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What is dadication?
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The thing that drives me every day as a dad is Dariona. We call him Dae Date for short. Every day he's hungry for something, whether it's attention, affection, knowledge. And there's this huge responsibility in making sure that when he's no longer under my wing that he's a good person. I want him to be able to sit back one day and go, we worked together. We did a good job.
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Michael Popak
Judge Zinnis, M.D. federal judge. She's had it. She's now giving the other side, finally, in the Abrego Garcia case, the right to file a motion for contempt sanctions against the Trump administration because they're playing fast and loose with the rules and they still keep Abrego Garcia, a man never charged with a crime either in Venezuela, in El Salvador or in the United States. They keep him in a El Salvadoran gulag where he sits today despite the Supreme Court 90 ruling that he needs to be returned and facilitate his return by the Trump administration. They refuse to do it. They refuse to tell the judge, why they're not doing it. And now the judge has had it. She's ordered them to produce all their documents. She's produced them. Ultimately they're going to be sitting for more depositions. And now she's finally given the green light to Abrego Garcia's lawyers to file that motion for contempt. I'm going to break it down for you right here on the Midas Touch Network. I'm Michael Popak and Legal af. All right, let's go back in time. Donald Trump tried to use the Alien Enemies act to get rid of over 250 people and send them to El Salvador to a gulag high security penitentiary operated by El Salvadorians. President Bukele several months ago, back In April, the 250 that were sent, one of them was named Armando Abrego Garcia, a man who lived in Maryland. He's married to a US Citizen, Donald Trump. And everybody around him claims that he's a member of MS.13, a gang and therefore he had the right to send him to El Salvador. The problem with that is there was no due process in and there was no ability to exercise or writ of habeas corpus to get him into a courtroom. Before he was sent there, his wife caught him on a video of men being unloaded into this jail.
Magic Spoon Representative
Donald Trump has taken the position that.
Michael Popak
He'S allowed to do it because he's a criminal, although there have been no criminal charges. And more importantly, there was an order of protection, an order of non removal entered by a US Federal, a federal judge, an immigration judge that said Armando Abrego Garcia could not be sent to El Salvador because he could be killed there. And knowing that, ICE Immigration and Customs Enforcement put him on a plane and sent him there. He's been sitting there for several months. Ever since now. The United States Supreme Court has ruled in several rulings, but one in particular about Armando Abrego Garcia 90 that that the Trump administration must facilitate his return, his release from that prison. Facilitation can take many formats. Make a phone call, diplomatic channels, I don't know, break in and go get them out. Do a prison break. I don't know what it is. But the Supreme Court also empowered Judge Zinnis who they said is doing everything right in her case about administrating justice and making sure the constitutional due process protections are enforced and are protected. I said, you judge, find out from the other side on a regular basis with updates what is happening with the facilitation.
Magic Spoon Representative
Nothing.
Michael Popak
Trump administration said they're not going to tell her. Marco Rubio said he'll never tell a federal judge despite order. What did they're doing or not doing diplomatically. First they say it's diplomatic. Then they say they're never going to bring him back. Then they taunt the judge with newspaper articles that they mock up, literally mock up to read he's never coming home, he's never coming back. They mock sitting US Senators from, in this particular one from Maryland saying, you're never going to see your prego Garcia back in the United States. And they then they bring in for this scripted cosplay kabuki theater thing in the White House. They bring in President Bukele from El Salvador, this tiny little country that Donald Trump says it's with him. I can't bring him back. And Bukele says, I would never smuggle a person back into the country like that. And Donald Trump said, I would never ask you. Ha ha ha. All before the watchful eyes of the federal judge Zeniths. And she gave the other side the right to build their case for sanctions, in this case, sanctions for contempt for violating that order. That order, a firm 90 by the United States Supreme Court, who was subsequently issued two other orders, 7 to 2 and 6 to 3 also in this very area that stand for the proposition that somebody in the shoes of Abrago Garcia needs to have habeas corpus rights, due process rights adjudicated by a federal judge in the United States. And you already have the Trump administration in a case involving a mass pending in Massachusetts, already trying to get another Abrego Garcia back from Mexico and saying they're going to do it, but they're digging in on Abrego Garcia. More importantly, they're filing sealed motions, which keeps the public's prying eyes away from them. I don't even know what they say. The press doesn't know what they say. And the press has intervened. There's 14 different news organizations that intervened and said, we need to look under the hood here. Judge, Everything's being filed, sealed and redacted. Big black pages. We can't do our reporting. We have a First Amendment right and so does the public to know what's happening. She's finally ruled in their favor.
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Michael Popak
She issued effectively two orders today, one stripping off the redaction on a number of ceilings made by the parties in the case. That's one. That's a good thing. You know, sunshine is the greatest disinfectant. We need it. It's a public. We have a public criminal justice system with a public docket for a reason. Because not just the prosecution and the defendant have rights and a right to sit at the table of public justice. But the public does too. We don't do things in secret. We don't have star chambers. And that's a good ruling by the judge. But the best ruling is is her paperless order that came out today. Paperless order means it's just a docket entry without more granting permission. We'll put it up on the screen. Granting permission to the movements the Abrego Garcia side to file their motion for sanctions and giving them a date and deadline in order to do that. So let's take a close look at that one. It says simply but powerfully, plaintiff's request for leave to file a motion for sanctions pursuant to Federal Rule of civil procedure 37 is granted. Plaintiff shall file their motion no later than June 11th, one week from today. Defendants shall file their response seven days later. That's it. Look, she's going to end up, I've said this before, I'll say it again. She is going, Judge Zinnis is going to use her inherent authority and that under Rule 37 to sanction the Trump administration for failing to comply with her order, as supported by the 90 ruling of the United States Supreme Court. You can't get the United States Supreme Court to agree on an order from sweet greens, let alone 90 on a major immigration and deportation order. And that happened. And she's now empowered. And as I've joked, there is no more powerful judge than a federal judge. There is no more powerful federal judge than one that's been confirmed in a firm 90 by the Supreme Court. She's in the right. And the movements, the Abrego Garcia side are doing the right thing to bring this motion. She will be the second judge to find them in contempt. Remember, or I'll tell you straight, tell you first that Judge Jeb Boasberg, the chief judge of the D.C. federal court, found probable cause to find the Trump administration in criminal contempt, meaning somebody's going to jail that is on hold because he found they similarly violated orders to ground those very same planes that Abrego Garcia was on to take them to El Salvador when he ordered them to be grounded and wheels down, wheels down, you know, and snack table up and chairs in an upright position. And they went anyway over his ruling. Now that's up on appeal with the D.C. court of Appeals. She will be the second judge to find contempt, I assure you. And I would bet on it. She's going to find him in contempt because it's right. I'll continue to follow it all right here on Legal AF and on the Midas Touch Network. While you're here, come over to the Legal AF YouTube channel. We're continuing to grow that pro democracy channel. I curate the channel. I got about 12 different amazing contributors at the intersection of law and politics. We want to be your one stop shop for all that hot corner. Come over to Legal AF Mtn and subscribe all these filings that we're talking about. I post on the Legal AF substack, another community that we're building in collaboration with the Midas Touch Network, we have them under Filings af. If it's about the Supreme Court, we have it under SCOTUS af. I have a morning AF a briefing every day so help us build that pro democracy channel. And I got a brand new podcast. Just have the overflow of information and I'm just chomping at the bit. Tuesday nights, Midas Touch 8pm Eastern Time. A show we call now the Intersection with Michael Popak. Join me every Tuesday night on the Midas Touch Network for that. So until my next reporting, I'm Michael Popak. Can't get your fill of Legal af. Me neither.
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Hot take, whether it's a court filing or a oral argument, come over to the substack. You'll find the court filing and the.
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Oral argument there, including a daily roundup that I do called Wait for it Morning af.
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What else? All the other contributors from Legal AOFF are there as well. We got some new reporting, we got interviews, we got ad free versions of the podcast and hot takes where Legal AF on Substack.
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Legal AF by MeidasTouch: Episode Summary
Episode: Trump Plays with Fire as Judge Nears Contempt
Release Date: June 4, 2025
Hosts: Ben Meiselas, Michael Popak, Karen Friedman Agnifilo
Produced by: Meidas Media Network
In this compelling episode of Legal AF, Michael Popak delves into the high-stakes legal battle surrounding Armando Abrego Garcia, a petitioner who has been forcibly held in El Salvador under controversial circumstances. The case has escalated to a critical juncture as Judge Zinnis of the federal court system prepares to address potential contempt charges against the Trump administration.
Michael Popak begins by outlining the Trump administration's controversial decision to invoke the Alien Enemies Act, facilitating the transfer of over 250 individuals, including Abrego Garcia, to El Salvadorian high-security penitentiaries. Popak emphasizes the lack of due process in these actions:
“Donald Trump tried to use the Alien Enemies act to get rid of over 250 people and send them to El Salvador to a gulag high security penitentiary operated by El Salvadorians.”
[01:58]
Abrego Garcia, a Maryland resident married to a U.S. citizen, was singled out without any criminal charges levied against him, raising significant legal and ethical concerns. Popak highlights the absence of habeas corpus rights and the failure to provide Abrego Garcia with a fair judicial review:
“There was no due process in and there was no ability to exercise or writ of habeas corpus to get him into a courtroom.”
[02:45]
The episode shifts focus to Judge Zinnis's pivotal role in enforcing legal accountability. Following multiple Supreme Court rulings affirming Abrego Garcia's right to due process and his mandated return, the Trump administration has yet to comply. This defiance has prompted Judge Zinnis to take decisive action:
“She's now empowered, and movements, the Abrego Garcia side are doing the right thing to bring this motion.”
[05:09]
Judge Zinnis has recently issued two significant orders:
Popak underscores the importance of these orders in upholding the principles of open justice:
“Sunshine is the greatest disinfectant. We need it. It's a public. We have a public criminal justice system with a public docket for a reason.”
[09:37]
The refusal of the Trump administration to adhere to court orders, despite multiple Supreme Court affirmations, represents a direct challenge to the rule of law. Popak draws parallels to previous instances where federal judges have taken stern stands against executive overreach:
“She's going to end up, I've said this before, I'll say it again. She is going...”
[07:21]
The potential for the Trump administration to be held in criminal contempt signifies a monumental step towards enforcing legal norms and deterring governmental abuse of power. Popak anticipates that Judge Zinnis will likely find the administration in contempt, reinforcing judicial authority:
“There is no more powerful federal judge than one that's been confirmed in a firm 90 by the Supreme Court. She's in the right.”
[09:37]
Looking ahead, Michael Popak outlines the procedural timeline and anticipated legal maneuvers:
Popak also references similar cases, such as those overseen by Judge Jeb Boasberg, where the Trump administration faced findings of criminal contempt, suggesting a broader pattern of legal reckoning:
“She will be the second judge to find them in contempt.”
[09:37]
This episode of Legal AF provides a thorough analysis of a landmark case that sits at the intersection of law and politics. Michael Popak adeptly breaks down the complexities of the Abrego Garcia case, highlighting the critical balance between executive actions and judicial oversight. As the legal proceedings unfold, the implications for governmental accountability and the preservation of constitutional rights remain profound and far-reaching.
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