Roger Parloff

@rparloff.bsky.social

Senior Editor, Lawfare. Practiced law a long time ago. Email: roger.parloff@lawfaremedia.org ; signal rparloff.61

Ed Vallejo, convicted of seditious conspiracy for manning Oath Keepers' quick reaction force, moves to strike Judge Mehta's description of his role in light of post-conviction dismissals forced by Trump's DOJ. "[H]e is innocent now," his attys write. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us... 1/2

Strike – #982 in United States v. RHODES, III (D.D.C., 1:22-cr-00015) – CourtListener.com

MOTION to Strike Unconstitutional Dicta from Order Dismissing Indictment with Prejudice (ECF No. 981) by EDWARD VALLEJO. (Hermansen, Kurt) (Entered: 08/04/2026)

storage.courtlistener.com

Judge Mehta's J6 Requiem "That book is now closed. Today’s epilogue diminishes the gravity of that day, denigrates the work of the prosecutors and ... officers who secured these convictions, and excuses criminal acts that caused a centuries-long pillar of our democracy ... to buckle."

This is the last of the prosecutions seeking to hold accountable those responsible for the
events of January 6. That book is now closed. Today’s epilogue diminishes the gravity of that
day, denigrates the work of the prosecutors and law enforcement officers who secured these
convictions, and excuses criminal acts that caused a centuries-long pillar of our democracy—the
peaceful transfer of presidential power—to buckle. The court cannot write a different ending.

Judge Mehta's J6 Requiem "That book is now closed. Today’s epilogue diminishes the gravity of that day, denigrates the work of the prosecutors and ... officers who secured these convictions, and excuses criminal acts that caused a centuries-long pillar of our democracy ... to buckle."

This is the last of the prosecutions seeking to hold accountable those responsible for the
events of January 6. That book is now closed. Today’s epilogue diminishes the gravity of that
day, denigrates the work of the prosecutors and law enforcement officers who secured these
convictions, and excuses criminal acts that caused a centuries-long pillar of our democracy—the
peaceful transfer of presidential power—to buckle. The court cannot write a different ending.

Judge Edelman has cancelled the Thursday morning hearing in the prosecution of Reflecting Pool defendant Davey Hearn. He has (not surprisingly) vacated the scheduled trial date and set a status hearing for 9/11.

Bild

Judge Boasberg determines that Venezuelan Neiyerver Leon Rengel, suing under the Fed Tort Claims Act for his unconst'l removal to CECOT under the Alien Enemies Act, where he was allegedly tortured, must sue in SD Texas, where he was arrested & detained. Boasberg transfers the case.

True, the high-ranking federal officials who designed and directed the
implementation of the Proclamation were physically located in D.C. See MTD Opp. at 8-9. But
each directive was aimed at Texas, the staging ground for the Government's AEA-based
removals. See J.G.G. v. Trump, 778 F. Supp. 3d 24, 31 (D.D.C. 2025). In the months leading up to the Proclamation, federal officials ordered that purported members of Tren de Aragua be transferred to a facility near Harlingen, not far from the Mexico border. Id.; see Compl., 1 58.
Those officials likewise directed that planes be staged at an airport in Harlingen, where they would await the order that the detainees be jetted out of the country. See J.G.G., 778 F. Supp. 3d at 31; Compl., 11 15, 58. Bove, meanwhile, directed that officials needed to do everything in
their power to ensure that those planes took off from Texas. See Compl., 11 90-91. True to
plan, when Proclamation day came, federal officials ordered that the detainees — among them
Rengel — be loaded onto buses from their South Texas detention facility, carted to the Harlingen
airport, and hustled onto the awaiting planes. See J.G.G., 778 F. Supp. 3d at 31; Compl., 11 76-
78. Texas was thus plainly the target of each of the major directives issued to implement the
Proclamation, and it is "where the foreseeable harm" to Rengel and his companions would occur.
See Reuber, 750 F.2d at 1047. The Executive Branch officials' conduct therefore "occurred" for
FTCA venue purposes in Texas.

A few hours before Jeanine Pirro moved to dismiss the Reflecting Pool prosecution of Olympian Davey Hearn (but "without prejudice"), Michael Bromwich joined Hearn's team. Bromwich is a former DOJ inspector general, SDNY prosecutor, & Iran-Contra special prosecutor. Could be interesting.

Bild

On July 30, Judge Lin held a hearing on cross-motions for summary judgment in Anthropic's challenge of the Department of Defense’s designation of the AI company as a supply chain risk. @rparloff.bsky.social live-blogged the hearing:

Anthropic v. U.S. Department of War: A Hearing Diary

A live-blog of the summary judgment hearing over whether the U.S. Department of Defense designated Anthropic a “supply chain risk” to punish it for First Amendment protected speech.

lawfaremedia.org

More info from @seamushughes.bsky.social now available on the 1st Alien Terrorist Removal Court case: a woman alleged to be an ISIS supporter whose son & son-in-law were arrested while allegedly buying ammunition & firearms for an attack:

Court Watch@courtwatch.bsky.social · 7d ago

Breaking — First Alien Terrorist Removal Court Case Revealed The Justice Department seeks to remove a Texas woman linked to ISIS plot. www.courtwatch.news/p/first-alie...

NEW: First Circuit issues order allowing DHS to proceed with ending Ethiopia TPS protections. The First Circuit, after briefing following the SCOTUS opinion in other TPS cases, reverses the district court order that had blocked DHS's effort as to Ethiopia. The mandate was issued immediately here.

United States Court of Appeals
For the First Circuit
_____________________
No. 26-1376
AFRICAN COMMUNITIES TOGETHER; SAMUEL DOE, on behalf of themselves and all
others similarly situated; STEPHEN DOE, on behalf of themselves and all others similarly
situated; ABAL DOE, on behalf of themselves and all others similarly situated,
Plaintiffs - Appellees,
v.
MARKWAYNE MULLIN, in the official capacity as Secretary of the U.S. Department of
Homeland Security; U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY; U.S. CITIZENSHIP
AND IMMIGRATION SERVICES; UNITED STATES,
Defendants - Appellants.
__________________
Before
Rikelman, Aframe, and Dunlap,
Circuit Judges.
__________________
JUDGMENT
Entered: July 29, 2026
Previously, upon the government's "Motion to Lift Abeyance and for Stay Pending Appeal,
Immediate Administrative Stay, and Summary Reversal," we lifted the abeyance of this appeal and
denied an administrative stay of the district court's order postponing the termination of Temporary
Protected Status ("TPS") for Ethiopia. Upon further briefing, we now reverse the postponement
order in light of Mullin v. Doe, 609 U.S. ___, 2026 WL 1825840 (U.S. Jun. 25, 2026). Mullin held
that "the TPS statute's judicial-review bar applies to all non-constitutional claims" challenging the
Secretary of Homeland Security's determination with respect to the termination of a TPS
designation. Id. at *7, 10. Claims of that nature were the only basis for the postponement order on
appeal.
Accordingly, the government's request for summary reversal is allowed. Its additional
request for a stay pending appeal is denied as moot. The matter is remanded for further proceedings
in light of and consistent with Mullin. Mandate shall issue forthwith.