LIVE: Popok Gives URGENT UPDATE on Breaking Law and Politics News | 6/23/2026

The DC Federal Court of Appeals will conduct an en banc review (all 11 active judges) of Chief Judge Boasberg's order to investigate criminal contempt against the Trump administration. This stems from the administration's alleged deliberate violation of a court order in March 2025, which commanded planes carrying over 100 Venezuelan men to be grounded and turned around, preventing their deportation to an El Salvadoran prison. The government proceeded with the deportations, later claiming the order only applied within US airspace, an interpretation widely rejected by judges.

The appellate panel for the DC Federal Court, all 11 judges, voted to hear whether Judge Boasberg should be able to do a criminal contempt proceeding. Lee Gelernt of the ACLU detailed the government's actions and the judge's order to ground planes, which was ignored. Senator Whitehouse also confirmed Senate Democrats are investigating a potential conspiracy to block Boasberg's order.

A significant movement of former federal and state judges, numbering over 200 and led by J. Michael Luttig and Nancy Gertner, is actively intervening in critical legal cases. They are filing amicus briefs and motions to encourage current judges to investigate alleged fraud on the court and executive abuses. This collective action is unprecedented and aims to rise above partisan din to save democracy and the rule of law, particularly in cases where the executive branch has shown disrespect for court orders.

J. Michael Luttig has 'yoked together 200 state and federal judges' (00:05:57) and '174 federal judges' filed an amicus brief in the DC appellate court case (00:31:47). Luttig stated, 'Never before in American history has a group of judges... come together... to speak publicly against what they are witnessing in the United States of America with respect to the corruption of the Constitution and the rule of law' (00:43:39).

Todd Blanche, nominated for Attorney General, is under severe pressure ahead of his July 15th confirmation hearing. Public interest groups and senators are investigating numerous allegations, including prosecutorial misconduct, dismissal of indictments due to vindictive prosecution, fraud on the court in Miami, and a potential conspiracy with appellate judges to block a contempt proceeding against the Trump administration. A 67-page bar complaint filed by 101 former state judges details these issues, serving as a 'guidepost' for his cross-examination.

The host details 'prosecutorial misconduct and abuse that's rampant in Chicago under Todd Blanche' (00:06:56), 'dismissal of indictments by the Department of Justice itself... under Todd Blanche' (00:07:00), 'findings of fraud on the court perpetrated by Todd Blanche' (00:07:33), and 'Senators looking into whether Todd Blanche and Emil Bovey... conspired with judges on the DC federal appellate court' (00:07:55). Senator Whitehouse confirmed their investigation into a conspiracy between Blanche and judges Rao and Katsas (00:23:52). A '67 pages long, single-spaced' bar complaint was filed by '101 former state judges' (00:56:22).

Judge Sooknanan, a Biden appointee in DC, issued a 70-page opinion ruling Trump's voter data initiative unconstitutional and illegal. This initiative aimed to create a state voter list using social security and citizenship lists, which are 'totally inaccurate,' to disenfranchise voters. The ruling blocked the creation of this database, which the host frames as part of a larger, dangerous effort to combine private data.

Judge Sooknanan in DC ruled that 'the voter data the social security state voter list that Trump is creating using social security and citizenship lists which are totally inaccurate to try to take away people's right to vote is unconstitutional and illegal and blocked it' (00:10:35).

The NAACP has filed a lawsuit in Mississippi against Elon Musk's AI company, Grok, citing environmental pollution from its unregulated data centers in predominantly black and brown neighborhoods. The case took a bizarre turn when the government intervened, confessing that Grok's AI, specifically the 'Grok gov model,' was used in 'Operation Epic Fury' to bomb 2,000 sites in Iran in 96 hours, including an all-girls school, resulting in 157 deaths, including 100 young girls. This confession highlights critical ethical and national security concerns regarding AI use.

The NAACP 'filed a suit in Mississippi against Elon Musk and his AI company... about data centers' (00:08:47). The host states, 'we have a confession by the government that they used Grok to bomb civilian targets effectively including an all girls school and and 157 people that lost their life including 100 little girls' (00:09:31). The Pentagon's head of AI filed an affidavit stating 'Grok gov model is being used. It has been used successfully in Operation Epic Fury to hit 2,000 sites' (01:05:36), and that 'part of that was obviously the use of AI to hit civilian targets... including the all-girls school elementary school with 157 people dead, 100 of them young girls' (01:05:59).