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Main Justice

MS NOW
  • 4.9 (145)
  • Politics

Main Justice is the next era of legal analysis from Andrew Weissmann and Mary McCord, the veteran lawyers behind the hit podcast Prosecuting Donald Trump. As the Trump administration wields its power, Andrew and Mary draw on their extensive experience working within the Department of Justice to break down what’s happening inside Trump’s DOJ. Each week, they use their platform on Main Justice to safeguard against assaults on our laws, our Constitution, and our democracy.

  1. The Imperial Presidency is in Court, the Iran Deal is in Motion

    1 day ago

    The Imperial Presidency is in Court, the Iran Deal is in Motion

    There’s a lot on the docket today. To pull apart the Iran “deal” framework, Mary and Andrew are joined by Tess Bridgeman, an international law expert who served as a legal advisor in the Obama administration through the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran. Tess lays out how President Trump’s 14-point memorandum of understanding differs from what was brokered in 2015, and what to watch for as negotiations continue. Before she joins, the co-hosts begin by analyzing several examples of what Mary calls the Trump Justice Department’s "consistent effort” to avoid judicial review: their refusal to put into a sworn declaration that they won’t move forward with the “Anti-Weaponization” fund and a motion to dismiss a Clean Air Act violation lawsuit against Elon Musk’s xAI data center in Mississippi. They also tackle a few instances where, contrastingly, the government has positioned itself “on the offense” this week, including an indictment of 15 protesters on a conspiracy charge against ICE and the DHS’ intent to build a border wall through a holy landmark atop Mount Cristo Rey in New Mexico. Further reading: Here is the New York Times piece, Mary referred to about the Las Cruces case: A Diocese Tries to Protect Its 29-Foot Jesus From Trump’s Border Wall Here is the Just Security tracker that Mary and Andrew mentioned: Immigration Habeas Tracker: Government Obstruction, Judicial Trust, and Accountability Sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts to listen to this show and other MS podcasts without ads. You'll also get exclusive bonus content from this and other shows. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    1hr 1min
  2. “A Crock of Sh*t”: Decisions Pile Up Against the President

    16 Jun

    “A Crock of Sh*t”: Decisions Pile Up Against the President

    After a week of decisions coming in from all corners, Mary and Andrew begin with a court order issued to remove President Trump’s name off the Kennedy Center after a failed, last-minute attempt by the administration to stop it from happening. Mary refers to this as “good news in the fight against revisionist history,” which she ties into their second beat: a preliminary injunction issued to restore changes to National Parks that were made after Trump issued an executive order calling for modifications to monuments, parks and memorials to rewrite and censor American history and science. Then, onto a federal judge in Virginia officially blocking the $1.776 Billion slush fund after mixed messaging from the administration about whether it would be set up, plus a decision by Judge Mehta in DC to overturn the Department of Energy’s cancellation of $82.1 Million in clean energy grants to “Blue” states across the country. Mary and Andrew also touch on a Massachusetts District Court decision blocking Ken Paxton’s lawsuit against the Democratic fundraising platform ActBlue. And last up, they read and summarize the eyebrow-raising grand jury transcripts of the “Broadview Six” case out of Chicago, so you don’t have to.  Further reading: Here is Judge Mehta’s order reinstating the clean energy grants: https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mad.296214/gov.uscourts.mad.296214.41.0.pdf   Sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts to listen to this show and other MS podcasts without ads. You'll also get exclusive bonus content from this and other shows. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    58 min
  3. Moving Fast and Breaking Things

    8 Jun

    Moving Fast and Breaking Things

    Decisions are happening fast — and the consequences are showing. Last week, Trump announced he would nominate Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to the top post at the Justice Department, after Blanche nixed the $1.776 “Anti-Weaponization” fund while keeping the controversial release that shields Trump and his family from any liability. Mary and Andrew highlight the myriad of issues Blanche will need to answer for when a confirmation hearing comes, before moving to the Supreme Court ruling that allows Alabama to adopt a Republican-drawn congressional map eliminating one of only two majority-Black districts in the state. This nullifies a lower court's decision that the map was, in fact, intentionally discriminatory. Next up, the co-hosts review a Rhode Island judge’s ruling that invalidated several of Trump’s immigration policies, including one that placed a hold on asylum claims globally, causing chaos and uncertainty for many legally trying to obtain asylum claims and green card status.And lastly, a beat on a new executive order stripping job protections from thousands of federal workers, plus continuing litigation over Trump’s ballroom. Sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts to listen to this show and other MS podcasts without ads. You'll also get exclusive bonus content from this and other shows. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    50 min
  4. You Can’t Always Get What You Want

    2 Jun

    You Can’t Always Get What You Want

    As judges continue to weigh in, President Trump is finding that despite his litigious efforts, he can’t always get what he wants. Mary and Andrew begin this week with the latest fallout from his $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization” fund, which is now under judicial review after a group of federal judges filed a motion arguing that the original lawsuit that prompted the fund was “itself a fraud on the court.” This prompted the news, first reported by Axios, that the Trump administration would abandon the fund altogether. Mary and Andrew tie this into another instance in which the administration is losing in the courts, with Judge Mehta’s decision refusing to dismiss the indictment of Oath Keepers’ leader Stewart Rhodes, among others whose sentences were commuted. They then move to a ruling ordering the removal of Trump’s name from the Kennedy Center facade, a setback in his attempt to reshape the renowned preforming arts center. And after an update on the criminal case against the Southern Poverty Law Center, Andrew shares some insight into his recent New York Times op-ed which offers a path to stop vindictive prosecutions altogether. Further Reading: Here is Andrew’s recent New York Times op ed: This Is How to Stop Trump’s Vindictive Prosecutions Sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts to listen to this show and other MS podcasts without ads. You'll also get exclusive bonus content from this and other shows. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    55 min
  5. Prosecutorial Misconduct with Consequences

    26 May

    Prosecutorial Misconduct with Consequences

    Mary and Andrew begin this week by tackling a decision by a U.S. District Judge to dismiss criminal charges against Kilmar Ábrego García, calling the administration’s case against García a vindictive prosecution for challenging his illegal deportation last year. Mary and Andrew couple this topic with a conversation about the “Broadview Six” case, involving a group of Chicago ICE protesters whose criminal case was dropped, similarly, due to misconduct by the DOJ. Then, Mary and Andrew continue a discussion from last week about Trump’s $1.776 billion settlement with the IRS — specifically about an addendum to the settlement which grants Trump and "affiliated individuals" extremely broad protections from future prosecutions. They then talk about Carmen Lineberger, a former federal prosecutor indicted for sending unreleased files from the Jack Smith report to her personal email account. Plus, a conversation about a decision by a federal judge who has ordered the White House to comply with the Presidential Records Act, undermining the DOJ’s ability to give the administration a legal way to destroy White House records from the second Trump term. This podcast is also available on YouTube at ms.now/mainjustice.  Further reading: HERE is the 'Broadway Six' case transcript    Sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts to listen to this show and other MS podcasts without ads. You'll also get exclusive bonus content from this and other shows. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    1hr 2min
  6. Liar’s Kingdom: A $1.776 Billion Theft with No Disciplinary Consequences?

    19 May

    Liar’s Kingdom: A $1.776 Billion Theft with No Disciplinary Consequences?

    There’s a pattern to Andrew and Mary’s focus this week: lies, lies and more lies. They gather in-person to tackle a host of issues and to celebrate the release of Andrew’s new book, “Liar’s Kingdom.” After digging into the book’s thesis, they hone in on the biggest news of the week: the $1.776 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund” created by the Justice Department as part of a settlement agreement which, according to the Attorney General, would provide a non-partisan “systematic process to hear and redress claims of others who suffered weaponization and lawfare.” But as Mary and Andrew note, the real goal is to compensate Trump allies who claim they were wrongfully prosecuted by the former administration. They then shift to the DOJ’s lawsuit against the DC Bar to block punishments for Trump officials, including Jeffrey Clark, the former Acting Assistant Attorney General in the final months of Trump’s first term. Next, the co-hosts touch on last week’s oral arguments in the government’s appeal of the ruling against Trump’s attempt to blacklist four law firms, before moving to the ongoing litigation in Judge Boasberg’s attempt to hold contempt proceedings.   This podcast is also available on YouTube at ms.now/mainjustice. Be sure to check it out: this week features video of Mary and Andrew in-person together. Sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts to listen to this show and other MS podcasts without ads. You'll also get exclusive bonus content from this and other shows. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    51 min
  7. Election Chaos: Callais Fallout, Virginia, Fulton County and Retribution

    12 May

    Election Chaos: Callais Fallout, Virginia, Fulton County and Retribution

    Mary and Andrew recognize it’s been a doozy of a week. Starting with the continued fallout from the Supreme Court’s Louisiana v. Callais decision, they focus on how much the 6-3 ruling has opened the floodgates for other states like Tennessee, South Carolina, Florida and Texas to pursue similar redistricting efforts. The Justices even allowed Alabama to move forward with re-drawing their congressional maps, despite prior determinations of intentional racial discrimination in the state. Mary and Andrew juxtapose this new landscape with last week’s redistricting decision in Virginia, as Democrats submit an emergency appeal to the Supreme Court on that ruling. In addition, a Fulton County decision came in allowing the Justice Department to hold onto the 2020 ballots seized in the FBI’s January raid. Plus, the co-hosts unpack the latest from Trump’s retribution efforts as James Comey’s criminal trial date is set. But in an uplifting end to a rough week, the pair highlight Senator Mark Kelly’s argument before the DC Circuit in his case against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over his participation in a video reminding military members of their duty not to obey unlawful orders. This podcast is also available on YouTube at ms.now/mainjustice. Further reading: Here is the Just Security piece on Senator Mark Kelly’s case: Lessons from the Pentagon’s Empty Case Against Mark Kelly    Sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts to listen to this show and other MS podcasts without ads. You'll also get exclusive bonus content from this and other shows. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    54 min
  8. Introducing WITHpod: The AI End Game

    5 May ·  Bonus

    Introducing WITHpod: The AI End Game

    AI – and coverage of it – is everywhere. But what is artificial intelligence, really, beyond the buzzword? Each week, in a special new miniseries - ‘The AI End Game’ - Chris Hayes is joined by preeminent experts on AI and its effects to help make sense of this revolutionary time in history. The series will feature in-depth conversations with experts, including: The Atlantic journalist Derek Thompson; professor at Wharton and New York Times bestselling author Ethan Mollick, professor of psychology at UC Berkeley and member of the Berkeley AI Research Group Alison Gopnik; former co-lead of the Ethical Artificial Intelligence Team at Google and co-founder of Black in AI Timnit Gebru; philosopher and cognitive scientist David Chalmers; author, host of the “Better Offline” podcast and writer of the “Where's Your Ed At” newsletter, Ed Zitron; The New York Times journalist and author, Michael Pollan, and more. The first episode is available now wherever you get your podcasts.  Sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts to listen to this show and other MS podcasts without ads. You'll also get exclusive bonus content from this and other shows. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    1 min
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Hosts & Guests

4.9
out of 5
145 Ratings

About

Main Justice is the next era of legal analysis from Andrew Weissmann and Mary McCord, the veteran lawyers behind the hit podcast Prosecuting Donald Trump. As the Trump administration wields its power, Andrew and Mary draw on their extensive experience working within the Department of Justice to break down what’s happening inside Trump’s DOJ. Each week, they use their platform on Main Justice to safeguard against assaults on our laws, our Constitution, and our democracy.

Information

  • Channel
    MS NOW
  • Creator
    MS NOW, Andrew Weissmann, Mary McCord
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    237
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © MS NOW
  • Show Website
    Main Justice
  • Provider
    Versant Media, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company

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