'I'm getting mad': Judge reams Trump lawyers and threatens mass rehiring over 'sham' docs

[LetMyPeopleVote]

You do not lie or try to mislead a federal judge. This judge is pissed

Link to tweet

https://www.rawstory.com/william-alsup-trump-lawyers/

U.S. District Court Judge William Alsup blasted attorneys for the Trump administration after he said he suspected they were lying and giving him "sham" documents.

At a hearing on Thursday, Alsup became angry after acting Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Director Charles Ezell refused an order to testify on the Trump administration's mass firings. The case was brought in February by the American Federation of Government Employees.

"You will not bring the people in here to be cross-examined. You're afraid to do so because you know cross-examination would reveal the truth," the judge told government lawyers, according to Slate's Mark Joseph Stern.

"I tend to doubt that you're telling me the truth whenever we hear all the evidence eventually. Why can't you bring your people in to be cross-examined or deposed at their convenience?" he continued. "I said two hours for Mr. Ezell. A deposition at his convenience. And you withdrew his declaration rather than do that? Come on. That's a sham. It upsets me, I want you to know that."

"I've been practicing in this court for over 50 years and I know how we get at the truth. And you're not helping me get at the truth. You're giving me press releases, sham documents. I'm getting mad."

[BOSSHOG]

1. A trump lawyer lying?

Providing sham documents? Thank You Judge Alsup.

[progressoid]

5. I'm shocked.

SHOCKED, I tells ya.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

2. This judge was pissed

Link to tweet

[FirstLight]

4. More of THIS please! ...and more REPORTING on it!!!!

With us feeling *so* overwhelmed and overpowered as a people, we need to hear and see more of those who are doing the hard work of calling out for TRUTH...!!

[LisaM]

9. Let me switch to CNN and see if this is the top story.

Nope. It's Jake Tapper bothering AOC and blaming Democrats for everything.

[FirstLight]

11. yep! not surprising... :(

God we need to unplug the MSM and wake up the people

[PSPS]

6. I guess we can add "I'm getting mad" to the long list of meaningless judicial utterances.

Wake me when anyone is actually held to account for their malfeasance.

[TheRickles]

7. Agreed. Who is actually empowered to enforce a punishment - a fine, a censure, imprisonment, etc.?

It seems like these legal processes can go on forever, and no one is ever actually punished in any concrete or tangible way.

[paleotn]

14. US Marshals. That's their job.

[BattleRow]

12. Where's Howard Beale when you NEED him...

"Im mad as hell and I'm not taking it anymore!"

[ewcordon]

18. And Abbie Hoffman

We could use some Abbie Hoffman and some Weather Underground.

[Ford_Prefect]

8. Saddle up and head them off at the pass! Or better yet incarcerate them for contempt.

[Figarosmom]

10. In an update

He did order reinstatement of jobs.

[AllaN01Bear]

13. when are we going to see some of these people in jail!!!!!!???????

[paleotn]

15. Going to be a while, unfortunately.

Damn you to hell, Merrick Garland.

[republianmushroom]

19. Yup

[ancianita]

23. Okay, judgy mcjudge, forget about AG legally blonde Bondi -- just double down on the scapegoat blame game.

[paleotn]

27. Slooooooooooooooooooooooow waaaaaaaaaaaaaalk

I stand by my comment. If there is a hell, I hope to hell Merrick Garland ends up there. He failed his country. Sometimes I wonder if it was on purpose.

[ancianita]

16. These are not criminal cases. These are cases of fighting executive orders or a president's allowing a third party

to examine the government's "waste and inefficiency" through DOGE.

[TheRickles]

21. So what sort(s) of penalty would be appropriate here?

[ancianita]

22. What sorts of penalties depends on the laws being broken. Examine these cases so you can determine them.

Neither of us are lawyers, so we'd have to spend a lot of time looking up the case law made by the 121 cases of plaintiffs, but they revolve around constitutional amendments being broken.
https://www.justsecurity.org/107087/tracker-litigation-legal-challenges-trump-administration/


I've already written an OP on the cases being litigated so far. https://www.democraticunderground.com/100220130096#post10

[TheRickles]

24. Thanks for these links - it's an impressive list, to be sure.

I was mainly wondering about this one case in the OP, where the judge has scolded the lawyers for giving him "sham" documents. The fired workers may end up being re-hired, but are these lawyers likely to suffer any sort of penalty for their conduct? Thanks.

[republianmushroom]

17. 49 months and counting

[LetMyPeopleVote]

20. The Judge was not pleased telling Trump admin lawyers and accused them of hiding the truth

Link to tweet

[oasis]

25. You ain't fooling this guy. He's on to you.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

26. Federal judge pulls no punches in ordering Trump administration to rehire the probationary employees they fired

Link to tweet