On this page you can find dispatches by Anna Bower, Molly Roberts, and Roger Parloff from court hearings in the litigation challenging actions from the Trump administration.
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Hearing Dispatch: NPR Fights Trump on the First Amendment
The plaintiffs argue the government is disfavoring speech it disagrees with. The government barely disputes that. -
Abrego v. Noem: A Hearing Diary for Nov. 20
A live-blog of testimony and argument at the hearing at which Judge Xinis weighed Abrego Garcia’s petition seeking release. -
Dispatch from the Nov. 13 Hearing on Lindsey Halligan’s Appointment
In a joint hearing in the Comey and James cases, Judge Currie appeared skeptical that Halligan had been properly appointed U.S. Attorney or that any error was harmless. -
Trial Dispatch: The Comey Hearing of Nov. 5, 2025
A judge ordered grand jury minutes turned over to James Comey, as well as information from five-year-old searches of Professor Dan Richman. -
Sandwich Guy, Thrower of Hoagie–Or Hero?
The trial ended in an acquittal. But the proceedings felt like a strange sort of performance art—highly amusing and highly menacing at the same time. -
Abrego Garcia v. Noem: A Hearing Diary, Oct. 10
A live-blog of the evidentiary hearing on whether Abrego is being unlawfully detained for punitive and political reasons. -
Abrego Garcia v. Noem: A Hearing Diary, Oct. 6
A play-by-play account of a status conference that turned into a hearing on whether Abrego is entitled to release. -
Emergency Hearing on Sending California and Texas National Guard to Oregon
A live-blog of the Oct. 5 temporary injunction hearing over whether to block President Trump from sending federalized troops to Oregon. -
Oregon v. Trump: A Hearing Diary
A live-blog of the temporary injunction hearing over whether to block federalization of 200 National Guard troops in Portland. -
L.G.M.L. v. Noem: A Hearing Diary
A play-by-play of the preliminary injunction hearing in the suit to prevent the removal of hundreds of unaccompanied migrant children to Guatemala. -
Emergency Hearing over the Removal of Unaccompanied Minors to Guatemala
A play-by-play of Judge Sooknanan’s hearing where she blocked the Trump administration's plans to send hundreds of unaccompanied children to Guatemala. -
What Happened During Fed Governor Cook’s Hearing?
A play-by-play of Judge Cobb’s hearing in Cook v. Trump, a lawsuit challenging Trump’s attempt to fire a member of the Fed’s Board of Governors
