Abraham Gutman
@abgutman
A civil courts reporter at The Philadelphia Inquirer. PACER obsessed docket sleuth. Send me gossip to agutman(at)inquirer.com and Agutman.96 on Signal.
MLB All-Star game was like “we will start with Canada’s national anthem, and then we will show them how you actually take care of business.”
The only person who stayed on the field after Home Run Derby to sign Phillies fans’ merch: Shane Gillis.
I love being a court reporter at the Philadelphia Inquirer, which somehow incorporates the vibes at the Bank mini-beat.
My tire popped on the NJ turnpike yesterday. I’m now sitting in a South Philly shop to fix it. It’s like living through a 4 hour Tires episode that was cut because it was too boring.
More than a decade ago, I arrived as a medic to a man in his 50s in cardiac arrest. We learned had chest pain for hours but thought he could ride it out. He died. Fetterman had a stroke because he didn’t take his meds. Graham died because he didn’t seek care. Can’t be a macho man if you’re dead.
The Trump administration just sued Maryland and MD Attorney General Anthony Brown over a state law that prohibits state and local law enforcement agencies from collaborating with ICE. www.courtlistener.com/docket/73597...
A reminder that, any day now, Trump’s admin can install panels at the site of Washington’s Philly home saying slavery there wasn’t *that* bad because sometimes Washington bought the people he kept in bondage theater tickets. The panels replace a slavery memorial. www.inquirer.com/news/philade...
That’s awesome. This is another very interesting one for me, as a journalist covering the President’s House saga.
Feigning ignorance on the tattoo never passed the sniff test. What tattoo shop in Croatia has a Totenkopf and no swastika on the wall?! He never seen Inglorious Bastard and thought “hmm weird that’s my tattoo”? I view it as edge-lord behavior, not proof hes a Nazi. But credibility is the issue.
Federal judges are often annoyed with the way media ties them to their appointing president. ICE’s mandatory detention policy circuit rulings show a pattern tracking with political party. Judges appointed by Ds reject the policy. But those appointed by Rs are divided, with most approving it.
Some dreams come true. I can tell you exactly where and with who I watched every World Cup final of my lifetime. I always wanted to be in those stadiums. Today I’m at a World Cup elimination game — in my city and with a press badge. A real bucket list item.
The city also asked the district court that issued the February injunction against the Trump admin to stay the mandate while the city’s appeal is ongoing. That is also unlikely to fly, experts told me. Lower courts are required to “carry out the mandate's letter and spirit,” the saying goes.
Legal experts I spoke to were skeptical. It’s true that there is a rule saying parties get 10 days to respond to motions. But there is another rule that says the court can issue the mandate whenever it pleases. This from rule 41 of appellate procedure. www.law.cornell.edu/rules/frap/r...
Philadelphia yesterday argued that the circuit court violated federal procedure rules by issuing the mandate without giving the city time to respond to requests. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
Thomas Hardiman, 3rd Circuit judge who wrote the unanimous opinion that Philadelphia has no rights over the President’s House site, declines to recall yesterday-issued mandate allowing Trump admin to install its exhibit. He will let Philly file a brief arguing against the already granted request.
The fight already continues: Philadelphia asks District Judge Rufe, who issued a February injunction comparing Trump admin to the Ministry of Truth from 1984, to not act on the 3rd Circuit mandate while the city’s appeal of it is pending.
Why is this all happening *now*? Because the First Circuit yesterday issued a stay on a Mass. District judge’s ruling that ordered restoration of all exhibits removed nationwide following Trump’s EO prohibiting displays that “inappropriately disparage” Americans. The final obstacle, gone.
After the First Circuit ruling, which removed the final legal obstacle for the Trump administration to install its own exhibit in the President’s House, DOJ told the court the Park Service wants to start working “immediately.” The new panels are manufactured and ready, DOJ said.
Judge Kenney, in contrast, applauded Parker for heeding her solicitor's "sound advice." "Mayor Cherelle Parker acted with civic wisdom and courage to stand up for the Constitution and follow the rule of law to where it led, despite what may have been strong personal inclinations to the contrary."
District Judge Chad Kenney chastised Philadelphia City Council for voting to pass legislation that attempts to regulate the activities of federal agencies, a violation of the Constitution's Supremacy Clause. He said they "attempted to sidestep" and "disregarded" a 200 year old principle of law.
The ban on law enforcement concealing their identity passed Philly's City Council as part of the ICE Out legislative package of 7 bills. The mayor signed 6. Be she didn't sign the mask ban because her top attorney said the city can't enforce the prohibition legally. share.inquirer.com/XnKdBg
Over 100 degrees, Phils, 2 runs on an error, 3 run home run, Skenes over 50 pitches at the second and Wheels Up all while my 4 year old is next to me devouring water ice. This is the life.
An interesting revolving doors nugget I just learned about Alito. From the 1990 Philadelphia Inquirer story breaking the news the H.W. Bush is expected to pick Alito to the Third Circuit. Maryanne Trump Barry, Donald's sister, was nominated to the Third Circuit nearly a decade later by Clinton.
The ruling tracks closely with discussions over the state of research about ultraprocessed foods: a lot of correlations with poor health outcomes, few direct causal findings. That's not enough in federal court. Here is the full opinion: storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
A Pennsylvania federal judge closed the book on the first ultraprocessed foods lawsuit brought against food giants. The judge previously dismissed the suit of a man who was diagnosed with diabetes at 16. Now she ruled attempts to amend the complaint still don't meet the legal bar to bring a claim.
Held: Children born in the United States to parents unlawfully or temporarily present are “subject to the jurisdiction” of the United States and are citizens at birth under the Fourteenth Amendment’s Citizenship Clause. A lot to dig into here. Expect epic Megyn Kelly meltdown of ACB.