[U] In USAID Cases, Marco Rubio's Minions Now Personally Risk Contempt Of Court, And A Visit From The US Marshals... For Willful Noncompliance With The TRO.

UPDATE: Near 11 PM EST, Chief Justice Roberts stepped ahead of the below TRO extension entered by the DC trial court, and took the case out of Amir Ali's hands, pending further orders from the Supremes. It is beginning to feel like a Constitutional crisis is unfolding -- he apparently didn't wait to poll his fellow Justices, even -- before ruling. That's largely. . . unheard of. More in the morning; I'm going to bed now.

And -- busy day! -- the USAID case in DC has now been appealed to the DC Circuit.

The records in most of the cases. . . are starting to reflect a pattern of willfully ignoring federal court TROs and preliminary injunctions -- by Tangerine 2.0, Musk, Rubio and their collective minions. We will keep you informed, but in today denying a stay of the TRO, the able USDC Judge Ali in DC has now made it clear he is about out of patience, thus:

. . .Plaintiffs again provided evidence that Defendants have simply continued their blanket funding freeze and further documentation of the irreparable harm they are suffering, including attestations of severe harm that will manifest before the end of the week. Plaintiffs explained that they tailored their motion to enforce to address only the most acute irreparable harm, seeking compliance with the TRO by unfreezing the congressionally appropriated funds at least for all work completed prior to February 13, the date of the Court’s TRO. Upon receiving the motion, and now twelve days since the TRO had been granted, the Court held a prompt hearing to hear from all parties in both cases on the state of compliance.

At the hearing, counsel for Defendants acknowledged that the Court’s TRO foreclosed Defendants from giving any effect to suspensions or terminations that were issued before February 13. AIDS Vaccine, ECF No. 35 at 33–34. The Court asked counsel for Defendants if he was “aware of steps taken to actually release those funds,” consistent with the TRO and subsequent orders. Id. at 35. Counsel responded that he was “not in a position to answer that.” Id.

For this and additional reasons stated on the record, the Court orally granted Plaintiffs’ second round of motions to enforce the TRO. The Court ordered Defendants to unfreeze funds for work completed prior to February 13, consistent with the terms of the TRO and the Court’s subsequent orders, giving Defendants an additional 36 hours to do so. The Court made clear that, although it was focusing on this specific aspect of the TRO that was the subject of Plaintiffs’ motion to enforce and which was a consequence of the TRO’s injunctive relief, the Court was “in no way limiting the scope of the TRO or modifying its terms. . . .”

The day is coming, when there may be a "Little Rock" moment -- with US Marshals arriving at the door of Marco Rubio and Elon Musk -- and Tangerine 2.0. . . hisself. The Marshals will enforce federal court orders. Trust that. Even if they have to walk in and start printing the checks themselves, per a court order -- to the Treasury. Truly surreal times.

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