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The Sunday Morning Wrap-Up

Joyce Vance

Jan 25

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Here’s the highlight reel of the past week’s posts and events. Grab a cup of coffee and get ready to catch up on anything you may have missed.

The Week Ahead: The week started with DOJ’s failure to investigate Renee Good’s death. It’s hard to believe the clear signal from the administration that it won’t hold agents accountable for the illegal use of deadly force didn’t reinforce the willingness to use it that led to Alex Pretti’s death on Saturday. And with everything that’s been going on during this horrible weekend it would be easy to forget, but we have to remember: this week, just like last week, and the one before it, and the one before that, Trump’s Justice Department is still refusing to comply with the Epstein Files Transparency Act.

Bull Connor’s Ghost: On MLK Day, we re-read some of Dr. King’s words and considered the Children’s March in Birmingham, an excellent example of the value of non-violent protest.

One Very Long Year: An assessment of where we are, one year into the second Trump administration.

ICE Says It Doesn’t Need A Judicial Warrant: At first blush, reporting that ICE forcibly entered the home of a Hmong man in Minnesota, an American citizen for decades, without a warrant and based on an untrue claim that he was subject to removal, sounded like a one-off abuse. But as we learned more, including that the grandfather was forced out into the freezing cold in his underwear, there was the suggestion that this was a deliberate move by ICE and something we could see more of.

Breaking The Fourth Amendment: ICE seems to be arguing that if they think a non-citizen for whom there is a final order of deportation is in a house, they can blow right past the Fourth Amendment, take the doors off the house if they aren’t admitted voluntarily, and go right in. But the Fourth Amendment doesn’t change just because ICE says so.

Live With Doug Jones: Remember when Kamala Harris told us it was okay to have joy with our politics? Doug Jones is serious about the Alabama Governor’s race and he’s even more serious about governing. But he’s also joyful about it and we need more of that right now.

Five Questions with the ACLU’s Ben Wizner: This is a great interview with one of the lawyers who prepared in advance for this administration and has continued to execute on a pro-democracy agenda. This interview with Ben might be the inspiration you need today.

There’s ICE in Maine: ICE showed up in Maine this week, spreading fear as they swept up people with legal status in the U.S. and even American citizens, if they’re the “wrong” color. The intimidation is a feature, not a bug. ICE made that clear when they began videotaping citizens who were taking pictures of them. When asked why, one agent responded, “We have a nice little database.” “And now you’re a domestic terrorist.” I relate that threat back to a post from two weeks ago, when I wrote about the risk Trump would use his NSPM-7 memo to treat citizens exercising their rights like terrorists. Now it’s a reality.

Live With CNN Legal Analyst Elliot Williams: Elliot and I discuss his book, about the 1984 NYC subway shooting and Benie Goetz, and how the issues still reverberate today.

Live with Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows: We got an update on what’s happening in Maine.

These are complicated legal times, and it’s easy for the truth to get lost in the chaos. Civil Discourse doesn’t just track today’s headlines—it connects them to the legal and political history that explains why they matter. We won’t forget what’s at stake, or let Trump and his allies rewrite the past. You can subscribe to Civil Discourse for free and get clear analysis that helps you see the whole picture, delivered straight to your inbox. If you’re in a position to, your paid subscription helps me devote the time and resources it takes to write the newsletter. That means everyone has access to information they can share with friends and family—a constructive act we can all participate in right now, helping more Americans understand how critical this moment is.

We’re in this together,

Joyce