trump touches must be bad according to the base," one House Dem told @axios.com
Said another: "It looks weak." www.axios.com/2026/01/04/m...
"It looks weak": Some Democrats want their party to shut up and clap for Maduro's capture
"Everything Trump touches must be bad according to the base," fumed one House Democrat.
www.axios.com
January 4, 2026 at 4:59 PM
Meanwhile these Democrats are so “strong” that they were willing to put their names behind these complaints….oh wait
Reposted by Alex Botoman
State authorities need to start charging these unlawful arrests under state law
"'I have my ID!' Mubashir shouted repeatedly, as heard on the video. The agents do not respond."
www.mprnews.org/story/2025/1...
www.mprnews.org/story/2025/1...
ICE agents tackle, arrest American citizen in Minneapolis
Federal immigration agents tackled and arrested a Somali American man in Minneapolis on Tuesday and detained him for about two hours for no apparent reason other than his ethnicity.
www.mprnews.org
December 28, 2025 at 6:39 PM
State authorities need to start charging these unlawful arrests under state law
Imagine watching this horrifying report and thinking it was missing Stephen Miller’s perspective
Watching the spiked 60 Minutes episode on YouTube, thanks to @phillewis.bsky.social. It's not like the Trump admin didn't have its say. At about 4:15 mark, there is footage of Trump saying CECOT was "great facilities, very strong facilities"
www.youtube.com/watch?v=lenF...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=lenF...
WATCH: Segment CBS News Pulled From "60 Minutes"
YouTube video by Phil Lewis
www.youtube.com
December 22, 2025 at 11:27 PM
Imagine watching this horrifying report and thinking it was missing Stephen Miller’s perspective
Reposted by Alex Botoman
What really depresses me about the news industry is how many people in positions of power seem to hold the core values of journalism in contempt.
“When it fails to air without a credible explanation, the public will correctly identify this as corporate censorship. We are trading 50 years of ‘gold standard’ reputation for a single week of political quiet.”
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/21/b...
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/21/b...
December 22, 2025 at 3:27 AM
What really depresses me about the news industry is how many people in positions of power seem to hold the core values of journalism in contempt.
Reposted by Alex Botoman
The people who do this, who conceived of it, who demand it, are real life monsters.
“I had to take the baby from my crying wife’s arms.“ It hasn’t even been a year, and this is not a scandal anymore? What is wrong with us?
Green Card Interviews End in Handcuffs for Spouses of U.S. Citizens
www.nytimes.com
November 26, 2025 at 7:02 PM
The people who do this, who conceived of it, who demand it, are real life monsters.
From a judge Trump nearly put on the Supreme Court
NEWS: A federal appeals court pane upholds the $1 million sanction against Trump and Habba for a "frivolous" lawsuit against Hillary Clinton, Comey, et al.
"Many of Trump’s and Habba’s legal arguments were indeed frivolous," Judge Pryor wrote.
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
"Many of Trump’s and Habba’s legal arguments were indeed frivolous," Judge Pryor wrote.
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
November 26, 2025 at 4:59 PM
From a judge Trump nearly put on the Supreme Court
Imagine how far that money could go if it were invested in training officers not to commit misconduct and developing accountability systems to weed out those who do
Chicago must borrow $283.3 million to cover the soaring cost of lawsuits alleging Chicago police officers committed a wide range of misconduct — including wrongful convictions and improper pursuits — as part of the city’s 2026 budget, Mayor Johnson said. https://to.wttw.com/4qZOXYt
Chicago Set to Borrow $283.3M to Resolve Police Misconduct Lawsuits
It will likely cost Chicago taxpayers approximately $52 million in interest to borrow that money and pay off during the next five years, according to estimates provided to the Chicago City Council by ...
to.wttw.com
November 18, 2025 at 4:22 PM
Imagine how far that money could go if it were invested in training officers not to commit misconduct and developing accountability systems to weed out those who do
Update: this opinion has now been called en banc cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/op...
November 11, 2025 at 3:25 PM
Update: this opinion has now been called en banc cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/op...
Put this one in the public defense annals
The San Francisco Public Defender’s Office later confirmed that the man was one of its investigators and had lawfully served Altman
"Altman was subpoenaed as a potential witness in a pending criminal case” after several prior attempts to reach him at OpenAI’s HQ and through its online portal
"Altman was subpoenaed as a potential witness in a pending criminal case” after several prior attempts to reach him at OpenAI’s HQ and through its online portal
November 8, 2025 at 3:08 AM
Put this one in the public defense annals
Ninth Circuit oddity from today: the court granted a request to publish an opinion in a case that was decided by a “screening panel.” I cannot remember the last time this happened cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/op...
cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov
November 4, 2025 at 5:19 PM
Ninth Circuit oddity from today: the court granted a request to publish an opinion in a case that was decided by a “screening panel.” I cannot remember the last time this happened cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/op...
I may be old school, but I thought it was appropriate for a judge to be an “inquisitor” when the question was whether her orders were being complied with
The 7th Circuit says Judge Sara Ellis put herself "in the position of an inquisitor rather than that of a neutral adjudicator."
And, the meetings with Greg Bovino "sets the court up as a supervisor of Chief Bovino's activities."
And, the meetings with Greg Bovino "sets the court up as a supervisor of Chief Bovino's activities."
#BREAKING The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals sides against U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis, who had asked Border Patrol chief Greg Bovino to appear in her Chicago courtroom on a daily basis.
The appeals court finds that her order "infringes on the separation of powers."
The appeals court finds that her order "infringes on the separation of powers."
October 31, 2025 at 9:32 PM
I may be old school, but I thought it was appropriate for a judge to be an “inquisitor” when the question was whether her orders were being complied with
Reposted by Alex Botoman
Struggling to imagine the chutzpah it takes to say that someone "doesn't understand New York culture" because they're an immigrant.
So here's Andrew Cuomo reacting to Maria Bartiromo wondering if Mamdani will "change the look of New York" and have Muslim women "completely covered up," telling her that Mamdani "doesn't understand New York culture" because he has "dual citizenship" and "he's a citizen of Uganda."
October 29, 2025 at 4:23 PM
Struggling to imagine the chutzpah it takes to say that someone "doesn't understand New York culture" because they're an immigrant.
They are charging a congressional candidate for protesting. Wake up, everyone
Here is the Broadview protest indictment. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
indictment – #1 in United States v. Rabbitt (N.D. Ill., 1:25-cr-00693) – CourtListener.com
INDICTMENT as to Michael Rabbitt (1) count(s) 1, 2, Katherine Marie Abughazaleh (2) count(s) 1, 3, Andre Martin (3) count(s) 1, 4, Catherine Sharp (4) count(s) 1, 5, Brian Straw (5) count(s) 1, 6, Jos...
storage.courtlistener.com
October 29, 2025 at 5:20 PM
They are charging a congressional candidate for protesting. Wake up, everyone
The people I work with do great things, x a million
Oh nooooo!!!!!!
The government has decided that it is not in their interests to explain to the judge whether they knew the "victim" here had a criminal record.
Holy hell public defenders might gets us thru this shite.
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
The government has decided that it is not in their interests to explain to the judge whether they knew the "victim" here had a criminal record.
Holy hell public defenders might gets us thru this shite.
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
October 28, 2025 at 1:45 AM
The people I work with do great things, x a million
Appreciate that @charliesavage.bsky.social is willing to tell it how it is, without lazy both-sideism
"The irreversible gravity of killing, coupled with the lack of a substantive legal justification, is bringing into sharper view a structural weakness of law as a check on the American presidency."
{ gift link } www.nytimes.com/2025/10/24/u...
{ gift link } www.nytimes.com/2025/10/24/u...
The Peril of a White House That Flaunts Its Indifference to the Law
www.nytimes.com
October 26, 2025 at 6:47 AM
Appreciate that @charliesavage.bsky.social is willing to tell it how it is, without lazy both-sideism
