The Week That Was – Lawfare
Quinta Jurecic discussed former President Trumps consistent pattern of attempting to stymie the Mueller investigation, the work of the House select committee to investigate Jan. 6 and the Justice Departments Mar-a-Lago investigation, and the legal implications for the ongoing investigations now that Trump is no longer president.
Hyemin Han shared the Justice Department's opening brief in the Eleventh Circuit for an appeal of U.S. District Court Judge Aileen Cannon's Sept. 5 order appointing a special master to oversee privilege claims of documents seized during the Aug. 8 search of former President Donald Trumps Mar-a-Lago residence. It asked the Eleventh Circuit to vacate Cannons order in its entirety with instructions to dismiss the case.
Han also shared the Justice Departments Oct. 11 response in opposition to former President Trumps Oct. 4 application to the Supreme Court for a partial vacatur of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuits Sept. 21 order allowing the Justice Department to resume use of materials it has been previously enjoined from using in a Sept. 5 order by U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon.
William Appleton shared a livestream of the Jan. 6 Select Committees Oct. 13 hearing, announced as the final one. The Lawfare team also hosted a Twitter Spaces on the hearing at 5 p.m. ET.
Hadley Baker shared an episode of Lawfare No Bull which featured audio from the Jan. 6 committees ninth public hearing:
Benjamin Wittes sat down for a conversation with Jurecic, Alan Rozenshtein, and Molly Reynolds on Twitter Spaces to discuss the ninth Jan. 6 select committee hearing, the subpoena of Donald Trump, how this all could impact the upcoming midterm elections, and the performance of the committee given the constraints it faced:
Katherine Pompilio shared former President Donald Trumps letter in response to the House select committees decision to issue him a subpoena seeking information about his involvement in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Han also shared the Biden-Harris administrations first National Security Strategy which details the administrations enduring vision for the U.S. in the coming decade, its views on investment priorities, the administrations global priorities, and a breakdown of the administration's national security strategy by region.
Stewart Baker, Nick Weaver, Matthew Heiman, and Brian Fleming sat down to discuss the White House Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights, the criminal conviction of Ubers CSO Joe Sullivan, new export restrictions on U.S. technology and its implications for U.S.-China trade relations, a Russian hack and leak operation, and more:
Henry Farrell and Bruce Schneier discussed the U.S. Treasurys Office of Foreign Assets Controls sanctions of Tornado Cash, a cryptocurrency and money-laundering platform, and the implications for cryptocurrency regulation if decentralized autonomous organizations like Tornado Cash are afforded First Amendment protections.Jordan Schneider sat down for a conversation with Kevin Wolf, partner at Akin Gump, to discuss the U.S. Commerce Department's new export control regulations, what the regulations mean for the global semiconductor industry, and if the regulations are even enforceable:
Chenny Zhang discussed the possibility of the American drug industry experiencing a similar manufacturing crisis as the semiconductor industry due to the increasing likelihood of industry consolidation, the difficulties of the regulatory approval process and its impacts on innovation, and the importance of the U.S. bioeconomy for national security.
Russell Buchan and Joe Devanny responded to a recent Lawfare article on the U.K.s cyber strategy and emphasized the need for a nuanced and incremental development of that strategy to achieve the responsible and democratic use of cyber power.
Han sat down for a conversation with Alexander Downes, professor of political science and international affairs at The George Washington University, to discuss the history of foreign-imposed regime change, what lessons can be learned from past foreign-imposed regime changes, and why, when it actually works, its success doesnt last very long:
Tyler McBrien sat down with Beln Carrasco Rodrguez and Tom Southern of the Center for Information Resilience to discuss their research into how Russia establishes and strengthens occupational rule, the Russian playbook for control, and the ways that forced assimilation may or may not be working:
Benjamin Wittes sat down for a conversation with Svitlana Khytrenko, a Ukrainian student who escaped Kyiv in March, to talk about her experiences as a refugee, her life in Poland, and her feelings about the Russian invasion:
Jordan Schneider sat down for a conversation with Kamil Galeev to discuss the prospects of nuclear war, the stability of the Russian state, Moscows grip on annexed regions, Putins future viability, and more:
Katherine Yon Ebright discussed an obscure counterterrorism authority used to create and control proxy forces across Africa and Asia, its intersection with the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF), and argued that the executive branchs current interpretation may have gone beyond its previous representations to Congress and the public.
Caleb Johnson and Yang Liu provided a summary of President Joe Bidens Oct. 7 executive order which laid out a framework in which the government can conduct signals intelligence activities; establishes a three-layer redress mechanism to address potential violations of privacy, civil liberties, or law; and also fulfills prior commitments to provide higher privacy protections and a more durable basis for future trans-Atlantic data flows.
Renee DiResta and John Perrino discussed the new history of U.S. military information campaigns, how it illustrates the challenges of reaching and influencing online audiences, and argued for a U.S. policy of radical transparency in the information ecosystem in contrast to the opaque policies and disinformation campaigns of authoritarian adversaries such as Russia.
David Priess sat down for a chat with Jordan Taylor, historian and author of Misinformation Nation: Foreign News and the Politics of Truth in Revolutionary America. They discussed the persistence of misinformation, the origins and limits of newspapers in colonial America, the Illuminati scare of 1798-99, and more:
McBrien also reviewed Sierra Pettengills documentary Riotsville, U.S.A. (2022) which illustrates the history of police militarization in the United States, the legacies of the Kerner Commission, and the importance of investigating the origins of repressive social forces.
Wittes also sat down with Jurecic, Rozenshtein, and Scott R. Anderson to discuss the current state of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, the two cases recently taken up by the Supreme Court relating to Section 230, and what the correct interpretation of 230if there is onemight look like:
Rozenshtein, Jurecic, and Anderson also sat down with Ashley Deeks, professor of law at the University of Virginia Law School, to discuss some of the weeks big national security news including: developments in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Saudi Arabias decision to cut oil production, and the Supreme Court's decision to take up two cases related to Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act:
And that was the week that was.
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The Week That Was - Lawfare
- NYS AG: "Most extensive" First Amendment reforms ever approved in Saratoga Springs - WRGB - January 9th, 2026 [January 9th, 2026]
- Opinion | Jack Smith would have blown a hole in the First Amendment - The Washington Post - January 9th, 2026 [January 9th, 2026]
- Court rules University of Washington violated professors First Amendment rights - Campus Reform - January 9th, 2026 [January 9th, 2026]
- Law's Jonathan Entin and Eric Chaffee on first amendment rights and social media access for children - Case Western Reserve University - January 9th, 2026 [January 9th, 2026]
- Guest Column First Amendment and what it means to teen-agers - Milwaukee Community Journal - - January 9th, 2026 [January 9th, 2026]
- Voting rights, First Amendment issues expected to be battles in Pierre - SDPB - January 9th, 2026 [January 9th, 2026]
- Teachers First Amendment rights - theacorn.com - January 9th, 2026 [January 9th, 2026]
- OPINION: The First Amendment and peacefully protesting - Big Rapids Pioneer - January 9th, 2026 [January 9th, 2026]
- Appeals court reviews excluded texts and alleged First Amendment claim in Tucker medicalmalpractice appeal - Citizen Portal AI - January 9th, 2026 [January 9th, 2026]
- Sen. Mark Kelly vows to fight for First Amendment amid Pentagon threats - USA Today - January 9th, 2026 [January 9th, 2026]
- Musk's X is joining a First Amendment fight over trans bathroom photo - USA Today - December 31st, 2025 [December 31st, 2025]
- Filming ICE agents is a First Amendment right. So why might it land you in jail? - Straight Arrow News - December 31st, 2025 [December 31st, 2025]
- Liberties Year in Review: First Amendment victories - wng.org - December 31st, 2025 [December 31st, 2025]
- Trump Administration Will Appeal Judges Order Reversing Federal Funding Cuts at Harvard - First Amendment Watch - December 25th, 2025 [December 25th, 2025]
- Housing, tourism and the First Amendment: Nevada editors reflect on the news year that was 2025 - KNPR - December 25th, 2025 [December 25th, 2025]
- FCC fights First Amendment and democracy itself - mronline.org - December 25th, 2025 [December 25th, 2025]
- First Amendment Stories of 2025: A Year in Review - Freedom Forum - December 22nd, 2025 [December 22nd, 2025]
- Trump tests the First Amendment: A timeline - CNN - December 22nd, 2025 [December 22nd, 2025]
- Professor Sanctioned by University for a Satirical Land Acknowledgment Wins First Amendment Case on Appeal - The New York Sun - December 22nd, 2025 [December 22nd, 2025]
- Trump Sues the BBC: First Amendment Analysis - Freedom Forum - December 22nd, 2025 [December 22nd, 2025]
- Madisons Lost First Amendment: The Mission Statement that Never Was - Jurist.org - December 22nd, 2025 [December 22nd, 2025]
- Let them sue: Iowa lawmakers scoffed at First Amendment in wake of Charlie Kirk shooting, records show - FIRE | Foundation for Individual Rights and... - December 22nd, 2025 [December 22nd, 2025]
- Pastor alleges Tarrant County judge violated First Amendment by removing him from meeting - Fort Worth Report - December 22nd, 2025 [December 22nd, 2025]
- Yes, the First Amendment Applies to Non-Citizens Present in the United States - Reason Magazine - December 22nd, 2025 [December 22nd, 2025]
- Gingrich: Going After People Who Have Been Radicalized Requires Rethinking Parts Of The First Amendment - Real Clear Politics - December 16th, 2025 [December 16th, 2025]
- [VIDEO] Jane Fonda Revives the Committee for the First Amendment - ACLU of Southern California - December 16th, 2025 [December 16th, 2025]
- Does The First Amendment Protect Supposedly Addictive Algorithms? - Hoover Institution - December 16th, 2025 [December 16th, 2025]
- Stop the gatekeeping. The First Amendment is for all of us - Freedom of the Press Foundation - December 16th, 2025 [December 16th, 2025]
- Why 'online speech is messy' when it comes to the First Amendment - WUSF - December 16th, 2025 [December 16th, 2025]
- Puerto Rico Governor Signs Bill That Critics Say Will Restrict Access to Public Information - First Amendment Watch - December 16th, 2025 [December 16th, 2025]
- How a Gossip Blogger Became the Poster Child for First Amendment Rights | On the Media - WNYC Studios | Podcasts - December 12th, 2025 [December 12th, 2025]
- JD Vance floats First Amendment 'exception' to ban '6-7' - Fox News - December 12th, 2025 [December 12th, 2025]
- Free speech advocates rally to support FIREs defense of First Amendment protections for drag shows - FIRE | Foundation for Individual Rights and... - December 12th, 2025 [December 12th, 2025]
- Law's Andrew Geronimo discusses political websites and the first amendment - Case Western Reserve University - December 12th, 2025 [December 12th, 2025]
- Texas runs afoul of the First Amendment with new limits on faculty course materials - FIRE | Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression - December 12th, 2025 [December 12th, 2025]
- First Amendment expert weighs in on new University of Florida neutrality policy - WCJB - December 12th, 2025 [December 12th, 2025]
- Public libraries in TX, LA, and MS are no longer protected by the First Amendment. - Literary Hub - December 12th, 2025 [December 12th, 2025]
- Congressman Murphy introduces bills to fortify First Amendment rights on college campuses - WCTI - December 12th, 2025 [December 12th, 2025]
- Oregon lawsuit accuses Trump admin of chilling First Amendment rights during ICE protests - KOIN.com - December 12th, 2025 [December 12th, 2025]
- The Man Accused of Killing Charlie Kirk Appears in Court for 1st Time as a Judge Weighs Media Access - First Amendment Watch - December 12th, 2025 [December 12th, 2025]
- ICEBlock App Maker Sues Trump Administration Over Its Pressure on Apple To Remove App - First Amendment Watch - December 12th, 2025 [December 12th, 2025]
- Federal judge to hear arguments on motion in professor's First Amendment lawsuit against UT - WBIR - December 12th, 2025 [December 12th, 2025]
- Inside the First Amendment fight over how Los Angeles polices words - USA Today - November 30th, 2025 [November 30th, 2025]
- Brands, bands, trademarks and the First Amendment - The Global Legal Post - November 30th, 2025 [November 30th, 2025]
- First Amendment in flux: When free-speech protections came up against the Red Scare - Free Speech Center - November 30th, 2025 [November 30th, 2025]
- The Pentagon and the FBI are investigating 6 legislators for exercising their First Amendment rights - Reason Magazine - November 30th, 2025 [November 30th, 2025]
- Corporations Say Its Their First Amendment Right To Hide - The Lever - November 30th, 2025 [November 30th, 2025]
- Campus Crackdown on the First Amendment - Folio Weekly - November 30th, 2025 [November 30th, 2025]
- Lange: Annoying emails are not exempt from the First Amendment - WyomingNews.com - November 30th, 2025 [November 30th, 2025]
- From burgers to the First Amendment: Cozy Inn wins mural lawsuit - KAKE - November 20th, 2025 [November 20th, 2025]
- Salina violated First Amendment rights of Cozy Inn on mural issue - The Hutchinson News - November 20th, 2025 [November 20th, 2025]
- After Bobby George Threatened to Sue Online Critics, CWRU's First Amendment Clinic Stepped In - Cleveland Scene - November 20th, 2025 [November 20th, 2025]
- First Amendment in flux: When free speech protections came up against the Red Scare - The Conversation - November 20th, 2025 [November 20th, 2025]
- First Amendment litigator explains the dos and donts of student protest - The Dartmouth - November 20th, 2025 [November 20th, 2025]
- We should protect the First Amendment like we do the Second - Indiana Capital Chronicle - November 20th, 2025 [November 20th, 2025]
- First Amendment lawyer Floyd Abrams and Berkshire Eagle President Fred Rutberg talk free speech, press freedom at the Triplex Cinema - The Berkshire... - November 20th, 2025 [November 20th, 2025]
- E&C Democrats: The Trump Administration is Violating the Whistleblower Protection Act and First Amendment by Retaliating Against Bethesda Declaration... - November 20th, 2025 [November 20th, 2025]
- First Amendment in flux: When free speech protections came up against the Red Scare - itemonline.com - November 20th, 2025 [November 20th, 2025]
- Judge rules Salina violated Cozy Inns First Amendment rights over burger mural - KSN-TV - November 20th, 2025 [November 20th, 2025]
- 7 Former FCC Commissioners Want 'News Distortion Policy' Rescinded for Threatening First Amendment - TheWrap - November 16th, 2025 [November 16th, 2025]
- Crystal River and the First Amendment - chronicleonline.com - November 16th, 2025 [November 16th, 2025]
- AG Sulzberger Honored with The James C. Goodale First Amendment Award - The New York Times Company - November 16th, 2025 [November 16th, 2025]
- Kansas county pays $3M for forgetting the First Amendment - Freedom of the Press Foundation - November 16th, 2025 [November 16th, 2025]
- Teachers and social media: A First Amendment fight - WGCU - November 16th, 2025 [November 16th, 2025]
- What To Know About How Florida Will Teach McCarthyism and the Cold War - First Amendment Watch - November 16th, 2025 [November 16th, 2025]
- Texas A&M University Professors Now Need Approval for Some Race and Gender Topics - First Amendment Watch - November 16th, 2025 [November 16th, 2025]
- Santa Ana cops need a refresher on the First Amendment - Orange County Register - November 16th, 2025 [November 16th, 2025]
- Was Mississippi State student arrested over 'free speech'? See what the First Amendment says - The Clarion-Ledger - November 16th, 2025 [November 16th, 2025]
- Social media restrictions and First Amendment rights for children | 'Law of the Land' on the Sound of Ideas - Ideastream - November 10th, 2025 [November 10th, 2025]
- Test your Constitutional knowledge: When can free exercise of religion be limited under the First Amendment? - AL.com - November 10th, 2025 [November 10th, 2025]
- Editing federal employees emails to blame Democrats for shutdown violated their First Amendment rights, judge says - CNN - November 7th, 2025 [November 7th, 2025]
- I am in love with the First Amendment | Opinion - PennLive.com - November 7th, 2025 [November 7th, 2025]
- EXCLUSIVE: Texas Good Ol Boys Club vs. First Amendment Krottinger Arrested Over Meme - Yahoo - November 7th, 2025 [November 7th, 2025]
- Trump Administration Speeds up New Rules That Would Make It Easier To Charge Some Protesters - First Amendment Watch - November 7th, 2025 [November 7th, 2025]
- America struggles to balance First Amendment free speech with gun rights amid political violence - Milwaukee Independent - November 7th, 2025 [November 7th, 2025]
- Man Who Threw Sandwich at Federal Agent in Washington Is Found Not Guilty of Assault Charge - First Amendment Watch - November 7th, 2025 [November 7th, 2025]
- Judge Will Order Federal Agents in Chicago To Restrict Using Force Against Protesters and Media - First Amendment Watch - November 7th, 2025 [November 7th, 2025]
- EXCLUSIVE: Texas Good Ol Boys Club vs. First Amendment - Krottinger Arrested Over Meme - Dallas Express - November 7th, 2025 [November 7th, 2025]
- Inside the 'harsh terrain' of Columbia University's First Amendment predicament - USA Today - October 28th, 2025 [October 28th, 2025]
- Biden Warns of Dark Days for the Country as He Urges Americans To Stay Optimistic - First Amendment Watch - October 28th, 2025 [October 28th, 2025]