With the first ever criminal trial of a former president, watch this great explainer by Just Security Journalism Fellow Adam Klasfeld

He explains the nature of the case and how the prosecutors got to alleging 34 felonies.

Shareable link: youtu.be/eL9X8fgnD3w?fe…

From Jack Smith’s filing: “The severity, range, and democracy-damaging nature of [Trump]’s alleged crimes are unique in American history” — a “private scheme with private actors to achieve a private end: [Trump]’s effort to remain in power by fraud.”

supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/23/2…

ABOUT TIME. The senate judiciary has subpoenaed Leonard Leo as part of a Supreme Court ethics investigation. foxnews.com/politics/conse…

Honi soit qui mal y pense.

➡️The jury selection process in Trump's NY trial on Monday should go as follows:

▪️ 18 prospective jurors will be put in the jury box at a time and each one will read aloud their answers to the 42 questions in the jury questionnaire.
▪️ Prosecutors can first ask questions of the…

Wow. A powerful, unflinching, devastating letter. But it doesn’t just apply to the Gerald Ford Foundation. What Kennerly writes here is an indictment of every institution and person who has caved in cowardice in this crucible moment. Read the whole thing: politico.com/f/?id=0000018e…

I can't repeat this enough. FISA, particularly post reforms in the late Bush era, was created to PREVENT abuses when dealing with national security surveillance operations distinct from criminal surveillance.

That Dems now have to save it to prevent a return to Nixon-like use…

What does it say about Trump (and the US) that the presumptive Republican nominee has made over a dozen failed requests not to have his day in court to clear his name?

Breaking:

An appellate court judge REJECTS yet another attempt by Trump's legal team to delay the start of his New York criminal trial.

Between lower and appellate court attempts, that's more than 10 attempts, by the DA's count.

MORAL of the Cannon story: She backs down to avoid an appeal that could result in her removal ⬇️

Rachel Scharf Law360 1AD's Associate Justice Cynthia S. Kern rejected Trump's bid to halt trial while a full bench mulls constitutional challenge to Justice Merchan's gag order.

Trump had argued there was ongoing, irreparable harm to him and 'the voting public' caused by restricting his speech.

A new episode of Prosecuting Donald Trump with a deep dive into the upcoming NY criminal trial. Less than a week away.
link.chtbl.com/4g9hL3w5

The NY Courts are fed up - Trump trial in a week. The US Supreme Court shd take note and see how it’s done to vindicate our right to a public trial.

Two words: De-NIED!

This shd be DOA. And why is he so desperate to avoid a trial?????

Our Top Legal Eagle. The Shell art. His book. Mark Cross portfolio. The lily is holding its own. 10/10 Andrew Weissmann (weissmann11 on Threads)🌻

It's one of the most successful influence campaigns of all time. And it wasn't even particularly secret.

Some professional news:

I’m proud to announce that I will be an MSNBC legal contributor on The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell over the course of Trump’s criminal trial.

“Let’s pause for a moment from today’s latest campaign “scoop” to make something clear: None of this is normal. None of this is how American democracy is supposed to work. Trump is not a normal candidate, despite how the media often covers him.” vanityfair.com/news/donald-tr…

'And the notion that predicted defiance of the Commander- in-Chief ’s orders is the backstop against criminal behavior by a President is not what the Constitution provides for.'