We have massive breaking news issued literally moments ago in my email. A federal judge, Judge Kathleen Williams, has referred Trump's lawyers to the Florida Bar for discipline, has referred the Attorney General of the United States and his Associate Attorney General to the bar for discipline, issued significant sanctions against Trump's lawyers and the Department of Justice, and has nullified the settlement between Donald Trump, the IRS, and the United States Treasury Department. A stunning development this morning. Judge Kathleen Williams in the Southern District of Florida has just ripped into the Trump administration in a way I have not seen from a federal judge before. I have practiced as a lawyer in the Southern District of Florida, and while this is a stunning moment, this order is not really an appealable order either. A referral to the bar is not an appealable order. Some of these sanctions may be appealable, but ultimately the settlement is null and void. And I want to break it down right now for you. Make sure to like, comment, share, get the word out, and if you can, subscribe to my Substack link below to support my work. I told you it would be a busy week, and yet here we are already beginning.
The court begins by saying, "In the very first paragraph of the complaint, plaintiffs introduce their claim, stating, 'President Trump served as the 45th president of the United States and is the 47th president.'" They then go on to state that President Trump brings the suit in his personal capacity. "After review of the record and the party's statements, the court declines to adopt or accept the credulous exercise of divorcing Trump's current job title from an understanding of what happened here. But perhaps the most startling misstatement advanced by plaintiffs is their characterization of this case as ordinary. The parties here are not private actors to a minor dispute, recounting their proficiency in the art of the deal they negotiated. Lead plaintiff and defendants are public servants, the pinnacle of the executive branch, sworn to uphold the law, faithfully perform the duties of their office, and protect the interests of the American public. The issue before the court is whether they instead ignored ethical norms, court rules, and legal authority to manipulate the judicial process. The issue is whether they did so to gild their efforts to gain unprecedented access to the public fisc with the patina of legitimacy. There is nothing ordinary about this case. It is the very definition of sui generis."
The court goes on to issue the following order: "Plaintiff's attorney Alejandro Brito is hereby referred to the Florida Bar for its consideration, review, and determination as to whether any disciplinary action is appropriate in light of the findings and rulings made in this order. The clerk of court is directed to mail a copy of this order to the Florida Bar of which Alejandro Brito is a member." Alejandro Brito is Donald Trump's personal lawyer. He has served as Donald Trump's personal lawyer in a whole host of cases, including this one. Second, "All future applications by Daniel Z. Epstein for admission pro hac vice in the Southern District of Florida will be denied for a period of one year or until further order of this court." Let me explain what that means. Pro hac vice is the process by which an individual, a lawyer, tries to go and practice in another court where they are not admitted. You have to have an admission in a court or in a state to practice law in that court or in that state. In federal proceedings like this one, if you want to practice in front of, say, the Southern District of Florida and you are not licensed or barred in the Southern District of Florida — I am, by the way — you have to apply what is called pro hac vice, essentially say that you will practice law ethically, responsibly, and you will do so for just this moment, for just this case. Well, now for Daniel Epstein, this court says for moving forward for at least a year, potentially longer, all of his admissions for pro hac vice will be denied. That is significant because he could lose a lot of business. He cannot practice in the Southern District of Florida for a period of one year.
Then, "The parties are prohibited from referring to the purported settlement agreement or using, offering, admitting, or citing any of its provisions in any judicial, administrative, regulatory, arbitration, or any other official proceeding as evidence of a settlement reached in this matter. Plaintiffs means the named parties in the lawsuit: Donald Trump, Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump, the Trump Organization, including any of their agents, representatives, officers, directors, employees, partners, corporate agents, subsidiaries, affiliates, or any other person acting in concert with the party or under the party's control, whether directly or indirectly. Defendants means the Internal Revenue Service and the Department of Treasury." Conclusion: "John Adams warned, 'Facts are stubborn things, and whatever may be our wishes, our inclination, or the dictates of our passions, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.' Thus, whatever may be the party's wishes, inclinations, or the dictates of their passion, they cannot alter the state of the facts or evade the rule of law. Contrary to plaintiff's concerns, the court did not have to sally forth to look for a wrong to right. The court need only to look for the uncontroverted facts here. Donald Trump is president. Donald Trump controls the actions of the Secretary of the Treasury, Scott Bessent, IRS CEO, Frank Bisognano, and all executive branch actors. President Trump, through Executive Order Number Seven, also controls the litigation strategy interpretation of the laws guiding the Department of Justice. For the 1,999 days that this case was pending, no attorney representing the United States filed a notice of appearance or any document indicating the government's position, interest, or awareness of this matter. They are consonant with the dictates of Executive Order Number Seven. These facts lead to the inexorable conclusion that the settlement terms, the individuals who signed the settlement, as well as the putative beneficiaries of the settlement, demonstrate a shared unitary interest, and the unilateral revision and renunciation of the funds component of the settlement demonstrate the fact that all parties were aligned and ultimately undifferentiated. This action was never about a party seeking judicial resolution or a legal issue or a factual dispute. The nature of the suit itself and the conduct of the parties and counsel from its filing make plain that this was an attempt to use the court to provide some legitimacy to an agreement to confer immunity to people and entities affiliated with the president, to earmark billions of dollars from American taxpayer dollars to redress grievances not defined in the law. The president may be the functional dominus litis of the executive branch, but as a party to a civil suit, he, as well as the parties and lawyers before a court, are bound by the rules. Ensuring that our courts are used only for the express purpose created by the Constitution is the obligation of every judge, and an obligation this court must discharge in light of the matter before it."
It goes on to say that the clerk of court is directed to mail a copy of this order to the State Bar of New York, of which Acting Attorney General Blanch is a member, and to the District of Columbia Bar, of which Associate Attorney General Woodward is a member, where disciplinary proceedings are currently ongoing. Essentially noting that this court order may impact disciplinary proceedings against the Attorney General of the United States and the Associate Attorney General of the United States of America. A very, very significant ruling. A ruling that nullifies this settlement, nullifies the IRS backdoor agreement between the Trump administration, between the Trump family and the Department of Justice, nullifies any notion that there can be some kind of slush fund, a $1.77 billion slush fund. It is all nullified, and it's done so by a federal judge in South Florida who is now referring Trump lawyers to the bar. I've never seen something like this before. A massive loss for the administration, but really a massive loss for all parties involved, including the lawyers. Spread the word. Subscribe to support, and I'll see you soon for more.
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