Mario Nicolais
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marionicolais.bsky.social
Mario Nicolais
@marionicolais.bsky.social
41K followers 1.2K following 2.7K posts
The Lincoln Project General Counsel; Attorney; Inky-thumbed columnist at The Colorado Sun; defender of constitutional rights; soccer nut and American Outlaw
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marionicolais.bsky.social
Mario Nicolais @marionicolais.bsky.social · Sep 10
I have never had so much fun shredding bogus claims in a response letter.

IF they proceed, we will look forward to discovery. As will millions of Americans.
lincolnproject.us The Lincoln Project @lincolnproject.us · Sep 10
Trump is threatening to sue Lincoln Project, again – this time because we’re telling the world about Trump’s close & personal relationship w/ the pedophile & convicted sex-trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.

Find LP's response here: https://lincolnproject.us/lincoln-project-not-afraid-of-trump-threats/
Lincoln Project Not Afraid Of Trump Threats
Threat proves Trump’s scared his MAGA base will bail on him
lincolnproject.us
marionicolais.bsky.social
And yet … they all mocked those of is who have spent a decade warning about this very outcome.
cwebbonline.com Christopher Webb @cwebbonline.com · 5h
More Republicans eyeing the exits amid threats and internal warfare.

Who saw this coming? They pour gasoline everywhere, then freak when the flames reach their doorstep.
November 26, 2025 at 5:35 AM
marionicolais.bsky.social
This is heinous.

Polis is literally silent on one of the primary figureheads for the fall of democracy.
coloradonewsline.com Colorado Newsline @coloradonewsline.com · 14h
A bipartisan group of local Colorado election officials again made an impassioned, and at times emotional, plea to Gov. Jared Polis to promptly and publicly reject a request from President Trump’s administration to transfer Tina Peters to federal custody.
By @chasewoodruff.bsky.social
Colorado clerks decry 'offensive' silence from Gov. Polis on feds' Tina Peters request | Colorado Newsline
The Federal Bureau of Prisons has requested the Colorado Department of Corrections "initiate the transfer" of the former Mesa County clerk.
coloradonewsline.com
November 25, 2025 at 10:16 PM
Reposted by Mario Nicolais
chasewoodruff.bsky.social
For almost two weeks an obvious question in this story has been: What exactly *was* the message that the Trump DOJ sent to Polis and the Colorado Department of Corrections on Nov. 12?
coloradonewsline.com Colorado Newsline @coloradonewsline.com · 14h
A bipartisan group of local Colorado election officials again made an impassioned, and at times emotional, plea to Gov. Jared Polis to promptly and publicly reject a request from President Trump’s administration to transfer Tina Peters to federal custody.
By @chasewoodruff.bsky.social
Colorado clerks decry 'offensive' silence from Gov. Polis on feds' Tina Peters request | Colorado Newsline
The Federal Bureau of Prisons has requested the Colorado Department of Corrections "initiate the transfer" of the former Mesa County clerk.
coloradonewsline.com
November 25, 2025 at 9:47 PM
marionicolais.bsky.social
🤣🤣🤣
davidleavitt.bsky.social David Leavitt @davidleavitt.bsky.social · 13h
How long until we find out that the pardoned turkeys funneled millions of dollars to the Trump family buying their cryptocurrency? 🤔
November 25, 2025 at 9:47 PM
Reposted by Mario Nicolais
mjsdc.bsky.social
When liberals secured a majority on the Wisconsin Supreme Court in 2023, they changed internal procedures—over the objection of the conservative chief justice, who claimed they were taking away her power. Today the justices released MESSY details about the affair...
www.wicourts.gov/sc/rulhear/D...
BRIAN HAGEDORN, J. (concurring). The Wisconsin Supreme Court is composed of seven justices who are supposed to be members of the same team. Unlike trial courts, when we act, we do so collectively. To accomplish this, over the last 175 years, this court has established various practices and traditions, both formal and informal. These practices ensure all voices are heard, create clear lines of decision-making authority, and establish consistent and neutral processes to govern our case-deciding and administrative work. Some of these are reflected in formally adopted Supreme Court Rules, and some in our Internal Operating Procedures. But the true currency of a court like ours is trust. When trust is broken like it has been here, every aspect of our work suffers. ¶2 This all began in the summer of 2023 when four justices wished to make significant changes to how this court functions. Fair enough. These modifications could have been pursued through a process built on collegiality and mutual respect. Instead, my colleagues pursued a more destructive path. ¶3 The morning our then-newest justice was sworn into office——August 1, 2023——my four colleagues at that time set off to reshape our court and the operation of the court system. They had apparently engaged in significant discussions in the months prior and decided to force through these changes during our summer recess, and to do so via email with or without the input of their other colleagues. They issued a press release triumphantly announcing that these changes were all about transparency, accountability, and inclusivity. This was true in the same way Pearl Harbor was a strike for peace in the Pacific. I will not rehash every detail (Justice Ziegler's excellent writing recounts much of the history), but the reader deserves a taste. ¶4 The first shot sounded when my four colleagues fired the Director of State Courts, who functions as the CEO of administrative matters for the entire judicial branch. Without following any established process, one of my colleagues sent an email proposing that we fire our Director and install a new, preselected interim Director in his place. This happened through email, over the course of two business days, while the Director was out of town on state business, during our summer recess. He never received a performance review indicating concerns; he was simply told his employment was over. This came just months after some of these same colleagues emphasized the importance of having all justices participate in hiring key staff. ¶5 Later that same week, my colleagues proposed dramatic changes via email affecting both our case-deciding and administrative responsibilities. The email invited justices to attend a new, unscheduled meeting of the court later that week to discuss the proposals. One justice said she could not be there; another objected to the meeting as outside our court calendar. The meeting would go forward no matter what, we were told. I implored my colleagues to reconsider, to treat their fellow colleagues with the respect they would want if circumstances were reversed. They refused. The meeting went on as expected, and with only four members present, they voted to fundamentally remake our court. ¶7 Among their changes, my colleagues radically altered the role of the chief justice. They created a new, three-person administrative committee (on which the chief justice would ostensibly sit) to take over nearly all of the chief justice's most important administrative duties. And they did so in the face of serious objections that these changes violated the Wisconsin Constitution, which says the chief justice "shall be the administrative head of the judicial system." Wis. Const. art. VII, § 4. One justice who in the past championed the constitutional role of the chief justice suddenly changed course. Again, these actions stripping the chief justice of powers she had exercised for as long as anyone could remember were proposed via email, and were voted on a few days later during an unscheduled meeting of just four justices during our summer recess. Not exactly transparent, accountable, and inclusive. ¶8 Another significant series of amendments to our internal rules involved modifying the way we consider certain kinds of cases, essentially making it much easier for this court to expedite cases coming to us outside the normal appeals process. Why the change? As everyone understood, my colleagues had the not-sosecret goal of swiftly hearing particular politically charged cases. This was all by design. ¶9 And how did this experiment go? Not well. Administratively, it was not clear who was in charge. We experienced significant breakdowns in communication amidst a lack of clarity about who was doing what. Our staff was often caught in the middle of a court that did not have established lines of communication and authority. And when the Director of State Courts was unceremoniously fired for what many perceived as political reasons, it sent a shockwave through the system. Furthermore, my colleagues' changes were not one and done. Throughout the past two years, they continued to modify the court's procedures in a similar ad-hoc fashion, often after realizing problems with their earlier ill-considered changes. This only added to the confusion. ¶10 Finally, at one of the court's internal conferences this past June, my colleagues shifted course. One of the four announced she was "withdrawing" her prior votes from the past two years (which, by the way, is not a thing) with the idea that every disputed change was now, all of a sudden, reversed. What changed? Again, it was no mystery. My colleagues wanted to take power away from then-Chief Justice Annette Ziegler. Such a move ensured that my colleagues would run the court through the administrative committee. Following the April 2025 election, they concluded they would have the votes to elect a chief justice of their choosing and have a block of votes to support her, so they no longer needed to seize those powers. This is not a cynical take. It is exactly what happened. ¶11 What's past is past, however. I have no desire to hold this against my colleagues, and I am grateful they have changed course. In fact, I was happy to work collaboratively on many operational changes reflected in this order, most of which I
November 25, 2025 at 8:32 PM
marionicolais.bsky.social
Even FOX is getting into the holiday spirit!

Their ticker in Midtown NYC announcing the appointment of Halligan was illegal and all charges against James Comey and Letitia James were dismissed!
November 25, 2025 at 3:16 AM
marionicolais.bsky.social
Putting data behind the cruelty.
propublica.org ProPublica @propublica.org · 1d
1/ THREAD: This year ICE has sent a record 600 immigrant kids into federal shelters, more than in the previous four years combined. Data suggests some are being separated from their families.

For one 15-year-old, it began with a cracked windshield 👇
Article excerpt: Shortly after 8 a.m., Carreto’s phone rang. It was Carlos, telling her an officer with the Florida Highway Patrol had pulled over the truck on Interstate 4 near Tampa. The stated reason: cracks in their windshield. But Carreto was worried. She knew Florida police were collaborating with federal immigration authorities. Her fiancé was undocumented. She says she rushed to the scene and made it there just before the immigration officers. As she feared, Matias had been detained. But to her surprise, so had Carlos. He was just a kid. (ProPublica is only identifying Carlos by his first name because he is a minor.) Carlos was in high school. He’d been living in the United States for over two years and was working toward applying for legal status to stay long term. The government had given her, a legal resident, custody of him. Now he was in handcuffs. Why would they take him too?
November 25, 2025 at 2:28 AM
Reposted by Mario Nicolais
strictlychristo.bsky.social
Americans Blame Trump As Prices Surge
November 24, 2025 at 9:39 PM
marionicolais.bsky.social
My column in the @coloradosun.com this week.

Another example of Trump’s Pageant Principle for choosing legal counsel:

Lindsey Hanson goes from Miss Colorado to Miss Conduct.

coloradosun.com/2025/11/23/h...
Nicolais: Lindsey Halligan becomes the latest Colorado lawyer embarrassing herself in service to Donald Trump
The Interim U.S. Attorney Lindsy Halligan has made a fool of herself and our state during her short tenure
coloradosun.com
November 24, 2025 at 1:07 PM
marionicolais.bsky.social
This makes me physically ill.

It also makes me glad I’ve been able to keep my client, a man from Venezuela, from being sent out of the country.
theatlantic.com The Atlantic @theatlantic.com · 2d
Earlier this year, the United States deported 252 Venezuelans to El Salvador and paid its government to imprison them. Now two human-rights organizations have found that all of those men were physically abused, Conor Friedersdorf writes:
What the Deported Venezuelans Went Through in El Salvador
Forty men sent to El Salvador by the Trump administration have shared disturbing accounts of abuse by a regime that America paid to imprison them.
bit.ly
November 24, 2025 at 3:49 AM
Reposted by Mario Nicolais
nbcnews.com
X's new location transparency feature shows that a slew of MAGA-branded accounts are apparently based outside the U.S., and also stirred speculative outrage over where the Department of Homeland Security account was created.
X's new location transparency feature unleashes questions about origins of MAGA accounts
The function, which shows that a slew of MAGA-branded accounts are apparently based outside the U.S., also stirred speculative outrage over where the Department of Homeland Security account was created.
nbcnews.to
November 24, 2025 at 3:30 AM
Reposted by Mario Nicolais
joshtpm.bsky.social
Amazing story, state legislator and Turning Points USA leader who crusaded against bogus voter fraud claims pleads guilty to attempted election fraud. azmirror.com/briefs/turni...
Turning Point leader, former GOP Rep pleads guilty to attempted election fraud | Arizona Mirror
Austin Smith election fraud guilty plea: Former GOP Rep admits forging 100+ signatures on ballot petitions in Arizona
azmirror.com
November 23, 2025 at 8:06 PM
marionicolais.bsky.social
Let’s call it what it is:

The Chickenshit Chamberlain Prize
November 23, 2025 at 6:57 PM
marionicolais.bsky.social
The world is an upside down.
hotdiggitydr.bsky.social Dr. Cosmopolitan ♀️☮️🧣🌊 🏳️‍🌈 @hotdiggitydr.bsky.social · 4d
So, let me get this straight...

We can give ICE terrorists sign-on bonuses, but we can't give future educators and nurses LOANS to support their future careers?

Make it make sense.
November 23, 2025 at 3:17 PM
marionicolais.bsky.social
Great visual representation.
November 23, 2025 at 2:24 PM
Reposted by Mario Nicolais
joshchafetz.bsky.social
And an excellenet @jamellebouie.net column on the consequences of Trump's public opinion quagmire. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/22/o...
Opinion | Trump Is Mired in a War of Attrition
www.nytimes.com
November 23, 2025 at 1:49 PM
Reposted by Mario Nicolais
ronfilipkowski.bsky.social
Kristi and Kash’s taxpayer-funded travel adventures continue.
November 23, 2025 at 1:50 PM
marionicolais.bsky.social
Hopefully the state revoked his medical license.

At a minimum this is insurance fraud.
michaeljstern.bsky.social Michael J. Stern @michaeljstern.bsky.social · 3d
This is fu*king outrageous!

The federal government on Saturday dismissed charges against a Utah plastic surgeon accused of throwing away COVID-19 vaccines, giving children saline shots instead of the vaccine and selling faked vaccination cards.

apnews.com/article/utah...
Charges dropped against Utah doctor accused of throwing away $28,000 in COVID vaccine doses
The federal government has dismissed charges against a Utah plastic surgeon accused of throwing away COVID-19 vaccines worth thousands of dollars during the pandemic.
apnews.com
November 23, 2025 at 5:36 AM
Reposted by Mario Nicolais
michaeljstern.bsky.social
Yeah, you got that right.
November 23, 2025 at 12:34 AM
marionicolais.bsky.social
This is sad news. I still remember a game Rodgers played for the @nuggets.bsky.social scoring 9 pts in 9 seconds during the last minute of the game.

One of the most incredible things I’ve ever seen.

www.espn.com/nba/story/_/...
Ex-Wake Forest, NBA'er Rodney Rogers dies at 54
Former Wake Forest star and 12-year NBA player Rodney Rogers has died. He was 54.
www.espn.com
November 23, 2025 at 5:28 AM
marionicolais.bsky.social
I can’t tell you how important it is to see people standing up for others.

This is the only thing differentiating us from 1930’s Germany.
iwillnotbesilenced.bsky.social Raider @iwillnotbesilenced.bsky.social · 4d
Since ICE invaded Raleigh, NC, walkouts and protests have broken out, and more than 600 volunteers have signed up to help keep residents safe in the city.
November 22, 2025 at 4:18 PM
marionicolais.bsky.social
This whole prosecution is such a shitshow.
macfarlanenews.bsky.social Scott MacFarlane @macfarlanenews.bsky.social · 3d
Former FBI Director James Comey is seeking to dismiss the criminal case against him because of what he claims were "fundamental errors" in the grand-jury process and interim U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan's handling of the indictment

www.cbsnews.com/news/comey-s...
Comey seeks to dismiss charges, alleging "fundamental errors" before grand jury
Comey's lawyers said in a filing that errors in the grand jury process "reflect the reckless and ill-conceived nature of this prosecution."
www.cbsnews.com
November 22, 2025 at 3:08 PM
Reposted by Mario Nicolais
kylegriffin1.bsky.social
BREAKING:

Sen. Elissa Slotkin says police responded to her home tonight in response to a bomb threat. Slotkin wasn't at home at the time.

This is two days after Trump said Slotkin and other Democrats committed "seditious conspiracy, punishable by death."
November 22, 2025 at 2:30 AM
Reposted by Mario Nicolais
annabower.bsky.social
Who needs cameras in the courtroom when you’ve got THIS
Doodle of parties at comey court hearing. A very bad doodle showing Comey, Pat Fitzgerald, Lindsey halligan, Tyler lemons stick figures in court. Comey is very tall
November 19, 2025 at 8:41 PM
Reposted by Mario Nicolais
pbump.com
These two are like bullshit pickleball.
atrupar.com Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 6d
BARTIROMO: All of this is part of an overall conspiracy the DOJ is trying to put together, starting with Russia collusion, the Mar-a-Lago raid. Was January 6 part of that?

COMER: I wonder who knew. Did Jamie Raskin, who's the most dishonest member of Congress, know & then go along with the coverup?
November 19, 2025 at 1:24 PM