Trump LOSES BIG as Judge ENDS His PLAN…

What this episode is about

A federal judge, Jeb Booseberg, has ruled against the Department of Justice's proposal to deny due process rights to 137 migrants, expressing strong disapproval of their handling of the situation. This order comes in response to the government's actions of sending the migrants—whom it claims are linked to a terrorist group—into dubious conditions without providing a viable solution or due process, highlighting ongoing legal and ethical concerns related to their treatment.

Key takeaways

• Judge Booseberg says 'no' to pound sand, prioritizing due process over government stonewalling.
• 137 migrants prefer U.S. custody over freedom in Venezuela—talk about commitment to their cause!
• Supreme Court precedent on due process echoes loudly; Judge Booseberg isn't playing by the government’s playbook.
• Deportation dramas involving 'terrorists' reveal how swiftly rights can vanish, especially in the shadows of bureaucracy.
• When the government offers no solution, expect a judge to double down—welcome to the courtroom poker face!

Who speaks in this episode?

• Michael Popak (Host) · 9 min speaking

What is discussed, and when

1. 0:00 – 3:00: Jeb Booseberg, Venezuela, Michael Popak, Legal AF
2. 3:00 – 6:00: Upwork, Abrego Garcia, El Salvador
3. 6:00 – 9:00: Venezuela, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Abrego Garcia, Legal AF
4. 9:00 – 10:02: Legal AF, Michael Popak

Notable quotes from "Trump LOSES BIG as Judge ENDS His PLAN…"

• We got some breaking news. The firefight between the chief judge of the district courts of DC, Jeb Booseberg, and the Department of Justice continues. In a new order just released, the judge said, and I'm I'm barely paraphrasing, you.

  about Jeb Booseberg · at 0:00

• Rock paper scissor. I'm Michael Popak.

  about Michael Popak · at 1:10

• Upwork helps growing teams quickly bring in specialized freelancers so you can move faster and take the business to the next level. Upwork is a one-stop platform to find, hire, and pay expert.

  about Upwork · at 4:03

• This issue. First, he compliments the American Civil Liberties Union. People should know the American Civil Liberties Union does regular contributions on the Legal AF YouTube…

  about American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) · at 6:13

• AF Substack. Every time we mention something in a hot take, whether it's a court filing or a oral argument. Come over to the Substack. You'll find the court filing and the oral…

  about Legal AF · at 9:28

Who and what is mentioned in this episode?

People

• Jeb Booseberg — Person · Referenced judge / central decision-maker in the legal dispute · 3 mentions · first at 0:02
  He is described as the Chief Judge in D.C. federal court issuing an order directing DOJ to facilitate returns and provide habeas/due process for deported migrants.
• Michael Popak — Person · Host / main speaker (legal commentator) · 3 mentions · first at 1:10
  He narrates and analyzes the breaking-news court order on the Midas Touch Network’s Legal AF, framing the dispute between Judge Booseberg and DOJ and explaining the procedural posture and likely appeal.

Companies & orgs

• American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) — Company · Case study · 2 mentions · first at 1:19
  The ACLU is representing 137 migrants in a legal case against the government, highlighting their role in defending civil liberties.

Concepts & topics

• Abrego Garcia — Concept · Key argument · 3 mentions · first at 3:10
  The Abrego Garcia case is a precedent cited by the judge to support the return of migrants for due process hearings.
  Jail. However, that case is about to get dismissed for vindictive prosecution by way of a judge in Tennessee. But the precedent set by the Abrego Garcia case is ringing in the…

Places & events

• Venezuela — Place · Setting · 6 mentions · first at 0:54
  Venezuela is mentioned as a destination where migrants were sent, highlighting the geopolitical and legal complexities of the case.
  Union does regular contributions on the Legal AF YouTube channel with us. Here's what he said. Understanding that the situation in Venezuela remains in flux on page two. And…
• El Salvador — Place · Setting · 2 mentions · first at 1:37
  El Salvador is mentioned as a location where migrants were sent to torture prisons, emphasizing the human rights issues involved.
  Who the government claims without proof are members of trendwa, a narot terrorist group and sent in the middle of the night over the objection and orders of Jeb Booseberg back…

Media & podcasts

• Legal AF — Media · Business focus · 5 mentions · first at 1:12
  Legal AF is the podcast and media platform where this discussion is taking place, indicating its role in disseminating legal analysis.

Sponsors

• Upwork — Product · Sponsor · 4 mentions · first at 4:03
  Upwork is promoted as a platform for hiring freelancers to scale businesses, indicating a sponsorship or advertisement segment.

Full transcript with timestamps

0:00 We got some breaking news. The firefight between the chief judge of the district courts of DC, Jeb Booseberg, and the Department of Justice continues. In a new order just released, the judge said, and I'm I'm barely paraphrasing, you told me to go pound sand about giving 137 people you may disappear without due process rights, and and you're not going to give me a solution to provide them with due process rights. I choose a different path other than pound sand. In particular, Judge uh Boseberg on page four of his order says the following.

0:38 against this backdrop and mindful of the flagrancy of the government's violations of the deportiz due process rights that landed the plaintiffs in this situation. The court refuses to let them languish in the solutionless meer that the defendants proposed which is we can't bring him back from Venezuela. We don't want to bring him back from anywhere else and we don't want to do remote uh hearings of any type. Judge go pound sand. No. No. Federal judge order. Federal judge order beats go pound sand. Rock paper scissor. I'm Michael Popak.

1:12 You're on the Midas Touch Network and Legal AF. We've been following this case very closely. It's called JGG. It's been brought by the American Civil Liberties Union in favor of 137 men migrants cla who the government claims without proof are members of trendwa, a narot terrorist group and sent in the middle of the night over the objection and orders of Jeb Booseberg back in March to to the uh torture prisons of El Salvador. later to get them away from Jeb Booseberg's jurisdiction. The Department of Justice went one better and sent them to Venezuela before the war with Venezuela. And now Jeb Booseberg having given the government the opportunity to propose a solution for the lack of due process that was provided to these people who would rather based on a recent filing who would rather be in custody in the immigration world of the United States than to be free in Venezuela or third countries. That's how much they are

2:12 devoted to their cause. Jeb Booseberg has joined that call and has now ordered the government to get these people back to the United States, even if it means they're in custody, and give them the habius corpus and due process rights that the United States Supreme Court ordered that they have. I'm Michael Pop. Let's get to it. I'll post this memorandum and opinion up on Legal AF Substack for paid members. Here's what the judge says in this case, page one. The court offer offered the government the opportunity to propose steps that would facilitate hearings for the class members on their habius corpus claims so that they could challenge their designations under the alien enemies act. Apparently not interested in participating in this process. The government's responses essentially told the court to pound sand. The judge continues believing that other courses would be more productive than pounding

3:06 sand. And in line with the Supreme Court's requirement outlined in the Abrego Garcia case, the court will now order the government to facilitate the return from third countries of those plaintiffs who so desire. It will also permit other plaintiffs to file their habius supplements from abroad. How do we get here? The United States Supreme Court in another case involving a Maryland person named Kilmer Obrego Garcia 90 supported the federal district judge there, Judge Zenis, and said that she was right to order that Obrego Garcia, who was illegally sent in the same El Salvador in prison along with these 137 other men, that he was illegally sent there, that the the court had the right and had the obligation to order that the United States facilitate his return back to the United States for a due process hearing. Scaling a business that takes the right expertise at the right time.

4:03 Upwork helps growing teams quickly bring in specialized freelancers so you can move faster and take the business to the next level. Upwork is a one-stop platform to find, hire, and pay expert freelancers across web and software development, data and analytics, marketing, business operations, and more. Upwork helps grow your business by giving you fast access to specialized talent across more than 125 categories so you can fill skill gaps, launch projects faster, and scale support up or down without committing to full-time headcount. You can browse profiles, review past work, and get help scoping the role so you can hire with confidence and get started quickly. Upwork also cuts down operational hassle by handling things like contracts and payments in one place, so you can spend more time running the business. It's free to sign up and posting a job is easy. With Business Plus, you can access the top 1%

5:05 of talent on Upwork. And with AI powered shortlisting, you'll get matched to the right freelancer in under six hours. No endless searching required. Visit upwork.com right now and post your job for free. That's upwork.com to connect with top talent ready to help your business grow. That's upw.com. upwork.com. Now, we all know what happened. Two months later, the Trump administration manufactured fake criminal charges against the Garcia in Tennessee and brought him back and then threw him in jail. However, that case is about to get dismissed for vindictive prosecution by way of a judge in Tennessee. But the precedent set by the Abrego Garcia case is ringing in the ears of of Chief Judge Booseberg. And he said to them, I've got to follow the Abrego Garcia precedent.

5:58 Tell me how I can't follow that. And of course, the government just said, you're wrong. Uh we're not going to do anything. Ver uh Venezuela is in flux. It's a foreign affairs issue. We can't do anything about it. we have no solution. And the judge is not taking that. Here's what the judge says about this issue. First, he compliments the American Civil Liberties Union. People should know the American Civil Liberties Union does regular contributions on the Legal AF YouTube channel with us. Here's what he said. Understanding that the situation in Venezuela remains in flux on page two. And given the quote unquote law enforcement action in quotes, plaintiffs, the ACLU and the 137 men have commendably sought measured steps from the court. In other words, plaintiffs are being reasonable. You are not being reasonable.

6:45 As explained at the hearing, they're only asking to be permitted to file supplemental habius pleadings for the 137 deported, that those individuals in third countries, not Venezuela or the United States, can proceed with remote hearings, and that the government provide as its expense returns to the US from third countries for those so desiring. So, not even from Venezuela. Um, and they know that if they go back to the US, they're going to be put in detention. The govern the judge calls it a prudent approach which has not been replicated by their government counterparts. He says although the Supreme Court in Abrego Garcia upheld Judge Zennus' order directing the government to facilitate and effectuate the return um defendants at every turn have objected to these legitimate proposals without offering a single option for remedying the injury. After extended questioning at the hearing, the government finally represented that it

7:44 prefers the return of the deportes not not on its time to remote hearings given its concerns with logistics and other evidentary issues at such hearings. Here's an example where the parties brief the issue but at the hearing they sort of got into it and developed a working outline that the judge is now adopting. But listen to what the judge says about the government as I started the the hottake with. Against this backdrop and mindful of the flagrancy of the government's violations of the deportes due process rights that got them into this pickle to begin with, the court refuses to let them languish in a solutionless mire that the defendants propose. He also says on page five, "It is worth emphasizing that this situation would never have arisen had the government simply afforded the plaintiffs their constitutional rights before initially deporting them." And then he ordered the following.

8:36 Plaintiffs shall um give a notice as to what their countries their their clients are in. Um the plaintiffs shall give a notice noting the number of plaintiffs who want to come to the United States. The government shall promptly return to plaintiffs upon written request, their passports and travel documents. And the government shall file a status report by March 13th explaining how and when it will transport any plaintiff. Now, we know what's going to happen next. The government's going to file an appeal and it's going to go up to a DC uh appellet court. We'll find out what happens next.

9:08 But Boseberg is right. The Trump administration has gone after him time and time again, including trying to get ethics charges brought against him, which were ultimately dismissed. But he is fighting for democracy. He is fighting for the rule of law. Till my next report, I'm Michael Popac. Can't get your fill of legal AF? Me neither. That's why we formed the Legal AF Substack. Every time we mention something in a hot take, whether it's a court filing or a oral argument. Come over to the Substack. You'll find the court filing and the oral argument there, including a daily roundup that I do called, wait for it, Morning AF. What else? All the other contributors from Legal A are there as well. We got some new reporting. We got interviews. We got ad free versions of the podcast and hot takes. Where? Legal AF on Substack. Come over now to free subscribe.

Questions about this episode

Who speaks in "Trump LOSES BIG as Judge ENDS His PLAN…"?

Michael Popak (Host).

What is "Trump LOSES BIG as Judge ENDS His PLAN…" about?

A federal judge, Jeb Booseberg, has ruled against the Department of Justice's proposal to deny due process rights to 137 migrants, expressing strong disapproval of their handling of the situation. This order comes in response to the government's actions of sending the migrants—whom it claims are linked to a terrorist group—into dubious conditions without providing a viable solution or due…

What is mentioned in this MeidasTouch episode?

8 people, works and ideas are mentioned, including Jeb Booseberg, Michael Popak, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Venezuela, Abrego Garcia, El Salvador. Each one on this page links to its own page with every episode that mentions it.

How long is "Trump LOSES BIG as Judge ENDS His PLAN…"?

The episode runs 10 min; the transcript is about 1,645 words in 12 timestamped sections.

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