Civil Action Podcast

civil_action_cover_alt
Civil Action is where law meets power. Join attorneys Brian Kabateck and Shant Karnikian as they dive into the legal and political forces shaping our world right now. With decades of experience in the courtroom and cases across the country, they unpack the real stories behind the headlines — exposing how the legal system shapes, and is shaped by, the world around us. It’s not just analysis. It’s a front-row seat to the battles defining justice in America.

Civil Action: Trump’s Doomed Wall Street Journal Lawsuit Episode

Attorneys Brian Kabateck and Shant Karnikian break down why Trump’s defamation lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal over Jeffrey Epstein birthday card reporting is “circling the drain.” They explain how Trump can’t meet the “actual malice” standard from New York Times v. Sullivan since the Journal never definitively claimed he

Watch Now

Civil Action: Fired FBI Officials Sue Trump Administration

Attorneys Brian Kabateck and Shant Karnikian break down the explosive lawsuit filed by three former senior FBI officials against Kash Patel, Pam Bondi, and the Trump administration for wrongful termination based on political loyalty. They reveal how decorated counter-terrorism agent Brian Driscoll was fired after refusing to reveal who he

Watch Now

Civil Action: Federal Agents Assault Special Needs Teen in Immigration Raid

Attorneys Brian Kabateck and Shant Karnikian expose how ICE agents violently detained 15-year-old Baldemar Gutierrez, a U.S. citizen with disabilities, at gunpoint outside Arleta High School—defying a federal court order banning racial profiling. They break down how agents dragged the special needs student from his mother’s car without cause, then

Watch Now

Civil Action: Trump’s DOJ Exposes His Own Wildfire Lies

Attorney Shant Karnikian breaks down the stunning hypocrisy of Trump’s DOJ suing Southern California Edison for $77 million over the Eaton and Fairview fires—completely contradicting Trump’s own claims that Democratic policies caused California wildfires. He exposes how Trump spent years blaming Gavin Newsom, Jerry Brown, and “bad environmental laws” for

Watch Now

Civil Action: Trump Retaliates Against FEMA Whistleblowers

Attorneys Brian Kabateck and Shant Karnikian expose how Trump suspended 30 FEMA employees for warning Congress the agency is heading toward catastrophic failure. They break down the employees’ “Katrina Declaration” detailing legitimate concerns—budget cuts, unqualified leadership, workforce decimated by one-third, staff reassigned to ICE—yet were punished with paid leave and

Watch Now

Civil Action: RFK Jr. Lies to Senate, Fires CDC Director

Attorneys Brian Kabateck and Shant Karnikian expose how RFK Jr. lied to Republican Senator Bill Cassidy about not undermining vaccines, then immediately fired CDC Director Susan Monarez for refusing to rubber-stamp anti-vaccine policies. They break down how Cassidy, a physician and chair of the Senate Health Committee, became the swing

Watch Now

Civil Action: Trump’s National Police Force Violates the Constitution

Attorneys Brian Kabateck and Shant Karnikian expose Trump’s unconstitutional scheme to create a national police force by deploying federal troops in American cities. The hosts break down how Trump’s executive order directing Pete Hegseth to establish “quick reaction forces” for “rapid national deployment” violates the Posse Comitatus Act—a post-Civil War

Watch Now

Civil Action: Trump’s Border Czar – A Profile in Cruelty

Attorneys Brian Kabateck and Shant Karnikian dissect the appalling record of Tom Homan, Trump’s newly appointed “border czar” and architect of the family separation policy—with 1,400 children still missing and unable to be found, according to the hosts. They expose Homan’s brazen corruption: earning at least $5,000 in consulting fees

Watch Now

Civil Action: Trump Defies Supreme Court, Fires Fed Governor

Attorneys Brian Kabateck and Shant Karnikian break down Trump’s unprecedented firing of Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook—the first Fed firing in the central bank’s 111-year history and a direct defiance of Supreme Court precedent. They explain how the Supreme Court explicitly said in May 2025’s Trump v. Wilcox decision that

Watch Now