Civil Action Podcast

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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: California Voters Crush Trump with Proposition 50 Victory

Attorneys Brian Kabateck and Shant Karnikian celebrate how California voters passed Proposition 50 with approximately 65% support, delivering a crushing blow to Trump’s efforts to rig the 2026 midterm elections. The hosts reveal how Gavin Newsom led the charge after Trump directed Texas Governor Greg Abbott to gerrymander congressional districts,

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Civil Action: Trump Threatens Military on Americans

Attorneys Brian Kabateck and Shant Karnikian explain the Insurrection Act and why Trump threatening to invoke it represents a dangerous authoritarian power grab to deploy U.S. military against American citizens. The hosts trace the Act’s history from George Washington’s 1792 response to the Whiskey Rebellion through Thomas Jefferson’s 1807 formalization,

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Civil Action: Mike Johnson Blocks Elected Congresswoman Over Epstein Files

Attorneys Brian Kabateck and Shant Karnikian expose how Speaker Mike Johnson refuses to swear in Adelita Grijalva despite her 70% election victory, leaving 813,000 Arizonans without representation for 36 days. The hosts reveal Johnson’s hypocrisy after he told Fox News he’d “of course” welcome convicted felon George Santos back because

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Civil Action: Trump Guts Loan Forgiveness to Silence Public Interest Lawyers

Attorneys Brian Kabateck and Shant Karnikian expose how Trump gutted the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program on October 30th by redefining which employers qualify, weaponizing student debt to silence lawyers working for organizations that challenge his agenda. The hosts reveal how law school tuition exceeds $70,000 annually, leaving graduates with

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Civil Action: Federal Judges Force Trump to Feed 42 Million Americans

Attorneys Brian Kabateck and Shant Karnikian expose how two federal judges—John McConnell in Rhode Island and Indira Talwani in Massachusetts—ordered the Trump administration to release SNAP benefits held hostage during the government shutdown. The hosts reveal how 42 million Americans, representing one in eight people, depend on the Supplemental Nutrition

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Civl Action: JP Morgan Files Expose $1 Billion in Epstein Transactions

Attorneys Brian Kabateck and Shant Karnikian expose newly unsealed JP Morgan court records revealing the bank filed suspicious activity reports flagging over $1 billion in transactions across 4,700 deals involving Jeffrey Epstein and Wall Street figures. The hosts detail how the Bank Secrecy Act requires banks to report suspicious transactions

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Civil Action: Project 2025 Architect Uses Shutdown to Fire Fed Workers

Attorneys Brian Kabateck and Shant Karnikian expose how Russ Vought, Project 2025 architect who said he wants federal employees “in trauma,” issued a “lapse memo” weaponizing the government shutdown to permanently fire federal workers through mass reductions in force. The hosts reveal how the memo—dated before the shutdown occurred—instructs agency

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Civil Action: Trump’s Hush Money Appeal

Attorneys Brian Kabateck and Shant Karnikian expose how convicted felon President Trump filed a 96-page appeal attempting to overturn his 34 felony convictions for falsifying business records, arguing that signing reimbursement checks to Michael Cohen in the White House constituted “official acts” protected by presidential immunity under the Supreme Court’s

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Civil Action: Trump’s DOJ Admits Lying to Deploy Troops in Portland

Attorneys Brian Kabateck and Shant Karnikian expose how Trump’s Justice Department admitted to lying to a federal appeals court about deploying U.S. troops on American soil in Portland. The hosts reveal how DOJ attorney Andrew Bernie confessed “we deeply regret the overstatement” after Oregon’s Attorney General exposed fabrications: DOJ claimed

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Civil Action: Supreme Court’s Ethics Crisis

Attorneys Brian Kabateck and Shant Karnikian expose how the Supreme Court confirmation process has devolved from selecting legal scholars into political theater, with no enforceable ethics rules to prevent justices from accepting millions in undisclosed gifts. The hosts reveal how Justice Clarence Thomas accepted $4.2 million in luxury trips, private

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