Legal AF by MeidasTouch

Episode: DOJ Lawyer Asks to Be Arrested Over Trump’s Orders!
Date: February 7, 2026
Hosts: Michael Popok, Ben Meiselas

Episode Overview

This Legal AF episode dives into a crisis unfolding within the Department of Justice (DOJ) and local federal courts in Minnesota. The main focus is on a dramatic courtroom exchange where DOJ attorney Julie Lee, overwhelmed by the Trump administration's immigration directives and a paralyzed legal support structure, asks the judge to send her to jail so she can finally get some sleep. Hosts Michael Popok and Ben Meiselas analyze the extraordinary situation, the exodus of U.S. Attorneys, the immense pressure from immigration-related court orders, and the broader implications for justice and civil rights.

Main Topics & Key Discussion Points

1. The Crisis at the Minnesota U.S. Attorney’s Office

• Michael Popok recounts the breakdown in the Minnesota U.S. Attorney's Office, where ongoing resignations have left only a handful of attorneys to deal with an explosion of cases stemming from Trump-era immigration enforcement.
• Morale is at rock bottom: Not only have most senior staff walked out, but the office faces overt mockery and intolerance, as exemplified by Border Patrol head Greg Bevino’s disparaging remarks about the new Orthodox Jewish U.S. Attorney's observance of the Sabbath.
  • "That's how morale is doing in that U.S. attorney's office that Julie Lee is working for." (04:54)

2. The Julie Lee Courtroom Meltdown

Key Segment: [02:15–08:44]

• Julie Lee, an attorney working under DOJ auspices, finds herself in front of Judge Blackwell regarding multiple habeas corpus petitions for detained migrants.
• When confronted about repeated violations of court orders concerning migrant detentions, she confesses fatigue, confusion, and being overwhelmed—culminating in a tearful, almost desperate plea:

  “This job sucks, the system sucks. And I want to be thrown in jail for 24 hours so I can get some sleep.”
  —Michael Popok recapping Julie Lee ([02:15])

• Lee describes a workplace in shambles:
  • There is no direction or guidance on what to do.
  • The office is grossly undermanned.
  • Working nonstop has become the norm, with little help from ICE or federal leadership.
  • She admits openly to the court that it’s been “like pulling teeth” to get ICE to comply with judicial orders.

Notable exchange:

• Judge Blackwell fires back, assigning responsibility to systemic failures within the DOJ and the Trump administration, not just the local staff.

  “This is a problem of the Department of Justice’s own making because of non-compliance with my orders.” ([04:54])

• Michael Popok empathizes with Lee but highlights this as symptomatic of a broader breakdown:

  “She decided to go from the frying pan into the fire and ends up... literally throwing herself on the mercy of the court.” ([07:35])

3. Judicial Response: Chief Judge Schiltz Puts ICE on Notice

Key Segment: [09:58–12:20]

• Chief Judge Schiltz issues a stern order after discovering that, in a single month, ICE violated nearly 100 court orders in just Minnesota.
• He threatens contempt charges and demands possible personal appearances by ICE leadership (specifically, Todd Lyons) unless compliance improves:

  “ICE has every right to challenge its orders, but it has to follow its orders unless they’re overturned or vacated.... Future noncompliance... may result in future show cause orders... requiring the personal appearance of Todd Lyons...” (recapped at [03:15] and [10:55])

4. Broader Implications and Systemic Failure

• Michael Popok draws a parallel between the current Minnesota situation and the court’s handling of the January 6th Capitol attackers:

  “You think it’s equivalent to... all the D.C. district Court judges... each one of them had dozens and dozens of the couple of thousand Jan Sixers who attacked the Capitol. Those all ended up in a giant grind at the court system. Same thing’s going on in Minnesota.” ([10:37])

• He calls out the human cost, referencing deaths of detainees (“Renee Goode and Alex Preddy”) and routine ICE abuses—underscoring the DOJ's inability to fulfill its duty.

  “And they’re not all, you know, illegal migrants, child rapists, or human smugglers or drug dealers or narco terrorists, which is what they always want to tell you. That’s not the case at all.” ([12:03])

• Popok anticipates further fallout, joking grimly that Julie Lee will likely be dismissed for telling the truth and invites her to tell her story on Legal AF if/when that happens:

  “And Julie, when you get fired and you want to come on Midas Touch at Legal AF, give us a call. We'll certainly platform you.” ([12:31])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Julie Lee’s exhaustion and plea for jail time:
  "This job sucks, the system sucks. And I want to be thrown in jail for 24 hours so I can get some sleep."
  —Michael Popok quoting Julie Lee ([02:15])

• Popok’s blunt empathy:
  “I feel for Julie Lee. I... assume she didn’t think she was going to be doing immoral things and being an officer of the court, having to look a judge in the eye and say we’re violating orders.... I doubt that’s why she signed up for this gig.” ([06:51])

• Chief Judge’s warning:
  “The court warns ICE that future noncompliance with court orders may result in future show cause orders requiring the personal appearance of Todd Lyons, the head of ICE.”
  ([10:55])

• Popok’s closing invitation:
  “And Julie, when you get fired and you want to come on Midas Touch at Legal AF, give us a call.” ([12:31])

Important Timestamps

• [02:15] — Recap of Julie Lee’s emotional courtroom statement
• [04:54] — Details on DOJ’s staff exodus in Minnesota, morale, and leadership issues
• [06:51] — Popok’s analysis of Lee’s situation and systemic failure
• [09:58] — The broader crisis and ICE’s legal noncompliance
• [10:55] — Chief Judge Schiltz’s contempt threat to ICE leadership
• [12:03] — Discussion of deaths tied to ICE interactions and systemic issues
• [12:31] — Popok’s closing thoughts, predicts reprisals for Lee

Takeaway

This episode is a grim, inside look at a Department of Justice and federal legal structure unravelling under political, administrative, and moral stress. The hosts pull no punches in exposing the human and ethical toll of Trump administration policies and draw attention to a system buckling under impossible pressure, as embodied by Julie Lee’s plea for relief—even if only in a jail cell.