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Judge Colleen Kollar Kotelly (D.D.C.) on Friday stayed the IRS’s new address-sharing policy with ICE after concluding that the agency likely acted unlawfully under the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) and violated Internal Revenue Code § 6103(i)(2) when it departed from a longstanding policy of taxpayer confidentiality. (Memorandum opinion.) (Order.) (WSJ.)
Chief Judge John J. McConnell Jr. (D.R.I.) on Friday vacated the Trump administration’s Executive Order 14238, “Continuing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy” and permanently enjoined its implementation. Judge McConnell held that the administration’s “actions in implementing the Reduction EO violate the APA, the Take Care Clause, and the Separation of Powers doctrine.” (Memorandum and order.)
The Trump administration gave notice to a federal judge in the Northern District of California on Friday that it had completed the court-ordered “reasoned decision-making process,” a step required before the government may resume sharing Medicaid data with ICE. (Notice.) (Exhibit A.) (Politico.)
Judge Mark Kearney (E.D. Pa.) on Friday barred the Justice Department from enforcing the portions of its subpoena to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia that sought identifiable patient records related to gender-affirming care for minors. He wrote that “the breadth and intrusiveness” of the requests “surpass the boundary set by the Court.” (Memorandum.) Chris Geidner discussed the ruling as one of several recent decisions in which judges have scrutinized the Justice Department’s “evolving rationales” for these subpoenas. (Law Dork.)
The Justice Department on Friday filed an expedited motion to unseal grand jury transcripts related to Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, “as well as lift any and all preexisting protective orders that would prevent the Department from complying” with the Epstein Files Transparency Act. (Expedited motion.) (WaPo.)
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker sent a letter on Friday to the Federal Emergency Management Agency appealing the agency’s denial to assist in the state’s recovery from flash floods in late July. (WaPo.)
Nursing home magnate Joseph Schwartz paid nearly $1 million to lobbyists who reported they were “seeking a federal pardon” shortly after he was sentenced for a $38 million tax fraud scheme. Trump granted a full and unconditional pardon on Nov. 14 despite the recommendation by Trump’s Justice Department for a prison term in March. (Lobbying report.) (WaPo.)
The Pentagon’s general counsel reportedly wrote a letter to the House committees on ethics, oversight, and armed services urging lawmakers to investigate whether Rep. Eugene Vindman improperly consulted on behalf of the Ukrainian government before entering Congress. (WaPo.)
Bill Shipley argued that the Justice Department should open an investigation into six Democratic lawmakers who appeared in an online video telling service members they should disobey unlawful orders. He contends their remarks could implicate 18 U.S.C. § 2387. (Shipwreckedcrew.)
David French wrote that Trump’s legally dubious military actions put senior commanders and service members in “an impossible situation,” compelling leaders to bless questionable operations while troops cannot reasonably determine the legality of the orders they receive. (NYT.)
Paul Rosenzweig argued that President Trump is using federal power to tilt the political playing field and transform American elections into a system structured for Republican advantage. (The Atlantic.)
Pending Interim Order Applications Involving the U.S. Government in the Supreme Court
Blanche v. Perlmutter: The government filed an emergency application on October 27 requesting the Supreme Court to stay a district court interlocutory injunction that temporarily reinstated Shira Perlmutter to her role as Register of Copyrights while litigation over her removal continues. Chief Justice Roberts formally set a deadline of November 10 for a response to the application. Perlmutter submitted a response on November 10. Blanche submitted a reply on November 12.
Trump v. Illinois: The government filed an emergency application on October 17 requesting the Supreme Court stay a district court order barring the deployment of the National Guard to Illinois. Justice Barrett formally set a deadline of October 20 for a response to the application. Illinois and the City of Chicago submitted a response on October 20. President Trump filed a reply on October 21. On October 29, Justice Barrett requested supplemental briefs to be filed by November 10. President Trump, as well as Illinois and the City of Chicago, both filed supplemental letter briefs on November 10 and supplemental letter replies on November 17.
Trump v. Cook: The government filed an emergency application on September 18 requesting the Supreme Court to stay a preliminary injunction issued by a district court that blocked President Trump from removing Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook. Cook filed an opposition to the request on the same day. The Chief Justice formally set a deadline of September 25 for a response to the application. Cook filed a response on September 25. On October 1, the Court deferred action on the stay application pending oral argument in January 2026 and established a supplemental briefing schedule. Additional amicus briefs were filed on October 29. The Court set argument for January 21, 2026, and both sides filed supplemental briefs on November 19.