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Judge Boasberg in a Friday hearing in the Alien Enemies Act case said that he would “get to the bottom of whether [the government] violated my order, who ordered this and what the consequences will be,” according to Politico. The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday will hold a hearing on the government’s request for a stay pending appeal of the district court’s order barring deportations under President Trump’s proclamation. See prior Roundups for background on the case. (Politico.)
President Trump issued a memorandum on Friday directing, among other things, the attorney general to “seek sanctions against attorneys and law firms who engage in frivolous, unreasonable, and vexatious litigation against the United States or in matters before executive departments and agencies of the United States.” (Memorandum.)
The president on Friday stripped security clearances from 15 individuals, including President Biden, Antony Blinken, Hillary Clinton, and Lisa Monaco. (Memorandum.)
The Trump administration on Friday requested that Judge Beryl Howell (D.D.C.) remove herself from the Perkins Coie case. See background on the case here, here, and here. (Motion.)
The Department of Homeland Security has directed a “reduction in force” for three internal oversight agencies that handle complaints about the immigration system, which will reportedly “essentially eliminat[e] them.” (WAPO.)
The military agreed not to remove any transgender service members until at least March 28, as the government moves to dissolve a federal district court order barring enforcement of Trump’s executive order. Judge Ana Reyes (D.D.C.) stayed her order until 48 hours after the court rules on the government’s motion, “or until such other time as the Court deems appropriate.” (Order.) (Kyle Cheney, X.) (Government’s motion to dissolve the injunction.)
Samuel Bray commented on Jack Goldsmith’s Executive Functions post. He noted, among other things, that it’s not clear whether courts are giving more injunctive relief under President Trump than under President Biden. (Divided Argument.)
David Cole argued that President Trump’s invocation of emergency powers represents a novel effort to use faux emergencies as a basis for broad claims of authority that undermine liberty. (NYT.)
Rebecca Ingber and Scott Roehm argued that the Trump administration’s transfer of alleged members of Tren de Aragua to El Salvador violates a principle of international law that has been codified into U.S. law, which “prohibits States from transferring or removing any person from their jurisdiction or effective control when there are substantial grounds for believing that the person would be at risk of certain serious human rights violations.” (Just Security.)
Katherine Yon Ebright contended that the political question doctrine does not prevent courts from reviewing the Alien Enemies Act deportations. (Just Security.)