Today on Lawfare: July 3, 2025
From The Lawfare Editorial Team
Compiled by Mary Ford
Articles
Michael Feinberg detailed the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) efforts to oust him from the agency over his long-time friendship with an official on the FBI’s “enemies” list, the shift in the agency’s climate since the start of the second Trump administration, and his decision to ultimately resign.
The specifics of my experience may be unique—details often are—but the broad strokes of the story have become unfortunately common in recent months, as more and more special agents are driven out of the Bureau on mere suspicion of political unreliability. These developments should be concerning to all Americans. In the past six months, the FBI—and, for that matter, the Department of Justice and intelligence community as a whole—has been forcing out a wide range of experienced personnel needed to protect our nation. Under Patel and Bongino, subject matter expertise and operational competence are readily sacrificed for ideological purity and the ceaseless politicization of the workforce. At a time of simultaneous wars across the globe and a return to great power competition, this makes us all less safe.
Vida Johnson reviewed Jessica Pishko, Emily Farris, and Mirya Holman’s latest books on the unchecked power of sheriffs and its threat to American democracy, suggesting that American sheriffs as an institution are increasingly synonymous with far-right, anti-government world views.
In her book, Pishko exposes how these law enforcement officers failed to enforce the law in their counties—from mask mandates during the height of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, to gun laws with which they do not agree. While democratically elected themselves, these sheriffs have little regard for laws that emerged from democratic processes when they do not agree with those laws. Despite the fact that they say they support the First Amendment, Pishko documents how sheriffs can use their office to retaliate when citizens protest law enforcement or express views contrary to their own.
The Situation: Some Things That Have Happened
Benjamin Wittes listed out some notable events that have occurred over the past few days, including the passage of President Trump’s domestic policy bill in the Senate, the nomination of Alina Habba to be the permanent U.S. Attorney in New Jersey, the forced resignation of the president of the University of Virginia, and more.
Russia’s other major ally in the war against Ukraine, North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, publicly mourned North Koreans killed in the conflict—amid reports that he may send as many as another 30,000 North Korean souls to the front.
A Jan. 6 rioter, pardoned by the president, is now working at the Justice Department as counselor to the working group on weaponization of government.
Paramount has agreed to pay entities aligned with the president $16 million to settle his libel suit against CBS over its editing of an interview with Kamala Harris. The settlement comes with Paramount hoping to secure regulatory approval for a merger.
Podcasts
Lawfare Daily: Teun Janssen on Ukraine and a Big Europe: Wittes spoke with Tuen Janssen, a staff member at the European Parliament, about Europe stepping up for Ukraine in the United States’s stead, E.U. enlargement, the role Ukraine has to play in this process, and more.
Documents
Alan Rozenshtein shared a series of Justice Department letters concerning the enforcement of the “Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act,” which grants TikTok an additional 90-day extension on its ban in the United States.
Video and Webinars
On July 3 at 4 pm ET, Lawfare Editor in Chief Wittes sat down with Lawfare Senior Editors Anna Bower and Roger Parloff and Lawfare Legal Fellow James Pearce to discuss oral argument in the 5th Circuit regarding challenges to the Alien Enemies Act, the decision in the Susman Godfrey case, the latest on the Kilmar Abrego Garcia case, and more. Material supporters received a link to join the webinar to watch it without ads. It was livestreamed on YouTube for all other viewers. Find the livestream here. If you couldn’t attend the live event, the recording is available on Lawfare’s YouTube channel.
Announcements
In partnership with the University of Texas School of Law, Lawfare Senior Editor Kevin Frazier and Rozenshtein launched their new podcast series Scaling Laws, a podcast dedicated to navigating the complexities of artificial intelligence. Listen to the inaugural episode here, where they discuss the defeat in the Senate of a proposed moratorium on state and local regulation of artificial intelligence.
The Trials of the Trump Administration, our coverage of President Donald Trump’s executive actions and their legal challenges, now includes a page devoted to tracking the status of Alien Enemies Act cases in federal courts. Find the page here.
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