Podcast · News

Serious Trouble

by Josh Barro and Ken White · English · News

An irreverent podcast about the law from Josh Barro and Ken White. www.serioustrouble.show

New episodes: Weekly
Typical length: 23 min
Latest: 9 Oct 2026
Language: English

Latest episode

9 Oct 2026 · 22 min

Not Paid for By the US Government

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.serioustrouble.show President Trump said he’d stop using taxpayer money to air what certainly look like campaign ads, but then he kept doing it, so now, the Democratic National Committee is suing. Also this week: a Minnesota teenager arranged to buy an assault rifle to carry out an ISIS-inspired attack on the Mall of America — of course, it turned out the seller of the rifle was an undercover FBI agent, and the teen was arrested. Also in Minnesota, the government is mad at Patrick Schlitz and other federal judges for their…

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Earlier episodes 29 most recent

3 Oct 2026 · 30 min
Very Special Prosecutors
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.serioustrouble.show A former Cornell University student has filed a Jane Doe lawsuit accusing seven members of the Chi Phi fraternity of sexual misconduct, including rape, in an incident that occurred in October 2024. We discuss this case, and the actions and conclusions of the local district attorney, who Governor Kathy Hochul has replaced with a special prosecutor (Letitia James, the attorney general). We also discuss the continued unraveling of President Trump’s pet “grand conspiracy” investigation in south Florida, Sen.…
25 Sep 2026 · 24 min
Public Disclosure of Privates Facts
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.serioustrouble.show Donald Trump tried to ban CNN, MSNOW and Politico from the White House and, as Trump himself predicted, he was almost immediately ordered by a federal court to let those outlets back in. The judge was unimpressed with the government’s claims that the outlets were ejected on national security grounds, partly because that contradicts the president’s own public statements. But it’s an argument he loves to make in court — he says his planned triumphal arch near Arlington Cemetery serves a national security…
18 Sep 2026 · 40 min
Kennedy, Centered
Remember Joseph DiGenova? He was a Trump defender from the first administration brought back to help with the investigation into the investigators that DOJ is running down in south Florida. Well, he’s gone again . He seems to have had some disputes with the Attorney General about the conduct of that investigation — “if you want indictments where there’s no evidence, you have an ethical problem,” he told the New York Post. Plus: Donald Trump continues to be stymied in his efforts to rename the Kennedy Center after himself — his latest threat is that he’ll tear down the building if he doesn’t…
11 Sep 2026 · 23 min
Mistrial
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.serioustrouble.show This week: the Lindsay Clancy murder trial jury hung 11-1, ending in a mistrial. We discuss how judges press juries to agree, and why they maybe shouldn’t. And the Tate brothers — one of whom has possessed a fake Mexican passport in the name of “Vladimir Scorpius” — unsurprisingly failed to convince a judge to give them bail pending extradition . We also discuss UEFA, the European soccer body, seeking help from American courts with a criminal investigation of FIFA’s effort to sell an equity stake in world…
27 Aug 2026 · 28 min
If You Can’t Trust Michael Cohen, Who Can You Trust?
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.serioustrouble.show Most federal prosecutors win almost all the time, in part because they are careful about the cases they bring and in part because they’re good at their jobs. Lately, Jeanine Pirro’s US Attorney’s office in Washington D.C. has only been winning about half the time . This week, we discuss what’s likely driving the substantial number of acquittals and mistrials. We also look at Ghislaine Maxwell’s unsuccessful pro se appeal , and about whether it matters that Michael Cohen recanted (sort of) his testimony that…
20 Aug 2026 · 22 min
The Happiest Place on Earth (a Courtroom)
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.serioustrouble.show Like some of the big law firms, Disney hoped to buy peace with the Trump administration through a bogus settlement. It didn’t work. Disney is now suing the FCC, saying the commission’s move to review its broadcast licenses early is unconstitutional retaliation for its speech — namely, ABC broadcasts the president doesn’t like. Our discussion of the ABC litigation is for all listeners this week. For paying subscribers, Ken and Josh discuss Luigi Mangione’s choice to plead guilty in federal court with no plea…
14 Aug 2026 · 23 min
Because I Got Highly Likely to Lose an Anti-SLAPP Motion
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.serioustrouble.show The Tate brothers want bail pending their extradition proceedings to the United Kingdom, which is a long shot, not just because their social media is full of statements about how they are flight risks. “You can’t ban me from driving, I have nine drivers licenses. You can’t freeze my passport, I have four.” Also this week: trouble for Rep. Max Miller, US Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s new special grand jury, opposition to President Trump’s new effort to restrict birthright citizenship , and at the latest action in…
6 Aug 2026 · 24 min
Who's to Judge Jeanine?
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.serioustrouble.show This week: Jeanine Pirro would like everyone to know this embarrassing turn in the reflecting pool case is all Interior Secretary Doug Burgum’s fault. We talk about her remarkable and remarkably detailed filing seeking to dismiss charges against David Hearn related to the pool, plus Anthony Fauci refusing to testify before a Senate hearing, citing his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. Those discussions are for all listeners, along with a look at what Todd Blanche’s letters to the Senate say…
30 Jul 2026 · 21 min
Comey's Got the Moves
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.serioustrouble.show This week: Did you miss James Comey? Well, he’s back: he’s filed a flurry of motions attacking his prosecution for seashell-related offenses. We talk through all of them, plus motions from Olympian James Hearn, who also wants to look into possible grand-jury shenanigans leading up to his indictment for damaging the liner of the reflecting pool. All listeners get our discussions of those cases. For premium subscribers, there’s also: * Why the Trump administration has given up, for now , on its subpoenas to…
24 Jul 2026 · 18 min
Later, Tater
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.serioustrouble.show What a reversal of fortune for Andrew and Tristan Tate! One minute you’re the toast of (certain quarters of) MAGA; the next minute federal agents are arresting you, intending to extradite you to face rape charges in the UK. This week, we talk about how extradition works, and while Trump could intervene at any time to stop the extradition, his spokeswoman says he won’t. Also this week: Federal officials failed to preserve key evidence in the case of the alleged reflecting pool vandal — that is, the…
17 Jul 2026 · 32 min
Stretching the Limits of the Courts
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.serioustrouble.show This week: Judge Kathleen Williams’ eviscerates President Trump’s attorneys for their sham lawsuit that was ultimately used as a pretext to create the “weaponization fund” settlement. Her order is bracing. But what are its practical effects? Is the settlement actually void, including the part that was supposed to protect Trump from future IRS audits? Also: E. Jean Carroll finally got the smaller of her two Trump judgments paid out . And we consider the very aggressive legal theory under which Mahmoud Khalil…
9 Jul 2026 · 21 min
Humphrey's Executioner
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.serioustrouble.show Humphrey’s Executor , which has been obviously dead for some time, is now officially overturned . Except! The Federal Reserve is special and unique and in a historical tradition. Also this week: John Bolton has pleaded guilty to mishandling national defense information and might even get jail time. In Florida, federal prosecutors mistakenly disclosed Jack Smith’s report on the documents investigation to Carmen Mercedes Lineberger , as part of their prosecution of Lineberger for stealing a copy of the report…
26 Jun 2026 · 46 min
At Least the Fancy Lawyers Are Still Getting Rich
David Lat joins Josh Barro for a conversation about the state of the legal industry under Donald Trump — how Big Law and the legal industry are faring after those executive orders and settlements — and they talk about how AI is changing the work of law firms, from staffing to billing rates. Plus: a look at the unusual breakdown in Thursday’s Supreme Court decision in the Monsanto case. We hope you enjoy the episode and the holiday, and Ken and Josh will be back with more after July 4. To find a transcript of this episode and sign up for updates from us, got to www.serioustrouble.show . This…
19 Jun 2026 · 28 min
America's Next Top Tort
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.serioustrouble.show The U.S. Attorney’s office in Chicago has dismissed another high-profile case — this one a COVID fraud case — that had been led by AUSA Sheri Mecklenburg. We discuss that and more developments in the Broadview Six case. Meanwhile, in Minnesota, federal prosecutors have obtained a conspiracy indictment against self-proclaimed “Antifa” activists who sought to interfere with ICE operations in the Twin Cities. And the slush fund drama continues even as Todd Blanche seeks approval to become for real-for real…
12 Jun 2026 · 40 min
A Vouch Too Far
This week: the grand jury transcripts from the Broadview Six case show an array of embarrassing misconduct by AUSAs from the office of the US Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois. As Ken describes, these are things that AUSAs are very clearly taught not to do. And yet. Also this week: a couple of new flavors of AI hallucination trouble in the courts; Donald Trump’s legal team that’s suing the BBC for him isn’t doing such a good job ; Matt Taibbi filed another dumb lawsuit and lost ; Ken Paxton’s old lawyer endorses against him (unethical or just imprudent?); the Trump-Kennedy…
5 Jun 2026 · 24 min
This Shrek Film Was Not In Theaters
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.serioustrouble.show This week’s Serious Trouble comes to you live from a perch overlooking the soon-to-be-built Trump National Championship Golf Links at East Potomac Park by Donald J. Trump. Or, maybe — as I looked over the federally administered national parkland along the Potomac River, I was looking at a suite of projects where the president’s “just do things” approach has faced intermittent trouble in court. For example: Trump’s name has been ordered down off the Kennedy Center , which is once again just the Kennedy…
29 May 2026 · 23 min
Court Officers Behaving Badly
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.serioustrouble.show The ‘Broadview Six’ case was one of the Trump administration’s prominent prosecutions of anti-ICE protesters. Federal prosecutors in Chicago brought felony charges to fanfare, then curiously dropped them, keeping only misdemeanor counts. Now we know why: they engaged in egregious misconduct to obtain the felony indictments, which they then sought to conceal from the judge, who is not amused . For all subscribers, we discuss that and US Attorney Andrew Boutros, who issued a weird memo promising reform, and…
22 May 2026 · 30 min
The No-Judgment Fund
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.serioustrouble.show Donald Trump has announced a new $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization fund” to be doled out as he sees fit to “victims” of the “weaponization” of the Justice Department. It's financed from the Judgment Fund, a strange legal creature — it’s a permanent, unlimited appropriation the federal government can use to pay judgments and settlements . But like… doesn’t that have to be for real lawsuits with plausible claims that could win in court? Also: an ex-AUSA has been criminally charged for sending herself…
15 May 2026 · 17 min
'Advice of Counsel' Does Not Apply to Advice from Licensed Airboat Captains
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.serioustrouble.show The lurid JP Morgan sex case has gotten more interesting: apparently, the bank offered a $1 million settlement to the banker who wanted an eight-figure settlement related to the lurid sex-harassment allegations he has made against a senior colleague. Something is weird here. Also this week: The Justice Department wants to stand in as the defendant in the case where E. Jean Carroll won a large judgment for comments Donald Trump made about her during his first presidential term , which would defeat her claim,…
7 May 2026 · 24 min
Don't Use the Public Chatbot Lawyer
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.serioustrouble.show There's a lot of stupid litigation to cover this week, starting with the lawsuit so many of you asked us about. An ex-banker who has made salacious allegations against a former JP Morgan colleague , but how credible are they? And what can you do if you are a bank or a banker and someone makes preposterous allegations against you in a legal filing, which is privileged against defamation claims? Also this week: Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni have settled, with no exchange of funds between the two sides, but…
1 May 2026 · 21 min
I'm Still Mad He Put Martha Stewart In Prison
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.serioustrouble.show This week Ken and Josh discuss the James Comey indictment, this time, purportedly for threatening the president with seashells . They also discuss the criminal complaint against would-be assassin Cole Tomas Allen and Maurene Comey’s lawsuit over her firing for being James Comey’s daughter . That’s this week’s free show. Paying subscribers also get: * Jeanine Pirro’s screw-up that has resulted in Trump getting less influence at the Federal Reserve than he’d probably have if she’d just played it cool. * A…
24 Apr 2026 · 21 min
This Episode Contains No Administrative Procedure Act Coverage
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.serioustrouble.show This week Ken and Josh discuss several big defamation suits. The Atlantic has reported that Kash Patel is often drunk and derelict in his duties as FBI Director. But Patel says he’s only guilty of working really hard, and he’s suing the Atlantic . He’s got a theory he says is a “slam dunk” — The Atlantic defamed him with actual malice because he denied the accusations against him but they printed him anyway. That theory didn’t work for Trump against The Wall Street Journal and it didn’t work for Patel…
18 Apr 2026 · 19 min
Call the Swalwell Hotline
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.serioustrouble.show This week Ken and Josh discuss Eric Swallwell and how prosecutors in Manhattan and Los Angeles are looking into sexual assault allegations against the now-former congressman. Meanwhile, US Attorney Jeanine Pirro — who oversees local felony prosecutions in the District of Columbia — has set up a hotline for victims who may have been assaulted by Swalwell there. Besides looking into Swalwell, Pirro sent a couple of her henchpersons to the under-construction Federal Reserve headquarters looking for ……
12 Apr 2026 · 22 min
Welcome Home, Michael
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.serioustrouble.show This week Ken and Josh discuss updates on three of their favorite characters: Michael Avenatti, Pam Bondi, and Ed Martin. That's for all subscribers. Paying subscribers will also hear their conversations about: * Trump’s emergency motion to lift the stay on construction of the “desperately needed” White House ballroom , and a discussion of why the plaintiffs’ claims to standing are stronger than we gave them credit for last week. * A Clavicular-alligator update. * If you’re going to talk about how you want…
5 Apr 2026 · 21 min
Strictly Prohibited Ballroom
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.serioustrouble.show This week Ken and Josh discuss Anthropic's big win, the injunction on Trump's ballroom construction, and what to make of the block on Trump's executive order defunding PBS and NPR since Congress has rescinded their funding. That's for all subscribers. Paying subscribers will also hear our conversations about: * Covington & Burling warned its client, ActBlue, that some statements ActBlue made in a 2023 letter to congressional leaders may have been misleading, and that ActBlue’s CEO probably needs her own…
27 Mar 2026 · 24 min
Pro Se Exam
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.serioustrouble.show This week Ken and Josh discuss Judge Lewis Kaplan losing some patience with Sam Bankman-Fried, and not just because Bankman-Fried’s mom tried to communicate with him ex parte . SBF has been making purportedly pro se filings, at least one of which appears to have been dictated to and FedExed by his mother , and he simultaneously has an appeal proceeding in the appeals court with real lawyers. Kaplan says he has to choose — are you pro se or not? And he wants to know — have any lawyers besides mom been…
20 Mar 2026 · 25 min
Pound Cake for Everyone
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.serioustrouble.show This week Ken and Josh discuss the Afroman trial and also look at a rough hearing for AUSAs in New Jersey , as the Trump administration decides it will hire candidates straight out of law school to work in US Attorneys’ offices . That’s for all subscribers. Paying subscribers will also hear our conversations about: * Judge James Boasberg’s order quashing subpoenas to the Federal Reserve , U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s choice to appeal that order, and Boasberg’s other order requiring the disclosure of grand…
13 Mar 2026 · 20 min
You Can't Stop the Computer
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.serioustrouble.show This week Ken and Josh discuss the Customs Service saying its computers won't let it refund IEEPA tariffs, more situations where courts are telling the Trump Administration it can’t just ignore the need to get officials confirmed by the Senate , and another decision about ICE. That's for all subscribers. Paying subscribers will also hear our conversations about a number of additional lawsuits, including some especially weird ones: * Voting machine maker Smartmatic’s parent company under indictment over…
6 Mar 2026 · 19 min
Actually, I Would Like to File The Opposite Thing, Please
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.serioustrouble.show This week Ken and Josh discuss how The Trump Administration surprised observers by withdrawing its efforts to appeal its losses against all four law firms that challenged its legal orders against them. Then, it surprised observers again by changing its mind and asking to appeal the cases after all . We discuss why, whether you’re allowed to do that, and what happens to the nine firms that didn’t fight when the other firms win. We also look at a strange letter from the Department of Justice to state bar…

About Serious Trouble

An irreverent podcast about the law from Josh Barro and Ken White. www.serioustrouble.show

Serious Trouble is a English news podcast from Josh Barro and Ken White. Melo plays each episode straight from the publisher's own feed — no ads added, no account needed — and remembers where you stopped, in this browser only.

Publisher: Josh Barro and Ken White
Language: English
Category: News
New episodes: Weekly
Typical length: 23 min
Latest episode: 9 Oct 2026
Feed: RSS — paste into any podcast app
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1630160928
Rights: Very Serious Media

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