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suprmomcat.bsky.social
Cathie (she/hers)
@suprmomcat.bsky.social
4.2K followers 1.6K following 1.7K posts
Clinical Mental Health Counselor/Fierce Advocate/Nonprofit Exec Personal not Professional Content Likely Bots=Instant Block *Flirt in public, not my DMs!* GenX LGBTQ+ and BLM aspiring Ally and co-conspirator. Headshot: Digital Magic Photography and Design
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Reposted by Cathie (she/hers)
vanhollen.senate.gov
Trump said he'd bring down prices on day one. But now he's too busy passing tax breaks for billionaires, governing Venezuela, and plotting to invade Greenland.

Working Americans are facing skyrocketing costs and Trump is making it worse — not better.
Grocery prices see biggest spike since 2022 in December
The jump in costs highlights the challenge for the White House in the lead-up to midterm elections.
www.axios.com
January 14, 2026 at 8:58 PM
Reposted by Cathie (she/hers)
chrisgeidner.bsky.social
And, notably, that filing came the day *after* the appeal schedule was set. So, presumably, DOJ feels like they have room to work with (and be obnoxious in the meantime, I guess?).
January 14, 2026 at 7:55 PM
Reposted by Cathie (she/hers)
chrisgeidner.bsky.social
Based on this from yesterday, it certainly appears DOJ — all the way up to Bondi — is going to try!
chrisgeidner.bsky.social Chris Geidner @chrisgeidner.bsky.social · 1d
DOJ has become an absolute joke. This response about why Lindsey Halligan continues putting herself out as U.S. Attorney is both over the top in presentation and embarrassingly bad as to argument.
UNITED STATES' RESPONSE TO THE COURT'S JANUARY 6, 2026 ORDER In violation of the Rules of Criminal Procedure and the principle of party presentation, the Court has initiated a sua sponte inquisition into whether it should strike Ms. Halligan's title from the Government's signature block. The order launching this quest reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of Judge Currie's orders dismissing the indictments in United States v. Comey, No. 1:25-cr-272 and United States v. James, 2:25-cr-122 and flouts no fewer than three separate lines of Supreme Court precedent on elementary principles like the role of federal courts, the effect of district court rulings, and the nature of our adversarial system. Adding insult to error, the order posits that the United States' continued assertion of its legal position that Ms. Halligan properly serves as the United States Attorney amounts to a factual misrepresentation that could trigger attorney discipline. The Court's thinly veiled threat to use attorney discipline to cudgel the Executive Branch into conforming its legal position in all criminal prosecutions to the views of a single district judge is a gross abuse of power and an affront to the separation of powers. Contrary to this Court's suggestion, nothing in the Comey and James dismissal orders prohibits Ms. Halligan from performing the functions of or holding herself out as the United States Attorney. Although Judge Currie concluded that Ms. Halligan was unlawfully appointed under Section 546, she did not purport to enjoin Ms. Halligan from continuing to oversee the office or from identifying herself as the United States Attorney in the Government's signature blocks. Indeed, Judge Currie did not issue any remedy beyond those two cases she simply dismissed the indictments without prejudice. Comey, ECF No. 213 at 28-29; James, ECF No. 140 at 25-26; see Dismissal, Black's Law Dictionary (12th ed. 2024) (Dismissal is the "[t]ermination of an action, claim, or charge."). In fact, Judge Currie rejected the defendant's request in James to enjoin Ms. Halligan from performing any "functions or duties of an interim U.S. Attorney," James, ECF No. 22 at 16. See James, ECF No. 140 at 25. To be sure, in the decretal section of the orders, Judge Currie stated that "[the appointment of Ms. Halligan as Interim U.S. Attorney violated 28 U.S.C. § 546 and the Appointments Clause of the U.S. Constitution." Comey, ECF No. 213 at 28; James, ECF No. 140 at 25. But that is simply a statement of her basis for ordering dismissal of the indictment, not an independent declaratory judgment. A declaratory judgment is a remedy that operates as "a final judgment" entered at the conclusion of a case initiated by "an appropriate pleading," not an interlocutory order on a motion in a criminal case.' 28 U.S.C. § 2201(a); see United States v. Carrington, 91 F.4th 252, 265 (4th Cir. 2024) (order dismissing an indictment without prejudice is not a final judgment). But even if Judge Currie had somehow issued a declaratory judgment - which she did not - such relief would still not bind the United States in other cases or prevent Ms. Halligan from otherwise holding herself out as the United States Attorney. A declaratory judgment does not "orderl] that anything be done" or "seek execution of performance." Cook v. Nu-Tech Housing Servs., 953 F.2d 1383, 1992 WL 17301, at *4 (4th Cir. 1992) (unpublished table decision). And in any event, declaratory relief is limited to resolving "the rights and other legal relations of any interested party." 28 U.S.C. § 2201(a). January 13, 2026 Respectfully submitted, Pamela Bondi Attorney General Todd W. Blanche Deputy Attorney General Ву: /s/ Lindsey Halligan United States Attorney and Special Attorney United States Attorney's Office Eastern District of Virginia Stephen E. Anthony Assistant United States Attorney Katherine E. Groover Special Assistant United States Attorney
January 14, 2026 at 7:53 PM
Reposted by Cathie (she/hers)
chrisgeidner.bsky.social
NOTE: In DOJ's appeal of the dismissal of the Comey/James cases because Lindsey Halligan wasn't properly appointed, the Fourth Circuit briefing won't even be completed until mid-March — with any oral argument sometime after that. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
Upon consideration of submissions relative to the motion to consolidate, the court grants the motion and consolidates Case No. 25-4673 (L) and Case No. 25-4674. The court grants an extension of the briefing schedule as follows: Joint appendix due: 02/09/2026 Opening brief due: 02/09/2026 Response briefs due: 03/03/2026 Any reply brief: 10 days from service of response brief. The court grants appellees' motions for leave to file separate briefs, each of which shall not exceed 13,000 words. The motion for additional argument time is deferred pending assignment of the case to a panel.
January 14, 2026 at 7:43 PM
Reposted by Cathie (she/hers)
chrisgeidner.bsky.social
A very good note. I discussed Menendez’s background previously, but, yes, few people better than a longtime public defender to know that a bad record can be the absolute worst thing to happen in a case against the government.
patrickbryant.bsky.social Patrick Bryant @patrickbryant.bsky.social · 4h
Just wanted to also note that Judge Menendez was a career federal public defender before she went on the bench, so she certainly doesn't have a background of automatically deferring to the government. And, she argued at SCOTUS twice in the same term; she's very sharp.
January 14, 2026 at 8:36 PM
Reposted by Cathie (she/hers)
chrisgeidner.bsky.social
And, of course, there’s SCOTUS.

Whether those are sufficient reasons to justify this timeline, I don’t know, but I have to imagine they loomed large here.

Finally: The plaintiffs don’t *need* to wait until Thursday to reply, and I don’t think they should—to help show their need for quick relief.
January 14, 2026 at 8:24 PM
Reposted by Cathie (she/hers)
chrisgeidner.bsky.social
UPDATE on Minnesota v. Noem: No TRO against DHS activities at this time, with further briefing ordered.

DOJ response is due Monday. Reply due on or before Thursday. Hearing not yet set.

Local news coverage: kstp.com/kstp-news/to...
(Text-Only) MINUTE ENTRY for proceedings held before Judge Katherine M. Menendez on 1/14/2026: Status Conference. Court Reporter: Paula Richter Minneapolis Courthouse, Courtroom Telephone Conference Time: 8:30 a.m./9:13 a.m. Total Time: 43 Minutes APPEARANCES: For Plaintiffs): Brian Carter; Kristyn Anderson; Kelsey McElveen For Defendant(s): Andrew Warden PROCEEDINGS: The Court held a status conference in this matter. The status conference was held remotely to enable counsel for the defendants to appear. The Court declined to grant an ex parte TRO without giving the Defendants an opportunity to respond to the motion for injunctive relief. The Court will treat the Motion for a Temporary Restraining Order as a Motion for Preliminary Injunction, and will handle it on an expedited basis. The Defendants must file a response to the Motion on or before January 19, 2026, by 6:00 CST. The Plaintiffs may file a reply memorandum on or before January 22, 2026, by 6:00 CST. The Court will determine when to hold a hearing and whether an evidentiary hearing is necessary following review of the Defendants position. In addition, the Plaintiffs advised that they may seek expedited discovery regarding some of the matters at issue in this proceeding. The parties should meet and confer following January 19th to discuss this matter, and can approach the Court to address it after such a conference. The parties may also submit a Protective Order to enable the exchange of information. Ordered by Judge Katherine M. Menendez. (AJS) (Entered: 01/14/2026)
January 14, 2026 at 8:12 PM
Reposted by Cathie (she/hers)
lizszabo.bsky.social
MLK Day concert held annually at the Kennedy Center is relocating this year

www.npr.org/2026/01/14/n...
MLK concert held annually at the Kennedy Center for 23 years is relocating
Georgetown is moving Let Freedom Ring, its annual event celebrating the life of Martin Luther King, Jr., to the historic Howard Theatre in order to save money, the university said.
www.npr.org
January 14, 2026 at 8:38 PM
Reposted by Cathie (she/hers)
chrisgeidner.bsky.social
Although a shadow docket request to SCOTUS is likely, it is difficult to imagine a different result than we saw in Texas — though I would never say it's impossible these days and Lee is obviously trying to make a case for them.

Here was that Law Dork report on the Texas order:
Supreme Court allows new Texas congressional map to be used in 2026
The Dem appointees dissent in the racial gerrymandering case. Also: A D.C. Circuit "administrative stay" means National Guard can remain deployed in D.C. for now.
www.lawdork.com
January 14, 2026 at 9:06 PM
Reposted by Cathie (she/hers)
chrisgeidner.bsky.social
The opinion is from Judge Josephine Staton, an Obama appointee. She was joined by Judge Wesley Hsu, a Biden appointee.

Judge Kenneth Lee, the Ninth Circuit judge on the three-judge district court panel and a Trump appointee, dissented. [Corrected post.]
LEE, Circuit Judge, dissenting: “It is a sordid business, this divvying us up by race.” League of United Latin Am. Citizens v. Perry, 548 U.S. 399, 511 (2006) (Roberts, C.J., concurring in part). But California sullied its hands with this sordid business when it engaged in racial gerrymandering as part of its mid-decade congressional redistricting plan to add five more Democratic House seats. We know race likely played a predominant role in drawing at least one district because the smoking gun is in the hands of Paul Mitchell, the mapmaker who drew the congressional redistricting map adopted by the California state legislature. Mitchell refused to appear before our court to explain how he drew the map and invoked legislative privilege for staying silent. But before this lawsuit was filed, he publicly boasted to his political allies that he drew the map to “ensure that the Latino districts . . . are bolstered in order to make them most effective, particularly in the Central Valley.” Ex. 11 at 30. He also bragged on X/Twitter that the “proposed Proposition 50 map will further increase Latino voting power” and “adds one more Latino influence district.” Ex. 14. True to his word, Congressional District 13 (CD 13) in the Central Valley has the hallmarks of a racially gerrymandered district: It is a majority Latino district that oddly juts out in the north to capture Latino areas—to the exclusion of more Democratic but more White areas nearby. This was no accident. Dr. Sean Trende has offered multiple alternative maps for this district that are more Democratic but less Latino—which presumably would be more favorable if this were just a case of political gerrymandering.
January 14, 2026 at 9:05 PM
Reposted by Cathie (she/hers)
chrisgeidner.bsky.social
Mental health deterioration under Trump? Relatable.

(This is, of course, horrific.)
January 14, 2026 at 9:32 PM
Reposted by Cathie (she/hers)
chrisgeidner.bsky.social
In the case over congressional visits to immigration detention facilities — on the issue of Noem's effort to run around the injunction with a new policy allegedly using OBBBA funds — parties have until 6p tomorrow (Thursday) for follow-up questions/briefing coming out of this morning's hearing.
MINUTE ORDER: The Parties contacted the Court regarding the schedule for further submissions as discussed at this morning's hearing. To reiterate the Court's requests: The Court first requested that Plaintiffs file a proposed order today. Then, the Court asked the Parties to confer regarding a schedule for additional submissions. Defendants have requested that they file their submission—regarding whether the Government can confirm that no Section 527 funds have been obligated or expended in connection with creating, promulgating or enforcing the policy stated in the January 8, 2026 Memorandum, ECF 39-1, or otherwise used to exclude members of Congress from covered facilities—by 6:00 PM on January 15, 2026. The Court agrees that this deadline is reasonable to give Counsel for Defendants sufficient time to make such a representation. Plaintiffs will also have until this time to file their additional memorandum regarding their arguments about the Anti-Deficiency Act and the distinction between expenditures and obligations. In their memoranda, the Parties should also briefly address and provide authority for their positions, taken at the hearing, on whether the January 8, 2026 Memorandum constitutes a new agency action, and whether the scope of the Court's stay issued under 5 U.S.C. § 705 may reach that memorandum. Signed by Judge Jia M. Cobb on January 14, 2026. (lcjmc1)
January 14, 2026 at 11:05 PM
Reposted by Cathie (she/hers)
chrisgeidner.bsky.social
- Knight First Amendment Institute:
knightcolumbia.org Knight First Amendment Institute @knightcolumbia.org · 9h
"Searches of newsrooms and journalists are hallmarks of illiberal regimes, and we must ensure that these practices are not normalized here," says @jameeljaffer.bsky.social, calling on the Justice Department to publicly explain its actions. See our full statement:
knightcolumbia.org/content/fbi-...
FBI Search of Washington Post Reporter’s Home Raises Serious First Amendment Concerns, Knight Institute Says
knightcolumbia.org
January 14, 2026 at 11:44 PM
Reposted by Cathie (she/hers)
chrisgeidner.bsky.social
- Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press:
rcfp.org Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press @rcfp.org · 9h
This morning, the FBI executed a search warrant at a @washingtonpost.com reporter’s home.

@rcfp.org President Bruce D. Brown called it “a tremendous escalation in the administration’s intrusions into the independence of the press.”

Read his full statement: www.rcfp.org/fbi-search-w...
RCFP statement on FBI search of Washington Post reporter’s home
“[T]his is a tremendous escalation in the administration’s intrusions into the independence of the press,” said RCFP President Bruce D. Brown.
www.rcfp.org
January 14, 2026 at 11:43 PM
Reposted by Cathie (she/hers)
chrisgeidner.bsky.social
Josh Hawley and Todd Young caving to Trump?

Who could have imagined.
January 14, 2026 at 11:48 PM
Reposted by Cathie (she/hers)
ddayen.bsky.social
Bravely bold Josh Hawley bravely ran away away

apnews.com/article/trum...
Senate Republicans defeat Venezuela war powers resolution as Trump pressures 2 GOP senators to flip
Senate Republicans have voted to dismiss a war powers resolution that would have limited President Donald Trump’s ability to conduct further attacks on Venezuela.
apnews.com
January 14, 2026 at 11:52 PM
Reposted by Cathie (she/hers)
lollardfish.bsky.social
Plan: Invade Greenland, overthrow Trump, surrender to Denmark and become its sixth administrative region and ...

... DANISH SOCIAL WELFARE SYSTEMS IN THE USA!
January 14, 2026 at 10:42 PM
Reposted by Cathie (she/hers)
shermandorn.com
I think I know the origins of this plan...
The Americans are a very strange people
YouTube video by Filmoteka
youtu.be
January 14, 2026 at 10:56 PM
Reposted by Cathie (she/hers)
lollardfish.bsky.social
I have stopped writing, "I hope you're doing as well as possible ..." at the opening to emails to other minnesotans. I know they aren't.
January 14, 2026 at 11:00 PM
Reposted by Cathie (she/hers)
jcollins.bsky.social
"Viral video shared online showed him unconscious which led many to conclude he was killed, but his sister Consuelo Henriquez confirmed to MPR News that he is alive and being held in a detention center in El Paso, Texas."

Via @samstroozas.bsky.social www.mprnews.org/story/2026/0...
Man detained by agents at St. Paul Speedway gas station confirmed alive
Here’s the latest Wednesday around the increased federal immigration enforcement in Minnesota and the protests against the killing of 37-year-old Renee Macklin Good in Minneapolis last week by a U.S. ...
www.mprnews.org
January 14, 2026 at 9:21 PM
Reposted by Cathie (she/hers)
newsguy.bsky.social
Denmark sending additional aircraft, ships and soldiers to Greenland in response to US President Trump’s threats to seize the ice-covered territory. www.fmn.dk/da/nyheder/2...
Forsvaret øger tilstedeværelse og fortsætter med øvelser i Grønland i tæt samarbejde med allierede
De sikkerhedspolitiske spændinger har spredt sig til Arktis. Naalakkersuisut og Forsvarsministeriet har derfor besluttet at fortsætte Forsvarets øgede øvelsesaktivitet i Grønland i tæt samarbejde med ...
www.fmn.dk
January 14, 2026 at 7:57 PM
Reposted by Cathie (she/hers)
newsguy.bsky.social
A panel of federal judges upholds California's voter-approved measure that temporarily redraws congressional lines to favor Democrats. www.kcra.com/article/cali...
Federal judges uphold California's Prop 50 legality, case expected to go Supreme Court
A panel of federal judges on Wednesday upheld California's voter-approved measure that temporarily redraws congressional lines to favor Democrats.
www.kcra.com
January 14, 2026 at 9:08 PM
Reposted by Cathie (she/hers)
newsguy.bsky.social
The 19-year-old alleged arsonist of the synagogue in Jackson, Mississippi, posted on social media a hospital photo of himself with apparent burn wounds in the hours after the fire. www.clarionledger.com/story/n...
Mississippi synagogue arson suspect shows burn photo. What we know
Stephen Spencer Pittman, alleged arsonist of Beth Israel Synagogue, shared a hospital photo of himself with apparent burn wounds following the fire.
www.clarionledger.com
January 14, 2026 at 11:19 PM
Reposted by Cathie (she/hers)
dabeard.bsky.social
Minnesota legend Charles M. Schulz knew what made a great citizen. “Sometimes it is the very people who cry out the loudest in favor of getting back to what they call ‘American Virtues’ who lack this faith in our country.”
America’s greatest strength, wrote the “Peanuts” creator, lies in the protection of our smallest minorities.
January 14, 2026 at 7:55 AM
Reposted by Cathie (she/hers)
kevinmkruse.bsky.social
Again, check to see if you have a dormant Hilton Honors account and, if so, call them up to cancel it.
piperformissouri.bsky.social Jess Piper @piperformissouri.bsky.social · 7h
I travel a lot. I traveled to speak to other Democrats across the country, and I travel for my own sanity.

I can tell you this: I’m never staying at a Hilton again.
January 14, 2026 at 5:52 PM