Zach Montague
@zjmontague.bsky.social
Reporter @ NYT covering federal courts.
Three-season outdoor enthusiast.
Three-season outdoor enthusiast.
Reposted by Zach Montague
“In the span of just six weeks between December and January, six people died while detained by ICE in Texas — three of them at Camp East Montana.”
What you need to know about Texas ICE detention deaths
Last year was the deadliest year in ICE detention in two decades. Nearly a quarter of those deaths occurred in Texas.
www.texastribune.org
February 19, 2026 at 4:36 PM
“In the span of just six weeks between December and January, six people died while detained by ICE in Texas — three of them at Camp East Montana.”
Reposted by Zach Montague
Making matters worse, the Trump admin is REFUSING to adjudicate green card applications for refugees who come from one of the 39 countries Trump banned.
So under this policy, a refugee who applies for a green card exactly on time, doing nothing wrong, can (and DHS says must) be jailed by ICE.
So under this policy, a refugee who applies for a green card exactly on time, doing nothing wrong, can (and DHS says must) be jailed by ICE.
February 19, 2026 at 4:04 PM
Making matters worse, the Trump admin is REFUSING to adjudicate green card applications for refugees who come from one of the 39 countries Trump banned.
So under this policy, a refugee who applies for a green card exactly on time, doing nothing wrong, can (and DHS says must) be jailed by ICE.
So under this policy, a refugee who applies for a green card exactly on time, doing nothing wrong, can (and DHS says must) be jailed by ICE.
Reposted by Zach Montague
1. DHS surges 3,000 officers to Minneapolis without doing anywhere near enough prep first.
2. Hundreds of habeas cases overwhelm local courts.
3. Dozens of DOJ lawyers quit in disgust/anger.
4. The DOJ brings in JAGs to cover.
5. A JAG was just held in contempt and fined $500/day for ICE's failures.
2. Hundreds of habeas cases overwhelm local courts.
3. Dozens of DOJ lawyers quit in disgust/anger.
4. The DOJ brings in JAGs to cover.
5. A JAG was just held in contempt and fined $500/day for ICE's failures.
February 18, 2026 at 11:09 PM
1. DHS surges 3,000 officers to Minneapolis without doing anywhere near enough prep first.
2. Hundreds of habeas cases overwhelm local courts.
3. Dozens of DOJ lawyers quit in disgust/anger.
4. The DOJ brings in JAGs to cover.
5. A JAG was just held in contempt and fined $500/day for ICE's failures.
2. Hundreds of habeas cases overwhelm local courts.
3. Dozens of DOJ lawyers quit in disgust/anger.
4. The DOJ brings in JAGs to cover.
5. A JAG was just held in contempt and fined $500/day for ICE's failures.
Reposted by Zach Montague
NEW: Carlos García, a Venezuelan politician opposed to Maduro, fled Venezuela in 2017 to escape charges from the Maduro regime.
He rebuilt a life in Ohio, delivering Amazon packages until he was detained by ICE.
His family fears for his safety in Venezuela.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/13/w...
He rebuilt a life in Ohio, delivering Amazon packages until he was detained by ICE.
His family fears for his safety in Venezuela.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/13/w...
A Politician in Exile, Detained by ICE, Fears Deportation to Venezuela
www.nytimes.com
February 13, 2026 at 2:46 PM
NEW: Carlos García, a Venezuelan politician opposed to Maduro, fled Venezuela in 2017 to escape charges from the Maduro regime.
He rebuilt a life in Ohio, delivering Amazon packages until he was detained by ICE.
His family fears for his safety in Venezuela.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/13/w...
He rebuilt a life in Ohio, delivering Amazon packages until he was detained by ICE.
His family fears for his safety in Venezuela.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/13/w...
Reposted by Zach Montague
JUST IN: Citing "onslaught of unlawful and irregular practices" and prolific media interviews by DOJ, lawyers for Don Lemon & Georgia Fort demand release of grand jury transcripts in church protest case. Presumption of regularity is gone, they say. Doc: www.documentcloud.org/documents/27...
LemonFortGJMot021326
www.documentcloud.org
February 13, 2026 at 11:25 PM
JUST IN: Citing "onslaught of unlawful and irregular practices" and prolific media interviews by DOJ, lawyers for Don Lemon & Georgia Fort demand release of grand jury transcripts in church protest case. Presumption of regularity is gone, they say. Doc: www.documentcloud.org/documents/27...
Trump states he identified a theory to impose voter ID rules on the 2026 election based on “the depths of legal arguments not yet articulated or vetted on the subject.”
Notes of the also unvetted Green Bay Sweep “theories” from 2020 courtesy of Navarro Bannon et al.
Notes of the also unvetted Green Bay Sweep “theories” from 2020 courtesy of Navarro Bannon et al.
February 13, 2026 at 9:56 PM
Trump states he identified a theory to impose voter ID rules on the 2026 election based on “the depths of legal arguments not yet articulated or vetted on the subject.”
Notes of the also unvetted Green Bay Sweep “theories” from 2020 courtesy of Navarro Bannon et al.
Notes of the also unvetted Green Bay Sweep “theories” from 2020 courtesy of Navarro Bannon et al.
Reposted by Zach Montague
I was part of a round table on how NYT is covering the Epstein files, with new tech and old-school reporting. Our work is far from over:
How The Times Is Digging Into Millions of Pages of Epstein Files
www.nytimes.com
February 13, 2026 at 3:59 PM
I was part of a round table on how NYT is covering the Epstein files, with new tech and old-school reporting. Our work is far from over:
Just in: Judge Tim Kelly, a Trump nominee, blocks the transfer of 20 former death row inmates to ADX Florence, finding they never had a meaningful chance of challenging the move after Trump insisted on it and directed BOP to place them in the most punitive conditions available.
Judge Halts Transfer of Former Death Row Inmates to Federal ‘Supermax’ Facility
www.nytimes.com
February 12, 2026 at 4:33 AM
Just in: Judge Tim Kelly, a Trump nominee, blocks the transfer of 20 former death row inmates to ADX Florence, finding they never had a meaningful chance of challenging the move after Trump insisted on it and directed BOP to place them in the most punitive conditions available.
Reposted by Zach Montague
BREAKING: The supporting affidavit for the warrant to search Fulton County election records has been unsealed.
Read it via @lawfaremedia.org:
www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...
Read it via @lawfaremedia.org:
www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...
February 10, 2026 at 7:43 PM
BREAKING: The supporting affidavit for the warrant to search Fulton County election records has been unsealed.
Read it via @lawfaremedia.org:
www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...
Read it via @lawfaremedia.org:
www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...
Reposted by Zach Montague
Habeas cases filed by immigrants claiming their detention is illegal have taken off to levels we have never seen before. Just look at that chart.
www.propublica.org/article/habe...
www.propublica.org/article/habe...
February 10, 2026 at 12:15 PM
Habeas cases filed by immigrants claiming their detention is illegal have taken off to levels we have never seen before. Just look at that chart.
www.propublica.org/article/habe...
www.propublica.org/article/habe...
Reposted by Zach Montague
Federal judge: "The presumption of regularity that has previously extended to [the United States Government] that it could be taken at its word—with little doubt about its intentions and stated purposes—no longer holds."
This is in a case where the Trump admin sued Oregon.
This is in a case where the Trump admin sued Oregon.
February 6, 2026 at 9:46 PM
Federal judge: "The presumption of regularity that has previously extended to [the United States Government] that it could be taken at its word—with little doubt about its intentions and stated purposes—no longer holds."
This is in a case where the Trump admin sued Oregon.
This is in a case where the Trump admin sued Oregon.
Reposted by Zach Montague
Among (lots of) other things, this is going to flood the federal courts of appeals with cases in which the BIA might previously have cleaned up the IJ's messes.
When something like this happened in 2004, the circuit courts ... did not respond favorably to the government's positions in those cases.
When something like this happened in 2004, the circuit courts ... did not respond favorably to the government's positions in those cases.
🚨HOLY CRAP. The Trump admin just took a SLEDGEHAMMER to due process, largely eliminating the Board of Immigration Appeals process and MANDATING DISMISSAL of ALL appeals (which cost $1,000 thanks to OBBBA) filed after tomorrow unless a majority of the BIA votes to hear the case.
February 5, 2026 at 9:14 PM
Among (lots of) other things, this is going to flood the federal courts of appeals with cases in which the BIA might previously have cleaned up the IJ's messes.
When something like this happened in 2004, the circuit courts ... did not respond favorably to the government's positions in those cases.
When something like this happened in 2004, the circuit courts ... did not respond favorably to the government's positions in those cases.
Reposted by Zach Montague
New, from me: Trump finalized his Schedule F policy, allowing him to remove job protections from career civil servants.
The new rule is dishonest and unmoored from reality in its effort to formalize the politicization of the federal government 🧵
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/trumps-sch...
The new rule is dishonest and unmoored from reality in its effort to formalize the politicization of the federal government 🧵
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/trumps-sch...
Trump's Schedule F Rule Finalized
A bizarro rule formally justifies politicizing public services
donmoynihan.substack.com
February 6, 2026 at 4:16 AM
New, from me: Trump finalized his Schedule F policy, allowing him to remove job protections from career civil servants.
The new rule is dishonest and unmoored from reality in its effort to formalize the politicization of the federal government 🧵
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/trumps-sch...
The new rule is dishonest and unmoored from reality in its effort to formalize the politicization of the federal government 🧵
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/trumps-sch...
Reposted by Zach Montague
A way to think about this is as a denial of service attack. If you render the courts unable to function because you overwhelmed them, you remove them as a barrier against your overreach.
February 5, 2026 at 1:08 PM
A way to think about this is as a denial of service attack. If you render the courts unable to function because you overwhelmed them, you remove them as a barrier against your overreach.
Reposted by Zach Montague
Mike Johnson on Trump calling for Rs to "nationalize" elections: "We had 3 Republicans who were ahead on election day in last cycle & every time a new tranche of ballots came in they just magically whittled away until their leads were lost. It looks on its face to be fraudulent. Can I prove it? No"
February 3, 2026 at 7:33 PM
Mike Johnson on Trump calling for Rs to "nationalize" elections: "We had 3 Republicans who were ahead on election day in last cycle & every time a new tranche of ballots came in they just magically whittled away until their leads were lost. It looks on its face to be fraudulent. Can I prove it? No"
Reposted by Zach Montague
The fact President Trump spent half a billion in taxpayer dollars deploying the National Guard last year while working families and seniors struggle to afford groceries and healthcare coverage costs skyrocket tells you about his priorities—and lowering costs isn't one of 'em.
February 3, 2026 at 7:09 PM
The fact President Trump spent half a billion in taxpayer dollars deploying the National Guard last year while working families and seniors struggle to afford groceries and healthcare coverage costs skyrocket tells you about his priorities—and lowering costs isn't one of 'em.
Reposted by Zach Montague
In Under 500 Words, a Judge Weaponized Wit to Free the Child Detained by ICE
Via A.O. Scott:
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Via A.O. Scott:
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Annotating the Judge’s Decision in the Case of Liam Conejo Ramos, a 5-Year-Old Detained by ICE
Our critic annotates the barbed wordplay of a decision challenging the Trump administration’s theory of executive power.
www.nytimes.com
February 3, 2026 at 5:30 PM
In Under 500 Words, a Judge Weaponized Wit to Free the Child Detained by ICE
Via A.O. Scott:
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Via A.O. Scott:
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Reposted by Zach Montague
Jeannine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, on Monday threatened jail time for anyone who enters Washington with a gun. Her remarks prompted swift pushback from the Republican Party’s pro-Second Amendment wing.
Pirro Threatens Jail Time for Lawful Gun Owners Who Travel to D.C. With Firearms
The remarks by Jeannine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, prompted swift pushback from the Republican Party’s pro-Second Amendment wing.
nyti.ms
February 3, 2026 at 2:25 PM
Jeannine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, on Monday threatened jail time for anyone who enters Washington with a gun. Her remarks prompted swift pushback from the Republican Party’s pro-Second Amendment wing.
Reposted by Zach Montague
After Border Patrol shot two people in Portland, DHS claimed they were "vicious gang members" tied to a past shooting.
But records I obtained reveal a US prosecutor has since directly contradicted DHS, saying, "We're not suggesting he is a gang member." My dive into how DHS' claims have collapsed:
But records I obtained reveal a US prosecutor has since directly contradicted DHS, saying, "We're not suggesting he is a gang member." My dive into how DHS' claims have collapsed:
DHS’s account of two Venezuelans shot by border patrol falls apart in court: ‘A smear campaign’
Immigration officials said agent shot two ‘vicious gang members’ in Portland, but records obtained by the Guardian reveal US prosecutor contradicted claims
www.theguardian.com
February 3, 2026 at 12:45 AM
After Border Patrol shot two people in Portland, DHS claimed they were "vicious gang members" tied to a past shooting.
But records I obtained reveal a US prosecutor has since directly contradicted DHS, saying, "We're not suggesting he is a gang member." My dive into how DHS' claims have collapsed:
But records I obtained reveal a US prosecutor has since directly contradicted DHS, saying, "We're not suggesting he is a gang member." My dive into how DHS' claims have collapsed:
Reposted by Zach Montague
Trump calls on Republicans to "take over the voting" in 15 states, presumably those run by Democrats, an escalation in his effort to assert control over American elections. @reidepstein.bsky.social @nytnickc.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2026/02/02/u...
Trump, in an Escalation, Calls for Republicans to ‘Nationalize’ Elections
www.nytimes.com
February 3, 2026 at 12:27 AM
Trump calls on Republicans to "take over the voting" in 15 states, presumably those run by Democrats, an escalation in his effort to assert control over American elections. @reidepstein.bsky.social @nytnickc.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2026/02/02/u...
Judge Jia Cobb slammed the brakes on the Trump administration’s second effort to impose a 7-day waiting period for visits to ICE facilities.
Judge Again Blocks Policy Restricting Lawmakers’ Access to ICE Facilities
www.nytimes.com
February 2, 2026 at 7:36 PM
Judge Jia Cobb slammed the brakes on the Trump administration’s second effort to impose a 7-day waiting period for visits to ICE facilities.
Reposted by Zach Montague
Judge Young in Boston strikes again, ruling that Energy Department report was prepared in violation of Federal Advisory Committee Act. (Mandatory #FACA story tweet) www.nytimes.com/2026/01/30/c...
A Secret Panel to Question Climate Science Was Unlawful, Judge Rules
www.nytimes.com
February 1, 2026 at 7:37 PM
Judge Young in Boston strikes again, ruling that Energy Department report was prepared in violation of Federal Advisory Committee Act. (Mandatory #FACA story tweet) www.nytimes.com/2026/01/30/c...
Reposted by Zach Montague
The FBI was able to access Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson's Signal messages because she used Signal on her work laptop. The laptop accepted Touch ID for authentication, meaning the agents were allowed to require her to unlock it. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
January 31, 2026 at 5:59 PM
The FBI was able to access Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson's Signal messages because she used Signal on her work laptop. The laptop accepted Touch ID for authentication, meaning the agents were allowed to require her to unlock it. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
Reposted by Zach Montague
This incident alone would have triggered hearings and probably a senior-level resignation in another administration.
This is just insane. It’s only a matter of time before DHS kills another innocent person here.
(clip via MPR and @davidjbier.bsky.social on X)
(clip via MPR and @davidjbier.bsky.social on X)
January 31, 2026 at 8:32 PM
This incident alone would have triggered hearings and probably a senior-level resignation in another administration.
Reposted by Zach Montague
From the Court Order:
January 31, 2026 at 9:51 PM
From the Court Order: