Cristian Farias
LightNews LightNews
banner
cristianfarias.com
Cristian Farias
@cristianfarias.com
18K followers 610 following 3K posts
Legal journalist and beachgoer. I write about courts, the law, and the politics shaping them for @vanityfair.com, @nymag.com, and @newyorker.com. Host of The Bully's Pulpit.

Signal: cristianfarias.33
Posts Replies Media Videos
Pinned
cristianfarias.com
Cristian Farias @cristianfarias.com · Mar 26
For @newyorker.com: I wrote a crash course on how John Roberts empowered the current destruction and lawlessness in Washington.

There’s a perception this began with the immunity ruling, but he has long been pushing the idea of an unrestrained, unchecked presidency. www.newyorker.com/news/the-led...
How John Roberts Has Empowered a Lawless Presidency
The Chief Justice’s rebuke of Donald Trump over his calls to impeach judges obscures Roberts’s own role in fostering the destruction in Washington.
www.newyorker.com
Reposted by Cristian Farias
mikesacks.bsky.social
CA11 affirms lower court order tossing of Trump’s cases against Hillary Clinton and sanctioning his lawyers for bringing bad faith and frivolous claims.

Unanimous, bipartisan panel (GWB/Trump/Biden)

media.ca11.uscourts.gov/opinions/pub...
Opinion of the Court 22-13410 No. 22-14099 DONALD J. TRUMP, ALINA HABBA, MICHAEL T. MADAIO, HABBA MADAIO & ASSOCIATES, PETER TICKTIN, JAMIE A. SASSON, THE TICKTIN LAW GROUP, et al., versus HILLARY R. CLINTON, et al., CHARLES HALLIDAY DOLAN JR., Plaintiff, Plaintiffs-Appellants Defendants, Defendant-Appellee. Appeal from the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida D.C. Docket No. 2:22-CV-14102-DMM Before WILLIAM PrYoR, Chief Judge, and BRASHER and KIDD, Circuit Judges. WILLIAM PRYOR, Chief Judge: These four consolidated appeals concern five separate or-ders. In 2022, between his terms of office, President Donald Trump filed a lawsuit against dozens of defendants, alleging several claims, including two under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act and three under Florida law. The district court dismissed the amended complaint with prejudice for failure to state a claim. On the defendants' motions, the district court also entered sanctions against Trump and his attorneys, under Rule 11 and under its inherent authority. While those orders were on appeal, Trump and his attorneys moved the district court to reconsider each order in the light of a report by Special Counsel John Durham. They also moved to disquality the district judge. The district court denied both motions. Two defendants ask us to sanction Trump for bringing a frivolous appeal. We affirm the orders with a caveat. Because the district court lacked jurisdiction over one defendant, it erred in dismissing the claims against that defendant with prejudice. So we vacate the dismissal of those claims and remand with instructions to dismiss them without prejudice. Because Trump's remaining claims are untimely and otherwise meritless, we affirm the dismissal of the amended complaint with prejudice for the other defendants. And because Trump and his attorneys committed sanctionable conduct and forfeited their procedural objections, we affirm both sanctions orders. The Durham Report does not change our conclusions, and the district court lacked jurisdiction to consider the disqualification motion. Yet, because the appeal of the dismissal order is not frivo-lous, we deny both motions for appellate sanctions. The District Court Correctly Dismissed the Amended Complaint for Failure to State a Claim. We do not doubt that, in the light of the Durham Report, President Trump has concerns about some defendants' conduct during the 2016 election. The investigation by Special Counsel Durham found that some defendants played a role in orchestrating unverified allegations of him colluding with Russia. Durham Report 11-12, 16-17. And it found that key allegations in the Steele Dossier, relied on by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the press, were never corroborated. Id. at 13. Some appeared to be fab-ricated. Id. at 16. The Special Counsel's investigation found that Bureau officials appeared to favor Clinton and that their investigation decisions reflected that preference. Id. at 9-10. And it found that the Crossfire Hurricane investigation began without "any actual evidence of collusion." Id. at 8. Yet, those findings do not cure the deficiencies in Trump's racketeering claims. The district court committed no error in ruling that Trump's federal claims of racketeering and state tort claims failed as a matter of law. We reject the argument that the district court based its dismissal on the shotgun nature of the pleading. We address below why the dismissals were sound. C. The District Court Did Not Abuse Its Discretion in Issuing Sanctions Based on Its Inherent Authority. Federal courts have the inherent authority to "fashion an appropriate sanction for conduct which abuses the judicial process." Chambers v. NASCO, Inc., 501 U.S. 32, 44-45 (1991). This authority arises from the "control necessarily vested in courts to manage their own affairs so as to achieve the orderly and expeditious disposition of cases." Link v. Wabash R.R. Co., 370 U.S. 626, 630-31 (1962). To "unlock[] that inherent power," a court must find that a party or his attorney acted in "bad faith." Sciaretta v. Lincoln Nat'l Life Ins. Co., 778 F.3d 1205, 1212 (11th Cir. 2015). On a finding of bad faith, the district court may "assess attorney's fees." Id. The district court ordered Trump and Habba (along with her law firm) to pay nearly $1 million in attorney's fees under its inherent authority. On appeal, Trump and Habba present several arguments against the sanctions. We discuss and reject each in turn.
November 26, 2025 at 2:59 PM
cristianfarias.com
This is not throwing Kristi Noem under the bus. This is a designed to insulate from judicial scrutiny any and all high-level communications about how the decision to defy a court order was made.

The Trump administration is trying to shut this inquiry down.
jennburrill.bsky.social Jenn Burrill @jennburrill.bsky.social · 1d
DOJ throwing DHS Sec. Kristi Noem under the bus...

Saying it was her who made the call to proceed with the deportation of more than 100 Venezuelan men to El Salvador, despite a judge's order blocking the deportations

✏️ by: @joshgerstein.bsky.social & @kyledcheney.bsky.social
Kristi Noem made call to hand over deported men to El Salvador, DOJ says
The disclosure adds a wrinkle to the murky timeline surrounding the unprecedented deportation effort.
www.politico.com
November 26, 2025 at 1:03 PM
cristianfarias.com
Pete Hegseth strikes again:

"The likelihood of this getting any traction in the military justice system is essentially zero.”
November 26, 2025 at 12:44 PM
cristianfarias.com
Why they’re doing this:

The Trump administration knows that the Supreme Court won’t let a Cabinet secretary be dragged into court to testify. (She may file an affidavit, as she’s already done in this litigation.)

So the only recourse here is to pierce executive and/or attorney-client privilege.
juliedicaro.bsky.social Julie DiCaro @juliedicaro.bsky.social · 1d
BREAKING:

“After receiving that legal advice, Secretary Noem directed that the AEA detainees who had been removed from the United States before the Court’s order could be transferred to the custody of El Salvador. “
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche and Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove provided DHS with legal advice regarding the Court’s order as to flights that had left the United States before the order issued, through DHS Acting General Counsel Joseph Mazzara. Mr. Mazzara then conveyed that legal advice, as well as his own legal advice, to Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem. See 6 U.S.C. § 113(a)(1)(J). After receiving that legal advice, Secretary Noem directed that the AEA detainees who had been removed from the United States before the Court’s order could be transferred to the custody of El Salvador. As explained below, that decision was lawful and was consistent with a reasonable interpretation of
November 26, 2025 at 11:55 AM
cristianfarias.com
The lawyers in the Alien Enemies Act pending before Judge James Boasberg, who is proceeding with his contempt inquiry against the Trump administration, have recommended that he consider a number of "potential witnesses."

They include now-Judge Emil Bove.

storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
Screenshot of legal filing in J.G.G. v. Trump, listing, among other people, Emil Bove. They include: 1. Former Acting Deputy Director of OIL Erez Reuveni1 2. Deputy Assistant Attorney General Drew Ensign 3. Former Acting Director of OIL August Flentje 4. Counselor to the Deputy Attorney General James McHenry 5. Associate Deputy Attorney General Paul Perkins 6. Senior Counselor to the Secretary of Homeland Security James Percival 7. Acting General Counsel for the Department of Homeland Security Joseph Mazzara 8. Former Acting Assistant Attorney General (now Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General) Yaakov Roth 9. Former Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove
November 25, 2025 at 4:52 PM
Reposted by Cristian Farias
rutgerbregman.com
I wish I didn’t have to share this. But the BBC has decided to censor my first Reith Lecture.

They deleted the line in which I describe Donald Trump as “the most openly corrupt president in American history.” /1
November 25, 2025 at 9:26 AM
Reposted by Cristian Farias
laurenunderwood.bsky.social
Today, after months of requests, I toured the Broadview ICE Processing Facility. I want to share what I saw.

The facility has no food vendor, no medical care, and detainees have to use toilets in the middle of shared cells. These are in no way suitable conditions to be holding anyone — period.
November 25, 2025 at 12:57 AM
cristianfarias.com
Beyond ineptitude and bad faith, the only thing connecting Donald Trump’s many political prosecutions is animus. And unless and until judges root out the animus, the political prosecutions, unlawful appointments, and other tomfoolery will continue.

We’re not there yet.

nymag.com/intelligence...
Turns Out Prosecuting People Purely out of Rage Isn’t a Good Legal Strategy
There’s one big reason the government screwed up the James Comey and Letita James cases.
nymag.com
November 25, 2025 at 12:15 AM
Reposted by Cristian Farias
captmarkkelly.bsky.social
I swore an oath to the Constitution in 1986. I've upheld it through 25 years of service and every day since I retired.

If Trump's trying to intimidate me, it won’t work. I’ve given too much to our country to be silenced by bullies who care more about power than the Constitution.
November 24, 2025 at 8:27 PM
cristianfarias.com
I find it very funny that the judge who said Lindsey Halligan is invalidly appointed relied on Judge Aileen Cannon's (very wrong) opinion that Jack Smith was invalidly appointed when dismissing the classified documents case.
kyledcheney.bsky.social Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney.bsky.social · 2d
BREAKING: Comey case dismissed without prejudice. Halligan invalidly appointed, judge rules. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
November 24, 2025 at 6:05 PM
cristianfarias.com
One thing this pair of dismissals doesn't address, which may be moot unless and until the Trump administration decide to refile these cases, is whether they amount to vindictive and selective prosecutions.

Now dismissed, I imagine the judge won't touch that issue.
klasfeldreports.com Adam Klasfeld @klasfeldreports.com · 2d
NEWS: A federal judge DISMISSES the cases against both James Comey and Letitia James without prejudice because of Lindsey Halligan's unlawful appointment.

More soon on All Rise News.

Doc storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

Background allrisenews.com/p/halligan-c...
Ms. James now moves to dismiss the indictment on the ground that Ms. Halligan, the sole prosecutor who presented the case to the grand jury, was unlawfully appointed in violation of 28 U.S.C. § 546 and the Constitution’s Appointments Clause. As explained below, I agree with Ms. James that the Attorney General’s attempt to install Ms. Halligan as Interim U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia was invalid. And because Ms. Halligan had no lawful authority to present the indictment, I will grant Ms. James’s motion and dismiss the indictment without prejudice.
November 24, 2025 at 5:53 PM
Reposted by Cristian Farias
klasfeldreports.com
Kilmar Abrego Garcia's lawyers inform a federal judge about the Washington Post's bombshell: The government's claim that Costa Rica will no longer accept Abrego has been exposed as a lie.

More evidence—"if any were needed"—of vindictive prosecution.

Doc storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
"Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia respectfully submits this supplemental notice to provide the Court with additional facts relevant to his motion to dismiss for vindictive and selective prosecution. Recent developments in Mr. Abrego’s habeas case before Judge Xinis, concerning the government’s misrepresentations about whether Costa Rica would accept Mr. Abrego upon his removal, make crystal clear that the government is willing to mislead the courts and defy court orders intended to shed light on its conduct, all in service of punishing Mr. Abrego. This provides further proof—if any were needed—of the government’s vindictiveness toward Mr. Abrego and underscores the need for discovery into the motivations of the high-level officials who initiated this prosecution and are ultimately responsible for the government’s misrepresentations regarding Mr. Abrego’s third-country removal."
November 23, 2025 at 9:21 PM
cristianfarias.com
I hate that this boombox exists. I want it.
Product image of an aiwa Retro Boombox CD Player with Cassette Recording in silver gray.
November 23, 2025 at 3:07 PM
cristianfarias.com
Jacob Wohl returns. He's now . . . a pardon lobbyist? Wild story.

🎁: wapo.st/4igndux
The case of a felon who paid lobbyists nearly $1 million to seek a Trump pardon
Nursing home magnate Joseph Schwartz was sentenced in April to three years for defrauding the government of $38 million. Seven months later, Trump pardoned him, but the White House denies a lobbying t...
wapo.st
November 23, 2025 at 2:39 PM
Reposted by Cristian Farias
alexshephard.bsky.social
He’s becoming Zohran’s own Club Chalamet
November 22, 2025 at 12:02 AM
cristianfarias.com
One point of pride in my career was getting an on-the-record confirmation from Peter Carr.

But only one. 💀
November 21, 2025 at 4:32 PM
Reposted by Cristian Farias
joshablock.bsky.social
November 21, 2025 at 3:35 PM
Reposted by Cristian Farias
ryanjreilly.com
DOCS: Here's what federal grand jurors are looking into around Ed Martin and Bill Pulte: www.nbcnews.com/politics/jus...
November 20, 2025 at 9:39 PM
cristianfarias.com
Special counsels are good, actually.
November 20, 2025 at 8:47 PM
cristianfarias.com
A corrupted unitary executive is eating itself alive, and I’m here for it.
kendilanian-nbc.bsky.social Ken Dilanian @kendilanian-nbc.bsky.social · 6d
SCOOP: A federal grand jury in Maryland is investigating whether FHFA director Bill Pulte and Justice Department prosecutor Ed Martin improperly appointed unauthorized people to help in mortgage fraud investigations of President Trump's critics. With @carolleonnig.bsky.social
November 20, 2025 at 6:42 PM
cristianfarias.com
The same federal agency now planning a bailout of farmers was behind denying food aid to millions during the government shutdown.

www.reuters.com/world/us/us-...
November 20, 2025 at 2:51 PM
Reposted by Cristian Farias
anthonymkreis.bsky.social
November 20, 2025 at 12:41 PM
cristianfarias.com
I’ve read hundreds, maybe thousands of judicial opinions in my lifetime, and this is by far one of the most rabidly partisan things I’ve ever read.

Must be read to be believed.
November 19, 2025 at 9:37 PM
Reposted by Cristian Farias
gabrielmalor.bsky.social
For folks catching up, the reason the second indictment weirdly wasn't in the grand jury transcript, which confused the magistrate judge, is THEY NEVER PRESENTED IT TO THE GRAND JURY.
annabower.bsky.social Anna Bower @annabower.bsky.social · 7d
NEWS: During a hearing in federal court in VA, prosecutors confirmed that the operative indictment in the case against James Comey was never shown to or voted on by the entire grand jury before it was presented in open court.

Defense counsel argued that’s a complete bar to further prosecution
November 19, 2025 at 4:46 PM
cristianfarias.com
I love me some little books that pack a big punch. Such as:
A copy of the Harry G. Frankfurt classic ‘On Bullshit.’
November 19, 2025 at 1:59 PM