BREAKING: On a 2-1 vote, and after much delay, a D.C. Circuit panels issues an order that would end Chief Judge Boasberg's contempt proceedings in connection with the March 15 flights. Two Trump appointees, Katsas and Rao, backed the decision. I would expect the full court to take this up en banc.

If you are still at DOJ — incl. if we've talked in the past — please reach out if you're able to talk about the current organization, leadership, priorities of the department and anything else that you think I (and the public) should know. Contact in bio and I can meet in DC.

BREAKING: The Senate Republicans, on a 50-49 vote, just confirmed Emil Bove to be a federal judge on the U.S. Third Circuit Court of Appeals. More:

DOJ filed an emergency motion at the DC Circuit today for a stay pending appeal and administrative stay request in the case over Trump's effort to fire Rebecca Slaughter as an FTC commissioner.

UPDATE: In the wake of the release of AEA-removed people from CECOT, Chief Judge James Boasberg—hearing the "CECOT class" AEA case—scheduled a status hearing for 11a Thursday, July 24. This also followed this July 18 filing from the plaintiffs' lawyers:

What does this mean? Judge Boardman decided she doesn't have jurisdiction to consider the class questions because DOJ had already appealed her earlier injunction. At the same time, she considered the issue and decided she would grant a classwide injunction if she had the case. Now, under her "indicative ruling," the Fourth Circuit will be informed, and it can decide if it wants to send the appeal back to her to address the matter — and allow her to issue the classwide injunction.

BREAKING: In the CASA case over Trump's EO to end birthright citizenship, Judge Boardman finds that the pending appeal divests her of jurisdiction to address the class motion — but issues an indicative ruling that she would grant class relief and directs this to be provided to the Fourth Circuit.

BREAKING: In a case over the Eighth Circuit's outlier ruling that Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act cannot be privately enforced, Justice Brett Kavanaugh issues an administrative stay while the court considers a tribal request for a stay pending review in a N.D. case out of the Eighth Circuit.

BREAKING: DOJ is suing to get rid of the people who they allege are "usurping and purporting to exercise unlawfully the office of board member of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting" — i.e., the people Trump tried to fire. "Personnel is policy, after all," the lawsuit alleges.