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Reposted by Chris Geidner

❀°。Der Siebenschläfer *.ﾟ✿ ⋆ @sababausa.bsky.social · 26m

The history books having to explain cartoon frog = fascist, inflatable frog = anti-fascist…

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Chris Geidner @chrisgeidner.bsky.social · 55m

Thanks!

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Chris Geidner @chrisgeidner.bsky.social · 1h

IDK. At least it’s Friday.

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Chris Geidner @chrisgeidner.bsky.social · 1h

Here it is. It was almost more enraging because they were having this whole discussion about the two TROs and then Nelson asked about the 14-day distinction, but to ask if they need to rule by then! More worried about mootness than jurisdiction!

JUDGE NELSON:
So can I ask about the 14 day nature that's also different than California. California didn't have the district court did not put the 14 days in there. Does that mean we need to rule before the expiration of that? I mean, do we know whether the district court is going to extend that? Can the district court extend it if we don't rule within 14 days? Does this all become moot? What's your view on all that?

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Chris Geidner @chrisgeidner.bsky.social · 1h

Enh. I mean, they are effectively arguing that these TROs act like PIs, despite being time-limited. They're not going to get sanctioned for conduct that virtually every court is going along with.

First things first, actually fight the jurisdiction.

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Chris Geidner @chrisgeidner.bsky.social · 2h

I feel like it vaguely came up once — but in an almost more enraging way. Maybe Nelson(?) asked about whether the time limitation was a meaningful distinction from Newsom.

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Chris Geidner @chrisgeidner.bsky.social · 2h

UPDATE: DOJ filed a notice that it is appealing the 14-day TRO, an order that is not generally appealable. This will go to the Seventh Circuit. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF ILLINOIS
EASTERN DIVISION
STATE OF ILLINOIS and the CITY OF CHICAGO,
Plaintiffs,
Case No. 1:25-cv-12174
v.
DONALD J. TRUMP, et al., in their official capacities,
Defendants.
NOTICE OF APPEAL
PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that all Defendants in the above-captioned case hereby appeal to the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit from this Court's October 9, 2025, Order Granting Plaintiffs' Motion for a Temporary Restraining Order and Preliminary Injunction. ECF No.
67.

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Chris Geidner @chrisgeidner.bsky.social · 2h

NEW: The trials of litigating against Trump.

As Trump actions are blocked in Chicago, Trump appellate appointees push back on the order blocking Trump's troop efforts in Portland. And, another Trump target indicted.

Tonight, at Law Dork:

The trials (and errors) of litigating against Trump

As Trump actions are blocked in Chicago, Trump appellate appointees push back on the order blocking Trump's troop efforts in Portland. And, another Trump target indicted.

www.lawdork.com

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Chris Geidner @chrisgeidner.bsky.social · 5h

Response from Sam Lau, Spokesperson, @hrc.org, the nation's largest LGBTQ+ civil rights organization:

"Yes, Lt. Gov. Earle-Sears, that is indeed discrimination. Vote for Abigail Spanberger."

Dave Weigel @daveweigel.bsky.social · 6h

AS: My opponent has also previously said that she thinks it’s okay for someone to be fired from their job for being gay. That is discrimination.

WES: That’s not discrimination! (2/2)

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Chris Geidner @chrisgeidner.bsky.social · 6h

Here is the actual TRO:

Chris Geidner @chrisgeidner.bsky.social · 6h

BREAKING: Federal judge issues TRO following a second day of hearings, blocking the Trump administration from “ordering the federalization and deployment of the National Guard of the United States within Illinois” from now through Oct. 23. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT NORTHERN DISTRICT OF ILLINOIS
EASTERN DIVISION
STATE OF ILLINOIS, a sovereign state; and the CITY OF CHICAGO, an Illinois municipal corporation,
Plaintiffs,
Case No. 25-cv-12174
Judge April M. Perry
V.
DONALD J. TRUMP, in his official capacity as President of the United States; DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY; KRISTI NOEM, in her official capacity as Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security;
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE; PETER B.
HEGSETH, in his official capacity as Secretary of the Department of Defense; UNITED STATES ARMY; DANIEL P. DRISCOLL, in his official capacity as Secretary of the Army,
Defendants.
TEMPORARY RESTRAINING ORDER
This Court GRANTS Plaintiffs' Motion for a Temporary Restraining Order, Doc. 3, and
ORDERS as follows:
1. Defendants,' their officers, agents, assigns entered, and all persons acting in concert with them, are temporarily enjoined from ordering the federalization and deployment of the
National Guard of the United States within Illinois.
2. This Temporary Restraining Order is at 5:55 P.M. central time on this 9th day of October
2025 and expires on October 23, 2025 at 11:59 P.M.
'President Trump, one of the name Defendants, is not enjoined by this Order.

3. Within two (2) calendar days of entry of this Temporary Restraining Order, Plaintiffs
shall post a nominal bond of $100. The bond shall be filed in the Clerk's Office and be
deposited into the registry of the Court.
4. Defendants' Request to Stay or Administratively Stay the Temporary Restraining Order,
Doc. 62 at 58, is DENIED.
5. A telephone hearing will be held on October 22, 2025, at 9:00 A.M. to address whether
this Temporary Restraining Order should be extended for an additional fourteen (14)
calendar days.
Dated: October 9, 2025
Coul MPeray.
APRIL M. PERRY
United States District Judge
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Chris Geidner @chrisgeidner.bsky.social · 6h

BREAKING: Federal judge issues TRO following a second day of hearings, blocking the Trump administration from “ordering the federalization and deployment of the National Guard of the United States within Illinois” from now through Oct. 23. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

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Chris Geidner @chrisgeidner.bsky.social · 8h

Here’s the indictment —>

Joshua J. Friedman @joshuajfriedman.com · 8h

NEW: Here's the two-count indictment against NY AG Letitia James. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

INDICTMENT
October 2025 Term - at Alexandria, Virginia
THE GRAND JURY CHARGES THAT:
GENERAL ALLEGATIONS
At all times relevant to this Indictment:
1. Letitia A. James ("JAMES) was a resident of Brooklyn, New York, and the borrower on a
Fannie Mae-backed mortgage loan for the property located at 3121 Peronne Avenue,
Norfolk, Virginia.
2. OVM Financial (also known as Old Virginia Mortgage / AnnieMac) was a mortgage lending business located in Virginia Beach, Virginia, engaged in the business of originating and underwriting residential mortgage loans, including those backed by the Federal National Mortgage Association ("Fannie Mae"). OVM Financial qualified as a "financial institution" within the meaning of 18 U.S.C. § 20(10).
3. Fannie Mae was a federally chartered corporation that purchased and guaranteed mortgages,
operating as a government-sponsored enterprise under the oversight of the Federal Housing

Finance Agency ("FHFA").
4. First Savings Bank was a state-chartered, FDIC-insured financial institution (Certificate
#29961), headquartered in Jeffersonville, Indiana, which acquired mortgage loans through assignment or acquisition. First Savings Bank qualified as a "financial institution" within the meaning of 18 U.S.C. § 20(1).
5. On or about August 17, 2020, JAMES, as sole borrower, purchased the three (3) bedroom,
(1) bathroom property located at 3121 Peronne Avenue, Norfolk, Virginia 23509 (the
"Peronne Property"), for approximately $137,000, financed with a mortgage loan of approximately $109,600 (Loan #4430025978) backed by Fannie Mae.
6. The loan was originated by OVM Financial under a signed Second Home Rider, which required JAMES, as the sole borrower to occupy and use the property as her secondary residence, and prohibited its use as a timesharing or other shared ownership arrangement or agreement that requires her either to rent the property or give any other person any control over the occupancy or use of the property.
7. Despite these representations, the Peronne Property was not occupied or used by JAMES as a secondary residence and was instead used as a rental investment property, renting the property to a family of (3).
8. This misrepresentation allowed JAMES to obtain favorable loan terms not available for investment properties, including a note rate of 3.000% (avoiding a 0.815% higher
comparable investment property rate of 3.815%, resulting in approximately $17,837 in rate savings over the life of the loan), a seller credit of approximately $3,288 (exceeding the seller credit for investment properties by approximately $1,096), for total ill-gotten gains of approximately $18,933 over the life of the loan.
9. JAMES' Universal Property application for homeowners' insurance indicated "owner-

occupied non-seasonal use," further misrepresenting the intended use of the property.
10. JAMES filed Schedule E tax forms), under penalties of perjury, treating the Perrone Property as rental real estate, reporting fair rental days, zero personal use days, thousand(s)
of dollars in rents received, and claiming deductions for expenses relating to the property, further contradicting the second home classification.
11. The loan was acquired by or assigned to First Savings Bank by March 2021, exposing it to risks associated with the misrepresented loan.
12. The acts described herein occurred within the Eastern District of Virginia.
COUNT ONE
(Bank Fraud - 18 U.S.C. § 1344)
13. The allegations in paragraphs 1 through 12 are re-alleged and incorporated herein.
14. From on or about August 7, 2020, through at least January 2024, in the Eastern District of Virginia and elsewhere, the Defendant, LETITIA A. JAMES, did knowingly execute and attempt to execute a scheme and artifice to defraud OVM Financial and First Savings Bank,
financial institutions, and to obtain moneys, funds, and credits owned by and under the custody and control of OVM Financial and First Savings Bank by means of false and fraudulent pretenses, representations, and promises.
15. The scheme involved falsely representing the Peronne Property as a secondary residence to obtain favorable mortgage terms, while using it as an investment property with no intended
or actual personal occupancy or use by her.
(In violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1344).
COUNT TWO
(False Statements to a Financial Institution - 18 U.S.C. § 1014)
16. The allegations in paragraphs 1 through 12 are re-alleged and incorporated herein.

17. From on or about July 28, 2020, through at least August 31, 2020, in the Eastern District of Virginia and elsewhere, the Defendant, LETITIA A. JAMES, did knowingly make and cause to be made false statements and reports for the purpose of influencing the action of OVM Financial, a Fannie Mae-backed lender, upon an application for a loan, in that JAMES represented and affirmed in uniform residential loan applications and related documents that
the Peronne Property would be used as a secondary residence, when in truth and fact, as JAMES then knew, the property was intended and used as an investment property with no intended or actual personal occupancy or use by her.
(In violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1014).
FORFEITURE NOTICE
Pursuant to Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 32.2(a) and Title 18, U.S.C. §
982(a)(2)(A), upon conviction of the offenses in Counts One and Two, the Defendant, Letitia
A. James, shall forfeit to the United States any property constituting, or derived from, proceeds obtained, directly or indirectly, as a result of such violations, including but not limited to a money judgment in the amount of $18,933.
If any of the property described above, as a result of any act or omission of the Defendant: (a) cannot be located upon the exercise of due diligence; (b) has been transferred or sold to, or deposited with, a third party; (c) has been placed beyond the jurisdiction of the court; (d) has been substantially diminished in value; or (e) has been commingled with other property which cannot be divided without difficulty, the United States shall be entitled to a forfeiture of substitute property pursuant to Title 21, U.S.C. § 853(b), as incorporated by Title
18 U.S.C. § 982(b)(1).
(In accordance with Title 18 U.S.C. § 981(a)(1)(C) and 982(a)(1); Title 28, U.S.C. § 2461(c); and Title 21 U.S.C. § 853(p).)

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Chris Geidner @chrisgeidner.bsky.social · 8h

We are getting at least a partial TRO in Illinois v. Trump, the military deployment challenge. @jonseidel.bsky.social is covering the ongoing ruling from the federal bench in Chicago.

Jon Seidel @jonseidel.bsky.social · 8h

U.S. District Judge April Perry says it comes down to a "credibility determination."

"I simply cannot credit [the Trump administration's] declarations to the extent they contradict state and local law enforcement. … DHS' perception of events are simply unreliable."

Jon Seidel @jonseidel.bsky.social · 8h

#BREAKING A federal judge say she will grant "in part" a request by the state of Illinois for a temporary restraining order against the deployment of National Guard troops into the state.

U.S. District Judge April Perry is still ruling and has not outlined the details of her order.

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Chris Geidner @chrisgeidner.bsky.social · 9h

Yeah, something closer to this is where folks have to be at.

Notification
Center
11
WSJ
Breaking News
2m ago
New York Attorney General Letitia James has been indicted following a Justice Dept. investigation into mortgage fraud allegations

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Reposted by Chris Geidner

Barton Gellman @bartongellman.bsky.social · 9h

Correct. This headline and others, similar, entirely miss the meaning of the event.

Chris Geidner @chrisgeidner.bsky.social · 9h

The prosecutor put in office after the president who wants vengeance against his enemies told his AG that a WH lawyer was the person for the job — despite no prosecution experience — successfully sought an indictment against one of the named enemies, the second such indictment.

And you push this?

Notification Center
22
NBC NEWS
Breaking news
Federal grand jury in Virginia charges Letitia James, the New York attorney general who investigated Trump's business practices, with bank fraud

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Chris Geidner @chrisgeidner.bsky.social · 9h

Here was my Comey indictment report from days later:

Trump the tyrant is on full display — but his acting out highlights how weak he is

Trump got his Comey indictment Thursday and issued a memo directing "domestic terrorism" investigations. And yet, both provided more evidence that Trump is losing.

www.lawdork.com

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Chris Geidner @chrisgeidner.bsky.social · 9h

Like, come off it.

Here was my Sept. 21 report:

A sharp picture of the personal nature of Trump's disregard for the rule of law

Allegations against Trump's "border czar" and DOJ, TikTok shenanigans, and Trump's Virginia federal prosecutor manipulations. And, for paid subscribers: Closing my tabs.

www.lawdork.com

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Chris Geidner @chrisgeidner.bsky.social · 9h

Or this.

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Chris Geidner @chrisgeidner.bsky.social · 9h

The prosecutor put in office after the president who wants vengeance against his enemies told his AG that a WH lawyer was the person for the job — despite no prosecution experience — successfully sought an indictment against one of the named enemies, the second such indictment.

And you push this?

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Reposted by Chris Geidner

Joshua J. Friedman @joshuajfriedman.com · 10h

"The average listener is not under the impression that a diss track is the product of a thoughtful or disinterested investigation, conveying to the public factchecked verifiable content."

The forum here is a music recording, in particular a rap “diss track,” with accompanying video and album art. Diss tracks are much more akin to forums like YouTube and X, which “encourag[e] a freewheeling, anything-goes writing style,” than journalistic reporting. Sandals Resorts, 86 A.D.3d at 43 (quotation marks omitted). The average listener is not under the impression that a diss track is the product of a thoughtful or disinterested investigation, conveying to the public factchecked verifiable content.

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Reposted by Chris Geidner

Joshua J. Friedman @joshuajfriedman.com · 10h

NEW: Federal judge dismisses Drake's defamation case against Kendrick Lamar storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

The issue in this case is whether "Not Like Us" can reasonably be understood to convey as a factual matter that Drake is a pedophile or that he has engaged in sexual relations with minors. In light of the overall context in which the statements in the Recording were made, the Court holds that it cannot.

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Chris Geidner @chrisgeidner.bsky.social · 10h

DOJ continues to argue that the president's judgment under 10 USC 12406 — uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?r... — is "unreviewable," similar to the Alien Enemies Act argument.

No court this year, to my knowledge, has agreed with that argument as to either statute.

Jon Seidel @jonseidel.bsky.social · 12h

Hamilton: "The president's judgment is unreviewable."

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Chris Geidner @chrisgeidner.bsky.social · 10h

From today's TRO hearing in Illinois v. Trump, Judge April Perry:

Jon Seidel @jonseidel.bsky.social · 12h

Perry: "I agree with you about the seriousness of threats, generally, across the United States right now. I don't think there's a single public servant, really, who is not being subject to threats.

"Mine started about 10 minutes after I got this case."

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Chris Geidner @chrisgeidner.bsky.social · 10h

Judge Perry is due back in court on the Illinois v. Trump military case TRO request at 4:30p CT/5:30p ET. —>

Jon Seidel @jonseidel.bsky.social · 11h

While we wait for Judge Perry to return to the bench, you can get caught up on today's hearing with the @chicago.suntimes.com's live blog: chicago.suntimes.com/live/2025/10...

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Reposted by Chris Geidner

Sean Casten @seancasten.bsky.social · 12h

This is really important. I was recently talking to folks in Chicago who said that much as they fear ICE detaining children without due process, they worry even more that child traffickers will don their same masks and do even worse.

Chris Geidner @chrisgeidner.bsky.social · 12h

Lots of folks talking about this. This was one of the most heavily discussed parts of the TRO request, and I covered some of that on Monday.

tl;dr: Read Law Dork; be informed.

www.lawdork.com/p/illinois-l...

It is further ORDERED that all Federal Agents, excepting those who do not wear a
uniform or other distinguishing clothing or equipment in the regular performance of their official
4
Case: 1:25-cv-12173 Document #: 42 Filed: 10/09/25 Page 5 of 6 PagelD #:839
duties or are engaged in undercover operations in the regular performance of their official duties, must have visible identification (for which a unique recognizable alphanumeric identifier sequence
will suffice) affixed to their uniforms or helmets and prominently displayed, including when
wearing riot gear.

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