P. Andrew Torrez
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andrewtorrez.bsky.social
P. Andrew Torrez
@andrewtorrez.bsky.social
12K followers 1.7K following 2.5K posts
HLS '97, ex-BigLaw

Practicing lawyer and cohost of the @lawandchaospod.bsky.social podcast with @lizdye.bsky.social

READ MY STUFF! lawandchaospod.com
LISTEN TO MY STUFF! patreon.com/lawandchaospod

he/him
Posts Replies Media Videos
andrewtorrez.bsky.social
Today's timely post breaks down how the Trump administration secretly hijacked employees' email accounts to transmit partisan messages during the shutdown.

Unless you think the government will never shut down again...
with @lizdye.bsky.social

www.lawandchaospod.com/p/court-slap...
Court Slaps Sock Puppet Emails Out Of Trump's Bruised Hand
Civil servants have First Amendment rights.
www.lawandchaospod.com
November 10, 2025 at 3:10 PM
Reposted by P. Andrew Torrez
mwriston.bsky.social
I have been actively watching contracts and surge funding over the last few days and what I would say to my friends in Baltimore is “be absolutely ready, right now.”
ICE poised to ramp up raids in Baltimore by Thanksgiving
The Trump administration has rush-ordered infrastructure to conduct raids, abduct residents, and detain people for months.
open.substack.com
November 7, 2025 at 10:40 PM
Reposted by P. Andrew Torrez
navyrebel.bsky.social
Thanks for the excellent review of the tariff argument at the Supreme Court! Actually, thank you for all of your excellent reviews of what's happening in law right now. I live in a red State and it helps me to explain my position to others.
November 7, 2025 at 8:12 PM
andrewtorrez.bsky.social
What’s going on at the Supreme Court with Trump’s tariffs? Is he headed for a (rare) loss at the highest court? And if so, why?

We break it all down for you
with @lizdye.bsky.social

podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/l...
Law and Chaos
Government Podcast · Updated Weekly · Ignorance of the law is no excuse! That's true for a traffic stop, and it's true if you want to participate in whatever's left of American democracy. If the event...
podcasts.apple.com
November 7, 2025 at 3:16 PM
andrewtorrez.bsky.social
Each day I think this Supreme Court can't hit a new low, and each day they manage to surprise me.
mjsdc.bsky.social Mark Joseph Stern @mjsdc.bsky.social · 4d
NEW: On the shadow docket, the Supreme Court lets Trump resume misgendering trans Americans on their passports, claiming "the government is merely attesting to a historical fact without subjecting anyone to differential treatment." All three liberals dissent. www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...
This case concerns an Executive Branch policy requiring all new passports to display an individual’s biological sex at birth. The United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts preliminarily enjoined the Government from enforcing the policy, and the First Circuit declined to stay the injunction pending appeal. The Government then filed this stay application. Applying our familiar stay fac- tors at this preliminary stage, we grant the application. Displaying passport holders’ sex at birth no more offends equal protection principles than displaying their country of birth—in both cases, the Government is merely attesting to a historical fact without subjecting anyone to differential treatment. And on this record, respondents have failed to establish that the Government’s choice to display biological sex “lack[s] any purpose other than a bare . . . desire to harm a politically unpopular group.” Trump v. Hawaii, 585 U. S. 667, 705 (2018) (internal quotation marks omitted). Nor are respondents likely to prevail in arguing that the State Department acted arbitrarily and capriciously by de- clining to depart from Presidential rules that Congress ex- pressly required it to follow. See 22 U. S. C. §211a.
November 6, 2025 at 8:17 PM
andrewtorrez.bsky.social
The Trump administration got pummeled by the Supreme Court's conservatives yesterday in its efforts to argue that the President can raise taxes any time, anywhere in the world, by any amount, on every import, for any length of time.

We wrote about it here:

www.lawandchaospod.com/p/trumps-tar...
Trump's Tariffs Get SCOTUS Side Eye
Conservative justices realize that a future President Mamdani might use the tariff power in ways they don't like.
www.lawandchaospod.com
November 6, 2025 at 3:25 PM
andrewtorrez.bsky.social
A must-read from @lizdye.bsky.social and a special guest elections analyst who might be familiar to our listeners….
atrupar.com Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 4d
New in PN: Dem victories you missed while celebrating Mamdani's win

"Guess everyone got tired of waiting for $2 gas & decided to skip right to transgender for everyone! But across the US, there were dozens of significant down-ballot races where Dems cleaned up in ways that bode well for the future"
5 Dem victories you missed while celebrating Mamdani's win
Ride the blue wave.
www.publicnotice.co
November 6, 2025 at 2:44 PM
andrewtorrez.bsky.social
Okay, I'm ready to call it: currently Justice *Gorsuch* is pantsing Sauer over the nondelegation and major questions doctrines.

"Can you give me a reason why your argument doesn't cover Congress handing off the power to declare war to the President?"

Sauer: [dissembles]
andrewtorrez.bsky.social P. Andrew Torrez @andrewtorrez.bsky.social · 5d
1/ Listening to the SCOTUS oral argument over Trump's tariffs and it's seems like Trump has already lost Justice Barrett.

(Sadly), this is the most fire Solicitor General John Sauer has *ever* come under from the Supreme Court in Trump's second term.

www.supremecourt.gov/oral_argumen...
Live Oral Argument Audio Live Oral Argument Audio
www.supremecourt.gov
November 5, 2025 at 3:59 PM
andrewtorrez.bsky.social
1/ Listening to the SCOTUS oral argument over Trump's tariffs and it's seems like Trump has already lost Justice Barrett.

(Sadly), this is the most fire Solicitor General John Sauer has *ever* come under from the Supreme Court in Trump's second term.

www.supremecourt.gov/oral_argumen...
Live Oral Argument Audio Live Oral Argument Audio
www.supremecourt.gov
November 5, 2025 at 3:29 PM
andrewtorrez.bsky.social
November 5, 2025 at 3:19 PM
Reposted by P. Andrew Torrez
zohrankmamdani.bsky.social
November 5, 2025 at 2:41 AM
Reposted by P. Andrew Torrez
katmabu.bsky.social
Legal experts agree that the indictment against me and five others is politically-motivated. Thank you @legaleagle.tv @lizdye.bsky.social for bringing attention to this case.
November 4, 2025 at 8:37 PM
andrewtorrez.bsky.social
Clever girl!

With @lizdye.bsky.social

podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/l...
Law and Chaos
Government Podcast · Updated Weekly · Ignorance of the law is no excuse! That's true for a traffic stop, and it's true if you want to participate in whatever's left of American democracy. If the event...
podcasts.apple.com
November 4, 2025 at 1:02 PM
Reposted by P. Andrew Torrez
lizdye.bsky.social
Yet another Trump goon illegally installed as US Attorney so Trump can prosecute his enemies.

Has he prosecuted cases before? NO.
Is he willing to drop abusive subpoenas on NYAG Tish James's office? YOU BETCHA.

www.lawandchaospod.com/p/another-da...
Another Day, Another Fake MAGA Prosecutor
Senate confirmation is for suckers.
www.lawandchaospod.com
November 3, 2025 at 7:57 PM
andrewtorrez.bsky.social
Yes, @lizdye.bsky.social is back with another video for @legaleagle.tv. This time she has everything you need to know about the @katmabu.bsky.social indictment.

GO! WATCH IT NOW!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5T-...
The DOJ Indicted a YouTuber (Kat Abu), and It's Crap
YouTube video by LegalEagle
www.youtube.com
November 3, 2025 at 7:21 PM
andrewtorrez.bsky.social
1/ Judge Karen Immergut (a Trump appointee) just issued a remarkable, five-day preliminary injunction in Oregon v. Trump, where the parties just concluded a three-day bench trial on the merits of deploying national guard troops to Portland, Oregon.

storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
This Court heard three days of testimony and argument in a trial that ended 48 hours ago.1 During the trial, the parties introduced over 750 exhibits, many of which are voluminous. This Court heard the trial testimony and arguments of counsel and has been in the process of diligently reviewing all the evidence. The interest of justice requires that this Court complete a thorough review of the exhibits and trial transcripts before issuing a final decision on the merits. In addition, this Court must consider the parties’ post-trial briefing, which was filed only 24 hours ago. Moreover, this Court must fully analyze and explain its findings of fact and reasoning in an opinion. This Court asked the parties whether they would agree to maintain the status quo for a week from the conclusion of trial, during which the National Guard would remain federalized but not deployed, in order to allow this Court to perform these tasks and issue a final opinion on the merits. Defendants declined.
November 3, 2025 at 3:44 AM
Reposted by P. Andrew Torrez
lawrencehurley.bsky.social
The following members of the House and Senate think that -- as a legal matter -- the longstanding accepted view that the 14th Amendment confers citizenship to anyone born in the US (with minor exceptions) is wrong:
October 31, 2025 at 6:27 PM
andrewtorrez.bsky.social
Who’s Bronston, why does he have a motion, why is James Comey borrowing it, and will it work??

And why does Ted Cruz suck so much at his job?

These questions and more will be answered on today’s episode of Law & Chaos with me & @lizdye.bsky.social!

podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/l...
Law and Chaos
Government Podcast · Updated Weekly · Ignorance of the law is no excuse! That's true for a traffic stop, and it's true if you want to participate in whatever's left of American democracy. If the event...
podcasts.apple.com
October 31, 2025 at 3:33 PM
Reposted by P. Andrew Torrez
atrupar.com
Pritzker: "I sent a letter to Kristi Noem and to DHS leadership asking them to pause all of their federal agent operations for the entirety of the Halloween weekend. I'm asking for basic human decency. I think their response will be revealing. Give the children and families of Illinois a break."
October 30, 2025 at 2:53 PM
Reposted by P. Andrew Torrez
lizdye.bsky.social
On Tuesday Lindsey Halligan got to splain why her Signal chats were NBD.

Then the judge deciding if she should be DQ'd asked for the Comey & James grand jury transcripts.

And another court ruled that Trump gets 1 interim USAtty per district.

She's number 2

www.lawandchaospod.com/p/lindsey-ha...
Lindsey Halligan Discovers That Prosecuting Is Way Harder Than Texting
Luckily, she probably won't be doing it for much longer.
www.lawandchaospod.com
October 30, 2025 at 4:16 PM
andrewtorrez.bsky.social
I don't have a subscription to the @economist.com, so I can't tell you who the dipshit was who wrote this piece, and I highly recommend that you don't have one, either.
October 30, 2025 at 4:15 PM
andrewtorrez.bsky.social
1/ In Abrego's criminal trial in the Middle District of Tennessee, the trial judge ordered the gov't to produce documents in camera (that means only to the judge, not Abrego) for initial review.

Absurdly, the gov't DID NOT BATES NUMBER THOSE DOCUMENTS.
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
ORDER The Government provided an initial production of documents for in camera review as required by the Court’s October 27th Order. (Doc. No. 186). However, the documents that were produced to the Court were not Bates-stamped. That makes it incredibly difficult for the Court to communicate which documents should be turned over to the defense and which should not. More importantly, it makes it almost impossible to create an appellate record. Accordingly, before 9:00 a.m. on October 30, 2025, the Government shall deliver printed, Bates-stamped copies of all the documents they produced today by zip drive.
October 29, 2025 at 10:30 PM
andrewtorrez.bsky.social
1/ The gov't just asked the 9th Circuit for a writ of mandamus telling Judge Ellis in Chicago she may not force Greg Bovino to show up in her courtroom every day, wear a body cam & personally stop teargassing peaceful protestors.

I don't think it'll work.

storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
Since the entry of the TRO, however, the court has placed evolving and increasing burdens on the government in a purported effort to monitor compliance with the order. Although the government has endeavored to provide the court with the information it has requested, the court’s demands have become untenable. In the course of a hearing on October 28, the district court again modified the TRO to further micromanage DHS officers’ operations in the field, including how their uniforms must appear; imposed burdensome and ongoing disclosure obligations on the government; and questioned counsel about non-record material, including videos taken and sent in by the public. The hearing culminated in the October 28 order that Chief Bovino—a senior DHS officer who is overseeing various aspects of CBP’s daily operations in the Chicago area—appear in person at 5:45 PM every weekday to “report” to the court and answer whatever questions the court might have. That unprecedented order interferes with Chief Bovino’s ability to undertake his responsibilities, is unnecessary to secure compliance with the TRO, and is completely untethered to the claims and allegations underlying this lawsuit.
October 29, 2025 at 8:45 PM
andrewtorrez.bsky.social
I know this is procedural, but it is impossible to overstate what a win this is. (It is also impossible to overstate how low our expectations are of this Supreme Court.)

SCOTUS has given Trump everything he's wanted since *May 16* (when it blocked Alien Enemies Act deportations in Texas in WMM)
chrisgeidner.bsky.social Chris Geidner @chrisgeidner.bsky.social · 12d
BREAKING: SCOTUS defers any ruling for now in DOJ's request in the Nat'l Guard deployment case out of Illinois.

Instead, the court asks for briefing about the term "regular forces" in Section 12406 — a matter raised by @martylederman.bsky.social.

The means the TRO stays in effect for now.
CORDER LIST: 607 U.S.) WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2025 25A443 ORDER IN PENDING CASE TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF U.S., ET AL. V. ILLINOIS, ET AL. The application for stay presented to Justice Barrett is referred by her to the Court. The parties are directed to file supplemental letter briefs addressing the following question: Whether the term "regular forces" refers to the regular forces of the United States military, and, if so, how that interpretation affects the operation of 10 U.S. C. §12406(3). The briefs, not to exceed 15 pages, are to be filed by Monday, November 10, 2025. Letter reply briefs, not to exceed 10 pages, are to be filed by Monday, November 17, 2025. Any brief for an amicus curiae under Rule 37.4, on that or other aspects of the application, must be filed by Monday, November 10, 2025.
October 29, 2025 at 7:42 PM
Reposted by P. Andrew Torrez
chrisgeidner.bsky.social
BREAKING: SCOTUS defers any ruling for now in DOJ's request in the Nat'l Guard deployment case out of Illinois.

Instead, the court asks for briefing about the term "regular forces" in Section 12406 — a matter raised by @martylederman.bsky.social.

The means the TRO stays in effect for now.
CORDER LIST: 607 U.S.) WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2025 25A443 ORDER IN PENDING CASE TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF U.S., ET AL. V. ILLINOIS, ET AL. The application for stay presented to Justice Barrett is referred by her to the Court. The parties are directed to file supplemental letter briefs addressing the following question: Whether the term "regular forces" refers to the regular forces of the United States military, and, if so, how that interpretation affects the operation of 10 U.S. C. §12406(3). The briefs, not to exceed 15 pages, are to be filed by Monday, November 10, 2025. Letter reply briefs, not to exceed 10 pages, are to be filed by Monday, November 17, 2025. Any brief for an amicus curiae under Rule 37.4, on that or other aspects of the application, must be filed by Monday, November 10, 2025.
October 29, 2025 at 7:34 PM