Civil Action Podcast

Civil Action: Trump Sues Every Federal Judge in Maryland

Attorneys Brian Kabateck and Shant Karnikian break down Trump’s unprecedented lawsuit against all 15 federal judges in Maryland—an attack on judicial independence never before seen in American history. They expose how the administration is furious over Chief Judge George Russell’s standing order that gives immigrants filing habeas corpus petitions a mere 48-hour stay before deportation, calling it basic due process that prevents rushed removals. The hosts reveal how Trump’s lawyers are relying on an 1895 case that actually supports the opposite position, while a skeptical Virginia judge questions why they didn’t use normal appeal procedures. They explain how this lawsuit targets judges who blocked the illegal deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia and other constitutional violations, representing a direct assault on the separation of powers. A chilling analysis of how Trump weaponizes litigation to intimidate judges and destroy the rule of law when courts dare to check his authoritarian agenda.