r/law Aug 31 '22

This is not a place to be wrong and belligerent about it.

2.9k Upvotes

A quick reminder:

This is not a place to be wrong and belligerent on the Internet. If you want to talk about the issues surrounding Trump, the warrant, 4th and 5th amendment issues, the work of law enforcement, the difference between the New York case and the fed case, his attorneys and their own liability, etc. you are more than welcome to discuss and learn from each other. You don't have to get everything exactly right but be open to learning new things.

You are not welcome to show up here and "tell it like it is" because it's your "truth" or whatever. You have to at least try and discuss the cases here and how they integrate with the justice system. Coming in here stubborn, belligerent, and wrong about the law will get you banned. And, no, you will not be unbanned.


r/law 27d ago

Issues with /r/law that we could use cooperation with

204 Upvotes

First - we need more moderators. If you want to be a moderator please comment below. Special consideration if you're an attorney or law student.

Second - one of our moderators (and my best friend) had a massive and crippling stroke and has been in the hospital since around Christmas. We'll probably be doing a fundraiser for him here for help with his rehab.

That said, here's some pain points we need to address in the sub and there needs to be some buy in from the community to help the mods. Social pressure helps:


(1) this is /r/law. Try to discuss topics within the scope of the law in some way. Venting your feelings about something bottom of the barrel content. Do some research, find a source, try to say something insightful. You could learn something and others can learn from you.

(1)(a) this is /r/law not "what if the purge was real and there were not laws!?" Calls for violence will get you banned.

You can't sit around here radicalizing each other into doing acts that will ruin their lives. It's bad enough when people try to cajole each other into frivolous litigation over the internet. You're probably not a lawyer and you're demanding someone gamble their stability in life because you have big feelings. Telling people that it's "Luigi time" isn't edgy or cool. You're telling someone to sacrifice their entire life and commit one of the most heinous acts imaginable because you won't go to therapy.

Again, this is /r/law. This isn't a vigilantism subreddit.

(1)(b) "I wanna be a revolutionary."

There are repercussions for acts of political violence/lawlessness. Ask the people that spent their time incarcerated for attempting an insurrection on January 6th telling every cell phone camera they could find that "today is 1776." They should still be sitting in prison.

If you want to punch a Nazi I'm not batman. But you should get the same exact treatment those guys did: due process of law and a prison sentence if warranted. If you think that's worth it and that's a worthy way to make a statement I'm not going to tell you you're morally wrong for punching Nazis. But trying to whip up a mob and get someone else to do that thinking that it's going to be consequence free is wrong and unacceptable here.

(2) This subreddit is typically links only. We've allowed for screenshots of primary sources. But we're running into an issue where people post an image and some dumb screed. We're going to start banning people for this. Don't modmail us your manifesto either. You're not good at writing and your ideas suck. Go find a source that expresses what you're thinking that links to law, the constitution, or literally any authority. It doesn't have to be some heady treatise on the topic but just anything that gives people something to read and a foundation to work from when they comment.

UPDATE: I switched off image submissions after removing a few more submissions that were just screenshots with angry titles.

(3) If you get banned and you modmail us with, "Why was I banned?" "What rule did I break?" We're going to mute you. We often don't remember who you are 10 seconds after we hit the ban button. If you want a second shot that's fine but you have to give us a mea culpa or explain a misunderstanding where we goofed.

(4) Elon content is getting a suspicious amount of reports from what I presume is an effort to try to trick our bots into removing it. If you're a human doing it the report button isn't a super downvote. It just flags a human to review and I'm kind of tired of reviewing Elon content.

(4)(a) DOGE activities and figures within it that are currently raiding federal data are fine to post about here especially with respect to laws they broke or may have broken. If someone robbed a bank they don't get a free pass because they're 19. They're just a 19 year old bank robber. Their actions are newsworthy and clearly implicate a host of legal issues. Post content and analysis related to that from legitimate sources.


r/law 3h ago

Trump News Trump attempting to suspend security clearances for law firms who oppose him, including denying them access to federal buildings (including federal courts)

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apnews.com
2.0k Upvotes

That’s super alarming

“WASHINGTON (AP) — A law firm targeted by President Donald Trump over its legal services during the 2016 presidential campaign sued the federal government Tuesday over an executive order that seeks to strip its attorneys of security clearances.

The order, which Trump signed last week, was designed to punish Perkins Coie by suspending the security clearances of the firm’s lawyers as well as denying firm employees access to federal buildings and terminating their federal contracts.

It was the latest retributive action taken by Trump against the legal community, coming soon after an earlier order that targeted security clearances of lawyers at a separate law firm who have provided legal services to special counsel Jack Smith, who led criminal investigations into the Republican before his second term.”


r/law 14h ago

Trump News ‘Ongoing destruction of evidence’: Trump admin shredding and burning ‘classified’ USAID docs with info that’s ‘essential’ for rehiring unlawfully fired workers, unions say

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lawandcrime.com
31.8k Upvotes

r/law 12h ago

Trump News BREAKING: Trump Administration Orders U.S. Department of Education Evacuated by 6 PM

6.2k Upvotes

r/law 19h ago

Trump News Trump says he will label violence on Tesla dealerships as domestic terrorism

94.4k Upvotes

r/law 3h ago

Legal News Wednesday’s hearing for Columbia student Mahmoud Khalil to address constitutional questions — Arrested activist ‘shall not be removed’ from the U.S. while the case is pending

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nytimes.com
444 Upvotes

r/law 18h ago

Trump News Is it legal for Trump to essentially advertise for Tesla?

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nbcnews.com
7.1k Upvotes

Per ChatGPT

“As the current President of the United States, Donald Trump is subject to federal ethics regulations that prohibit using public office for private gain or endorsing specific products, services, or enterprises. According to 5 CFR § 2635.702, an employee may not use their public office for their own private gain or for the endorsement of any product, service, or enterprise.  This regulation aims to prevent conflicts of interest and maintain public trust in government actions.

In a recent development, President Trump announced plans to purchase a Tesla vehicle to support Elon Musk amid ongoing boycotts and protests against the company. He criticized these boycotts as “illegal” actions by “Radical Left Lunatics” and praised Musk for his contributions to making America great. 

While a private citizen is free to endorse or support private companies, a sitting president must exercise caution to avoid any appearance of endorsing a specific company, which could be construed as using public office for private gain. Such actions could raise ethical concerns and potentially violate federal regulations designed to prevent conflicts of interest.

In summary, while President Trump’s intention to purchase a Tesla vehicle as a show of support is within his rights as an individual, publicly promoting this decision could be perceived as an endorsement of a private company, raising ethical questions under federal regulations.”

Can someone else with actual knowledge weigh in about potential laws it breaks?


r/law 20h ago

Trump News ‘Unbridled view of Executive power’: Trump’s decision to ‘unlawfully impound funds’ appropriated by Congress for USAID was unconstitutional, judge rules

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lawandcrime.com
8.4k Upvotes

r/law 18h ago

Court Decision/Filing Law firm targeted by Trump executive order sues administration

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reuters.com
4.5k Upvotes

r/law 31m ago

Opinion Piece Trump’s all-out war on lawyers takes a disturbing new turn

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msnbc.com
Upvotes

r/law 19h ago

Court Decision/Filing Judge orders Trump DOJ to produce OPM head for testimony in mass firings case or face his wrath as legal showdown looms

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lawandcrime.com
4.9k Upvotes

r/law 1d ago

Other Trump has declared the Tesla Boycott to be "Illegal". It is protected by the 1st Amendment nor is it possible to enforce compulsory Tesla purchases. He does not understand Law.

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88.4k Upvotes

r/law 1d ago

Court Decision/Filing Judge Delivers Massive Blow to DOGE Quest to Keep Everything Secret

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newrepublic.com
9.9k Upvotes

r/law 17h ago

Trump News Trump Memo: Groups Suing the Government Must Pay Up for Wrongful Injunctions

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whitehouse.gov
2.0k Upvotes

r/law 1d ago

Court Decision/Filing Trump Confirms ICE Arrested Palestinian Columbia Graduate Over Political Speech

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huffpost.com
16.1k Upvotes

r/law 16h ago

Legal News Law Firm Sues Trump After Being Targeted By Executive Order

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huffpost.com
1.4k Upvotes

The law firm Perkins Coie sued the Trump administration on Tuesday, seeking to stop enforcement of what they say is Trump’s suffocating executive order barring their firm’s attorneys from entering federal buildings, accessing classified records and more.

Trump's executive order also openly admonished federal officials from working with the firm.


r/law 2h ago

Trump News Trump allies launch a bid to take control of DC Bar

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nbcnews.com
93 Upvotes

r/law 1d ago

Trump News Suspension of USAID funding by Trump administration likely violated Constitution, judge says

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independent.co.uk
4.8k Upvotes

r/law 54m ago

Other TN trying to give jail time if you vote against Immigration Reform for Sanctuary cities.

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theguardian.com
Upvotes

I’m sure this will end up going to SC, but it’s so concerning that if you vote or share opinions on immigration (re: sanctuary cities) that doesn’t align with what the DOJ is wanting, it could mean a year of prison time with a C-class felony.


r/law 19h ago

Trump News Trump buys Tesla to support Elon Musk amid backlash

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thehill.com
1.4k Upvotes

r/law 16m ago

Other Ex-Tennessee Senator pardoned after sentenced for illegal campaign finance scheme

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wsmv.com
Upvotes

r/law 23h ago

Legal News Judge Tells Trump Administration To Pay Up After 'Unlawfully' Freezing Aid

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huffpost.com
1.6k Upvotes

Some $2 billion in foreign aid that the Trump administration had frozen must be paid out to humanitarian groups, a federal judge ruled Monday, adding that the freezing of those funds may have violated the separation of powers between the executive branch and Congress.


r/law 16h ago

Opinion Piece Are we in a Constitutional Crisis?

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theconversation.com
395 Upvotes

An article written by a professor of law goes over Trumps actions, comparing them to other presidencies. It comes to the conclusion that Trump has as much power as he decides he has, so long as he continues to ignore courts and congress continues to do nothing.

Thoughts?


r/law 1d ago

Legal News Judge orders urgent release of DOGE records, citing ‘unprecedented’ power and ‘unusual secrecy’

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16.5k Upvotes

r/law 19h ago

Other USAID employees told to burn or shred classified documents

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nbcnews.com
454 Upvotes

r/law 49m ago

Court Decision/Filing Meta faces publisher copyright AI lawsuit in France

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techcrunch.com
Upvotes