Judge Suggests Briefs With Hallucinated Citations Could Land Lawyers In Prison For Life – Above the Law

Whenever
we
catch
lawyers
in
the
U.S.
turning
in
court
filings
filled
with
fake
cases
that
ChatGPT
spit
out,
they
earn

a
healthy
round
of
public
ridicule

and,
at
worst,

some
fines
.
The
Department
of
Justice
tried
to
consign
people
to
an
El
Salvadoran
slave
camp
based
on

a
fake
Supreme
Court
quote

and
folks
barely
even
noticed.
The
British
legal
system
apparently
isn’t
as
easy
going,
with
a
panel
of
U.K.
judges
suggesting
a
lawyer
might
face

life
in
prison

for
submitting
AI-fabricated
case
law
in
a
civil
action.

If
that
seems
harsh,
just
remember
how
these
people
deal
with
divorce
actions:

It’s
hardcore,
man.
We
can’t
even
agree
to
keep
people
in
prison
for
trying
to
hang
Mike
Pence
and
the
U.K.
is
already
looking
at
disappearing
Edward
V
for
using
Claude
to
write
the
summary
judgment
motion.

To
be
clear,
the
judges
in
the
instant
matter
didn’t
order
junior
barristers
locked
up
in
the
Tower.
They
didn’t
even
explicitly
mention
life
imprisonment,
but
they
did
categorize
fake
cases
as,
in
some
cases,
rising
to
the
level
of
“perverting
the
course
of
justice.”
The
maximum
penalty
for
that
specific
charge?
Life.
In.
Prison.

It’s
the
corollary
to
the
American
“obstruction
of
justice,”
which
has
a
maximum
penalty
of
ZERO
as
long

as
you’re
the
president
of
the
United
States
at
the
time
.

In
this
case,
“a
90
million
pound
($120
million)
lawsuit
over
an
alleged
breach
of
a
financing
agreement
involving
the
Qatar
National
Bank,”
according
to

the
Associated
Press
,
the
filing
managed
to
cite
a
whopping
18
fake
cases.
The
client
informed
the
court
that
the
mistake
was
his
fault
and
not
his
solicitor’s.

Yeah…
except
lawyers
are
supposed
to
check
that
stuff.
Even
if
the
client
is
a
lawyer

like
when
former
Trump
fixer

Michael
Cohen
fed
his
attorneys
some
AI
hallucinations

they
then
filed

the
first
rule
of
lawyering
is
that
the
client
is
always
(potentially)
wrong.
The
whole
point
of
hiring
representation
is
to
make
sure
the
personally
aggrieved
client
isn’t
going
off
half-cocked.

No
one
is
going
to
jail
over
this
one,
making
the
opinion
more
akin
to
a
U.K.
professional
responsibility
version
of

Scared
Straight
.
Fake
cases
in
a
$120
million
civil
dispute
are
not
going
to
fool
anyone
for
long.
Opposing
counsel
will
sniff
those
out
quickly,
so
anyone
larding
up
on
fake
cases
in
a
banking
dispute
is
either
doing
so
unintentionally
or
guilty
by
reason
of
insanity.
The
most
draconian
of
punishments
are
intended
for
the
unscrupulous
actor
trying
to
deliberately
mislead.

And
that’s
the
miscarriage
of
justice
that’s
coming

if
it
hasn’t
already
arrived.
Somewhere
out
there,
there’s
a
tenant
representing
themselves
because
attorneys
cost
too
much
and
Legal
Aid
had
its
budget
slashed
to
appease
Elon
Musk,
and
that
poor
soul
is
getting
buried
under
a
tsunami
of
fake
precedent
that
they’ll
never
be
able
to
look
up
and
the
overworked
judge
will
just
rubberstamp.

It
happens
.

Worse,
we’re
going
to
hear
the
stories
of
the
unsophisticated
party
trying
to
keep
their
head
above
water
with
ChatGPT
and
not
the
deeper-pocketed
bully
who
can
make
up
cases.
Because
we’ll
catch
the
former
and
the
latter
might
skate
for
a
years
if
the
overwhelmed
justice
system
doesn’t
catch
it.

Maybe
the
U.S.
could
use
a
little
more
professional
fear
before
that
happens.




HeadshotJoe
Patrice
 is
a
senior
editor
at
Above
the
Law
and
co-host
of

Thinking
Like
A
Lawyer
.
Feel
free
to email
any
tips,
questions,
or
comments.
Follow
him
on Twitter or

Bluesky

if
you’re
interested
in
law,
politics,
and
a
healthy
dose
of
college
sports
news.
Joe
also
serves
as
a

Managing
Director
at
RPN
Executive
Search
.

Jeffery Kruse On What Legal Teams Get Wrong About Contracts And How To Fix It – Above the Law

(Image
via
Getty)

In-house
lawyers
spend
a
lot
of
time
talking
about
contract
efficiency.
We
run
RFPs
for
CLM
tools,
benchmark
turnaround
times,
build
clause
libraries,
and
explore
AI-powered
review
platforms.
But
there’s
one
thing
we
don’t
talk
about
enough,
even
though
it
might
be
the
most
important
part
of
making
contracts
work
better.

That
thing
is
communication.

In
a
recent
episode
of


Notes
to
My
(Legal)
Self
,
legal
consultant

Jeffery
Kruse

shared
a
perspective
every
in-house
team
should
hear.
Legal
operations,
he
said,
is
less
about
tools
and
more
about
how
we
communicate.
And
when
it
comes
to
improving
contracts,
that
message
matters
more
than
ever.

Watch
the
full
interview
here:


Contracts
Aren’t
Legal
Artifacts.
They’re
Business
Messages.

Kruse
believes
legal
teams
often
lose
sight
of
the
real
purpose
of
contracts.
Too
often,
contracts
are
treated
as
formal
legal
documents
instead
of
practical
business
tools.
We
fill
them
with
legalese,
preserve
outdated
formatting,
and
focus
on
risk
over
usability.
But
the
people
reading
and
using
these
contracts

sales
reps,
finance
leads,
procurement
teams
==
are
usually
not
lawyers.

When
contracts
are
hard
to
understand,
they
slow
down
the
business.
People
hesitate
to
move
forward.
Questions
pile
up.
Legal
becomes
the
translator,
and
in
the
process,
the
perception
grows
that
legal
is
a
bottleneck
rather
than
a
partner.


What
We
Say
Versus
What
They
Hear

To
help
legal
teams
reset
their
approach,
Kruse
uses
a
framework
called
SEE.
It
stands
for
Simple,
Easy,
and
Effective.

“Simple”
means
using
clear,
everyday
language
that
your
audience
understands.
“Easy”
refers
to
structure
and
flow,
making
sure
the
contract
is
logically
organized
and
not
overwhelming.
“Effective”
means
the
contract
does
what
it
is
supposed
to
do

it
helps
the
reader
take
action,
builds
alignment,
or
delivers
clarity.

Many
contracts
fall
short.
A
contract
might
be
technically
accurate,
but
if
a
business
stakeholder
cannot
quickly
understand
what
it
means
or
what
they’re
agreeing
to,
it
is
not
useful.
It
may
even
be
harmful
if
it
creates
confusion
or
delay.


What
This
Means
For
In-House
Legal
Teams

Before
jumping
into
technology
solutions
or
restructuring
workflows,
Kruse
recommends
that
legal
teams
ask
a
few
fundamental
questions.
Who
is
reading
this
contract?
What
do
they
need
to
understand?
Is
the
document
written
in
a
way
that
supports
clear
business
decisions?
Can
someone
without
a
law
degree
follow
what’s
being
said?

Kruse
shared
an
example
of
a
time
he
failed
to
get
buy-in
from
IT
and
finance
for
a
legal
tech
project.
He
realized
afterward
that
he
had
presented
the
problem
in
legal
language,
not
business
terms.
Those
departments
were
willing
to
help,
but
only
once
he
learned
to
speak
in
a
way
that
made
sense
to
them.


Make
Contract
Usability
A
Core
Metric

If
we
agree
that
contracts
are
communication
tools,
then
we
need
new
ways
to
evaluate
them.
Instead
of
just
tracking
legal
risk
or
review
time,
legal
teams
should
consider
metrics
like
how
often
contracts
require
clarification
after
they
are
signed,
how
long
it
takes
for
a
nonlegal
user
to
understand
key
terms,
or
how
much
confidence
other
teams
have
in
the
contract
process.

Kruse
encourages
testing
your
communication
before
rollout.
Share
your
draft
with
one
or
two
trusted
business
colleagues
and
ask
for
their
feedback.
Is
it
easy
to
understand?
Can
they
explain
the
terms
to
someone
else?
These
small
steps
can
prevent
misalignment
and
improve
how
legal
supports
the
business.


What
To
Do
Next

For
legal
leaders,
the
takeaway
is
this.
Contracts
are
not
just
about
legal
protection.
They
are
tools
that
help
the
business
move
forward.
Their
effectiveness
depends
not
only
on
what
is
written,
but
on
how
clearly
the
message
is
delivered.

Before
launching
a
new
playbook,
tech
platform,
or
contract
template,
take
a
moment
to
ask
whether
the
document
is
clear.
Is
the
language
simple?
Is
the
structure
easy
to
navigate?
Will
it
actually
help
someone
do
their
job?

Because
when
people
understand
their
contracts,
they
are
more
likely
to
trust
them.
And
that
is
what
gets
deals
done.





Olga
V.
Mack
 is
the
CEO
of TermScout,
an
AI-powered
contract
certification
platform
that
accelerates
revenue
and
eliminates
friction
by
certifying
contracts
as
fair,
balanced,
and
market-ready.
A
serial
CEO
and
legal
tech
executive,
she
previously
led
a
company
through
a
successful
acquisition
by
LexisNexis.
Olga
is
also
Fellow
at
CodeX,
The
Stanford
Center
for
Legal
Informatics
,
and
the
Generative
AI
Editor
at
law.MIT.
She
is
a
visionary
executive
reshaping
how
we
law—how
legal
systems
are
built,
experienced,
and
trusted.
Olga teaches
at
Berkeley
Law
,
lectures
widely,
and
advises
companies
of
all
sizes,
as
well
as
boards
and
institutions.
An
award-winning
general
counsel
turned
builder,
she
also
leads
early-stage
ventures
including Virtual
Gabby
(Better
Parenting
Plan)
Product
Law
Hub
ESI
Flow
,
and 
Notes
to
My
(Legal)
Self
,
each
rethinking
the
practice
and
business
of
law
through
technology,
data,
and
human-centered
design.
She
has
authored The
Rise
of
Product
Lawyers
Legal
Operations
in
the
Age
of
AI
and
Data
Blockchain
Value
,
and Get
on
Board
,
with Visual
IQ
for
Lawyers
 (ABA)
forthcoming.
Olga
is
a
6x
TEDx
speaker
and
has
been
recognized
as
a
Silicon
Valley
Woman
of
Influence
and
an
ABA
Woman
in
Legal
Tech.
Her
work
reimagines
people’s
relationship
with
law—making
it
more
accessible,
inclusive,
data-driven,
and
aligned
with
how
the
world
actually
works.
She
is
also
the
host
of
the
Notes
to
My
(Legal)
Self
podcast
(streaming
on SpotifyApple
Podcasts
,
and YouTube),
and
her
insights
regularly
appear
in
Forbes,
Bloomberg
Law,
Newsweek,
VentureBeat,
ACC
Docket,
and
Above
the
Law.
She
earned
her
B.A.
and
J.D.
from
UC
Berkeley.
Follow
her
on LinkedIn and
X
@olgavmack.

Biglaw Firm Fighting Trump Announces Staff Layoffs – Above the Law

Perkins
Coie
was
one
of
the
very
first
firms
that
Donald
Trump

issued
a
retaliatory
executive
order
against
,
punishing
its
lawyers
for
the
crime
of
representing
the
president’s
perceived
enemies:
Democrats.
In
its
suit
against
Trump,
Perkins
Coie
noted
that
thanks
to
the
executive
order,
its
ability
to
operate
as
a
legal-services
business
had
been

put
under
“direct
and
imminent
threat.”

Indeed,
the
firm

which
brought
in
$1,259,320,000
gross
revenue
in
2024,
putting
it
at
No.
47
on
the
Am
Law
100

seemed
worried
that
the
order
would
hurt
its
bottom
line.
Although
Trump’s
EO
was
later

found
to
be
unconstitutional
,
we
may
now
have
some
tangible
fallout
from
the
hit
job,
as
multiple
sources
are
reporting
that
Perkins
Coie
has
conducted
layoffs.

According
to
our
sources,
staff
layoffs
took
place
at
the
firm
last
week,
and
as
noted
on
Fishbowl,
members
of
Perkins
Coie’s
business
professionals
team
have
been
hit
the
hardest.

Tipsters
tell
Above
the
Law
that
5%
of
the
firm’s
professional
staff
were
let
go,
and
that
morale
is
at
a
“low
point,”
as
some
reportedly
discovered
that
they
were
on
the
chopping
block
before
official
notices
were
sent
out.

We
reached
out
to
the
firm
for
comment
on
the
layoffs,
and
received
the
following
statement
from
a
Perkins
Coie
spokesperson:

We
recently
implemented
scheduled
changes
to
our
business
professional
workforce
to
better
align
with
the
firm’s
operational
needs.
These
changes,
which
reflect
the
firm’s
long-term
strategic
goals
and
incorporate
best
practices
from
across
the
industry,
affect
approximately
5%
of
our
business
professional
workforce.
This
decision
was
informed
by
a
firmwide
review
over
the
last
year
and
aligns
with
our
commitment
to
client
service
and
operational
excellence. 

Best
of
luck
to
those
at
Perkins
Coie
who
recently
lost
their
jobs.

If
your
firm
or
organization
is
reducing
the
ranks
of
its
lawyers
or
staff,
whether
through
deferrals,
open
layoffs,
stealth
layoffs,
or
voluntary
buyouts,
please
don’t
hesitate
to
let
us
know.
Our
vast
network
of
tipsters
is
part
of
what
makes
Above
the
Law
thrive.
You
can email
us
 or
text
us
(646-820-8477).
Thank
you
for
your
assistance.

If
you’d
like
to
sign
up
for
ATL’s
Layoff
Alerts,
please
scroll
down
and
enter
your
email
address
in
the
box
below
this
post.
If
you
previously
signed
up
for
the
layoff
alerts,
you
don’t
need
to
do
anything.
You’ll
receive
an
email
notification
within
minutes
of
each
layoff
announcement
that
we
publish.


Staci Zaretsky




Staci
Zaretsky
 is
a
senior
editor
at
Above
the
Law,
where
she’s
worked
since
2011.
She’d
love
to
hear
from
you,
so
please
feel
free
to

email

her
with
any
tips,
questions,
comments,
or
critiques.
You
can
follow
her
on BlueskyX/Twitter,
and Threads, or
connect
with
her
on LinkedIn.

Vault’s Top Law Firms By Practice Area And Region (2026) – Above the Law

Vault
recently
released
its
closely
watched
rankings
of the
nation’s
100
most
prestigious
law
firms
.
It
was
there
that
we
learned
Cravath
has
held
onto
its
title
as
the
most
prestigious
firm
in
America
for
a
decade,
and
that
the
top
firms
saw
some
interesting
changes
(including
one
major
firm
entering
the
Top
10
for
the
first
time
ever).

But
what
if
your
firm
wasn’t
top-ranked
in
the
Vault
100?
Perhaps
your
firm
isn’t
the
most
prestigious,
but
that
doesn’t
mean
it
doesn’t
have
clout.
Some
law
firms
reign
supreme
when
it
comes
to
certain
practice
areas,
and
others
are
known
to
dominate
entire
regions
of
the
country.

Which
law
firms
are
considered
to
be
at
the
top
of
their
game
by
practice
area
and
region?
Let’s
find
out!

For
the
purposes
of
the
practice
area
ranking,
Vault
asked
associates
to
vote
for
up
to
three
firms
they
think
of
as
the
strongest
in
their
own
practice
area,
and
the
overall
ranking
indicates
the
firms
that
received
the
highest
percentage
of
votes.
Associates
were
not
allowed
to
vote
for
their
own
firm.
Pay
attention,
prospective
laterals,
because
this
ranking
could
be
quite
useful
for
you.

We’ve
picked
out
a
dozen
of
the
practice
areas
that
were
ranked
by
Vault
(you
can
see
the
full
list
by
clicking here):

Appellate
Litigation:
Williams
&
Connolly

Bankruptcy/Restructuring:
Kirkland
&
Ellis
(replacing
Cleary
Gottlieb)

Energy,
Oil
and
Gas:
Vinson
&
Elkins

General
Commercial
Litigation:
Quinn
Emanuel

General
Corporate
Practice:
Wachtell
Lipton
(replacing
Kirkland
&
Ellis)

Intellectual
Property:
Fish
&
Richardson

International:
White
&
Case

Labor
and
Employment:
Littler
Mendelson

Private
Equity:
Kirkland
&
Ellis

Real
Estate:
Gibson
Dunn

Securities/Capital
Markets:
Davis
Polk

Tax:
Skadden

Next
up,
we’ve
got
a
ranking
that
matters
to
those
who
think
“location,
location,
location”
is
the
most
important
thing
in
life.
Vault’s
regional
rankings
are
based
on
votes
tabulated
from
associates
who
were
asked
to
rate
firms
on
a
1
to
10
scale
based
on
their
prestige
within
the
region.

Here’s
the
list
of
prestige
by
region
from
Vault
(you
can
see
the
full
list here):

Atlanta:
King
&
Spalding

Boston:
Ropes
&
Gray

Chicago:
Kirkland
&
Ellis

Florida:
Holland
&
Knight

Mid-Atlantic:
Skadden

Midwest:
Kirkland
&
Ellis

Mountain
States:
Gibson
Dunn

New
York:
Wachtell
Lipton
(replacing
Cravath)

Northern
California:
Cooley
(replacing
Morrison
&
Foerster)

Pacific
Northwest:
Perkins
Coie

South
Atlantic:
Alston
&
Bird
(replacing
King
&
Spalding)

Southern
California:
Latham
&
Watkins

Texas:
Vinson
&
Elkins

Washington,
DC:
Covington
&
Burling

Congratulations
to
the
firms
that
moved
up
in
this
year’s
practice
area
and
regional
rankings,
and
congratulations
to
all
the
firms
that
made
the
cut
in
the
first
place.
It
must
be
nice
to
see
which
firms
associates
consider
as
their
peers
in
prestige,
and
it
must
be
even
nicer
for
partners
to
know
whose
pricing
models
they
need
to
undercut
the
next
time
around.


VAULT
LAW
RELEASES
2026
RANKINGS
FOR
ITS
TOP
100
LAW
FIRMS,
BEST
LAW
FIRMS
BY
REGION,
AND
BEST
LAW
FIRMS
BY
PRACTICE
AREA
 [PR
Newswire]

Best
Law
Firms
by
Practice
Area
(2026)
 [Vault]

Best
Law
Firms
by
Region
(2026)
 [Vault]


Staci Zaretsky




Staci
Zaretsky
 is
a
senior
editor
at
Above
the
Law,
where
she’s
worked
since
2011.
She’d
love
to
hear
from
you,
so
please
feel
free
to

email

her
with
any
tips,
questions,
comments,
or
critiques.
You
can
follow
her
on BlueskyX/Twitter,
and Threads, or
connect
with
her
on LinkedIn.

Ba- Ba- Ba-, Ba- Bomb Iran – Above the Law

Iran
presents
a
real
dilemma.

I’m
writing
this
on
Saturday,
and
the
United
States
is
not
(yet)
bombing
Iran.

For
Donald
Trump,
this
is
great. It’s
great
if
Israel
solves
the
Iran
problem

eliminating
Iran’s
path
to
a
nuclear
weapon

without
the
United
States
getting
involved. Trump
can
claim
to
have
achieved
a
great
victory
without
the
United
States
having
paid
any
price.

Alternatively,
it’s
great
for
Donald
Trump
if
he
can
mean-tweet
his
way
out
of
a
crisis. If
Trump
can
threaten
to
kill
the
leadership
of
Iran,
as
he
has,
without
actually
doing
anything,
and
if,
as
Trump
hopes,
Iran
surrenders
unconditionally,
Trump
will
again
have
achieved
a
great
victory
at
no
cost.

Or
perhaps
the
Iranian
regime
will
accept
some
face-saving
compromise
with
Trump
that
allows
both
the
U.S.
and
Iran
to
declare
victory,
and
the
U.S.
would
never
have
to
join
the
fray.

Any
of
these
solutions,
from
the
perspective
of
the
United
States,
would
be
extraordinary. (I’m
setting
aside
the
local
costs,
such
as
the
Iranians
and
Israelis
who
will
have
been
killed
or
wounded,
upending
relationships
between
governments,
and
the
like. I’m
being
parochial
here.)

Trump
faces
a
crisis
only
if
he
must
make
a
hard
decision. If
the
Israeli
bombs
and
the
mean
tweets
don’t
work,
Trump
faces
an
excruciatingly
hard
choice.

I’m
certainly
glad
that
Trump
has
a
former
Fox
News
host
serving
as
his
secretary
of
defense
available
to
give
him
advice.

If
Trump
has
to
act,
what
should
he
do?

On
the
one
hand,
Trump
can
choose
not
to
bomb
Iran.
Iran
will
develop
nuclear
weapons. Iran
may
choose
to
use
one
of
those
weapons
on
Tel
Aviv. Israel
would
of
course
retaliate. It
would
not
look
good
to
have
World
War
III,
or
something
like
it,
occur
on
Trump’s
watch.  

Although
I’m
sure
that,
if
World
War
III
happened,
Trump
would
explain
that
this
was
his
brilliant
plan
to
solve
the
Middle
East
crisis
once
and
for
all. And
the
MAGA
loyalists
would
of
course
agree.

Even
if
Iran
develops
a
nuclear
weapon
and
does
not
immediately
trigger
a
holocaust,
that
doesn’t
solve
the
problem. As
North
Korea
has
demonstrated,
once
Iran
has
nukes,
it
is
permanently
immune
from
attack. No
matter
what
Iran
might
do,
its
leaders
could
proceed
confidently,
knowing
that
neither
Israel
nor
the
United
States
would
attack
it. That
would
permit
Iran
to
do
many
evil
things
in
the
future.

Moreover,
other
countries
in
the
Middle
East

such
as
Saudi
Arabia
and
perhaps
Egypt

won’t
sit
by
silently
as
Iran
develops
the
bomb. Those
countries
will
develop
their
own
nuclear
weapons,
and
we’ll
have
multiple
nuclear-armed
states
in
one
of
the
most
combustible
regions
in
the
world. That
might
not
yet
be
World
War
III,
but
it
ain’t
good.

On
the
other
hand,
Trump
can
choose
to
bomb
Iran,
temporarily
eliminating
its
nuclear
weapons
program. Iran
will
surely
respond,
perhaps
by
attacking
American
troops
stationed
in
the
Middle
East,
perhaps
by
attacking
shipping
in
the
Strait
of
Hormuz,
perhaps
by
attacking
energy
infrastructure
to
raise
the
price
of
oil,
perhaps
by
attacking
American
soft
targets
around
the
world,
perhaps
by
launching
cyberattacks
on
the
United
States;
you
don’t
need
much
of
an
imagination
here. Everywhere
you
look,
it’s
bad.

At
the
end
of
the
day,
Iran’s
nuclear
weapons
program
will
have
been
temporarily
destroyed.
But
that
program
would
likely
build
back

deep
underground,
where
no
one
can
monitor
it

so
Iran
would
ultimately
develop
a
nuclear
weapon,
after
all. In
the
meantime,
the
United
States
will
have
suffered,
one
way
or
the
other
and,
after
the
bombing
stopped,
there
would
be
another
failed
state
in
the
Middle
East. The
United
States
can
try
to
turn
the
remnants
of
Iran
into
a
liberal
democracy,
but
that
generally
doesn’t
turn
out
too
well

think
of
Afghanistan
and
Iraq
as
the
most
recent
examples.

If
I
had
to
guess,
I’d
say
that
the
United
States
will
bomb
Iran. Trump
has
said
that
Iran
cannot
have
a
nuclear
weapon. For
Trump
to
have
said
that,
and
then
left
Iran
with
the
capacity
to
manufacture
a
nuclear
weapon,
would
make
Trump
look
weak. Trump
can’t
tolerate
apparent
weakness,
so
he’ll
bomb
Iran,
consequences
be
damned.

The
counterargument,
of
course,
is
that
Trump
always
chickens
out. Although
Trump
would
love
the
first
day
when
we
bombed
Iran

lots
of
loud
explosions
and
everyone’s
paying
attention
to
me!

he’d
hate
the
day
after,
when
he’d
have
to
deal
with
the
consequences. Since
Trump
has
no
guiding
principles,
he
may
just
chicken
out
to
reduce
the
immediate
criticism
he’d
have
to
face. 

Either
way,
I
can
tell
you
this:

If
Trump
chooses
not
to
attack,
six
months
from
now
pundits
will
insist
that
was
a
bad
idea.

If
instead
Trump
chooses
to
attack,
six
months
from
now
pundits
will
insist
that
was
a
bad
idea.

That’s
why
it’s
easy
to
be
a
pundit,
but
hard
to
be
the
president.

On
the
third
hand,
six
months
from
now,
whatever
the
result,
I
guarantee
you
that
Trump
himself
will
insist
that
the
underlying
problems
were
not
his
fault
and
his
decisions
were
uniformly
perfect.

The
man
is
a
fool,
but
he
sleeps
well
at
night. 




Mark Herrmann spent
17
years
as
a
partner
at
a
leading
international
law
firm
and
later
oversaw
litigation,
compliance
and
employment
matters
at
a
large
international
company.
He
is
the
author
of 
The
Curmudgeon’s
Guide
to
Practicing
Law
 and Drug
and
Device
Product
Liability
Litigation
Strategy
 (affiliate
links).
You
can
reach
him
by
email
at 
[email protected].

Operation Midnight Hammer: How the US conducted surprise strikes on Iran – Breaking Defense

Maj.
Stuart
Shippee,
a
B-2
Spirt
pilot
assigned
to
the
13th
Bomber
Squadron,
marshals
a
B-2
Spirit,
deployed
from
Whiteman
Air
Force
Base,
Mo.,
at
Andersen
Air
Force
Base,
Guam,
in
support
of
exercise
Valiant
Shield
24,
June
13,
2024.
(U.S.
Air
Force
photo
by
Staff
Sgt.
Kristen
Heller)

WASHINGTON

Hours
after
the
US
conducted
a
surprise,
significant
military
operation
against
three
Iranian
nuclear
sites,
top
defense
officials
unveiled
the
details
what
the
Pentagon
called
Operation
Midnight
Hammer,
which
involved

seven
B-2
bombers
and
the
first
known
operational
use
of
a


30,000-pound
bunker
buster
bomb.

“The
president
authorized
a
precision
operation
to
neutralize
the
threats
to
our
national
interests
posed
by
the
Iranian
nuclear
program
and
the
collective
self-defense
of
our
troops
and
our
ally,
Israel,”
Defense
Secretary
Pete
Hegseth
told
reporters
today.

While
Chairman
of
the
Joint
Chiefs
Gen.
Dan
Caine
said
a
battlefield
assessment
is
ongoing
to
evaluate
the
strikes,
Hegseth
called
it
“an
incredible
and
overwhelming
success.”


Caine,
a
newly
minted
four-star
general,
went
on
to
some
detail
just
how
that
US
carried
out
the
strike,
saying
it
involved
more
than
125
US
aircraft,
“dozens”
of
aerial
refueling
tankers,
a
guided
missile
submarine
and
firing
approximately
75
precision
guided
weapons.


Caine
explained
that
around
midnight
on
Friday
a
“strike
package”
with
seven
B-2

Spirit

bombers
departed


Whiteman
Air
Force
Base
in
Missouri,
flying
east
for
18
hours
w
ith
“minimal
communications”
towards
the
“target
area.”

250622_midnight_hammer_chart

A
Pentagon
chart
detailing
Operation
Midnight
Hammer,
presented
at
a
June
22,
2025
press
conference.
(DoD)


Once
those
aircraft
were
over
land
again,
they
“linked
up”
with
escort
and
support
aircraft
“in
a
complex,
tightly
timed
maneuver
requiring
exact
synchronization
across
multiple
platforms
in
a
narrow
piece
of
airspace,”
Caine
said.


By
Saturday
around
5
pm
ET,
just
before
the
strike
package
was
ready
to
enter
Iran,
a
US
submarine
located
inside
the
US
Central
Command
area
of
responsibility,
launched
more
than
two
dozen
Tomahawk
land-attack
cruise
missiles
against
“key”
surface
infrastructure
targets
at
the
Isfahan
site
.


“As
the
Operation
Midnight
Hammer
strike
package
entered
Iranian
airspace,
the
US
employed
several
deception
tactics,
including
decoys,
as
the
fourth-
and
fifth-generation
aircraft
pushed
out
in
front
of
the
strike
package
at
high
altitude
and
high
speed,
sweeping
in
front
of
the
package
for
enemy
fighters
and
surface
to
air
missile
threats,”
Caine
explained.



FULL
COVERAGE:


As
the
strike
package
approached
Fordo
and
Natanz,
the
US
deployed
high-speed
suppression
weapons”
to
allow
for
a
safer
approach
around
6:40
pm
ET.


The
lead
B-2
bomber
then
dropped
two
GBU
57
Massive
Ordnance
Penetrators
on
the
“first
of
several
aim
points
at
Fordo,”
Caine
said,
noting
that
in
total,
14
MOPs
were
dropped
in
target
areas
at
Fordo
and
Natanz.


Once
the
bombers
had
dropped
the
MOPs,
those
previously
launched
Tomahawk
missiles
struck
Isfahan,
he
added.


“Following
weapons
release,
the
Midnight
Hammer
strike
package
exited
Iranian
airspace,
and
the
package
began
its
return
home,”
Caine
said.

Caine
said
that
it
does
not
appear
the
US
jets
were
fired
upon
during
the
operation.
Iran’s
fighters
did
not
fly,
and
it
appears
that
Iran’s
surface
to
air
missile
systems
did
not
see
us,”
he
said.

Hegseth
said
that
congressional
leadership
was
notified
of
the
operation
as
soon
as
American
planes
were
out
of
danger.
(On
X,
White
House
Press
Secretary
Karoline
Leavitt

said

the
White
House
made
“bipartisan
courtesy
calls”
to
congressional
leadership,
speaking
to
minority
leader
Sen.
Chuck
Schumer
“befor
the
strike,”
though
unable
to
reach
House
Democrat
leader
Rep.
Hakeem
Jeffries
until
after.)

As
for
the
effectiveness
of
the
strikes,
Caine
said
a
final
battle
damage
will
take
some
time,
but
initial
battle
damage
assessments
indicate
that
all
three
sites
sustained
extremely
severe
damage
and
destruction.”

The
US,
a
backer
of
Israel,
is
the
only
known
country
with
the
ability
to
penetrate
Iran’s
nuclear
sites
deep
underground
and
to
do
so,
required
the
bombers
dropping
the
30,000-pound
MOP
for
the
first
time
in
an
operations
setting.

“This
is
a
plan
that
took
months
and
weeks
of
positioning
and
preparation
so
that
we
could
be
ready
when
the
President
of
the
United
States
called,”
Hegseth
said.
“It
took
a
great
deal
of
precision.
It
involved
misdirection
and
the
highest
of
operational
security.”

Now,
all
eyes
will
be
on
Tehran
and
how
the
Islamic
Republic
responds,
as
well
as
on
whether
the
US
conducts
further
action.

Hegseth
said
the
Midnight
Hammer
mission
“was
not,
has
not,
been
about
regime
change,
but
later
Sunday
President
Donald
Trump
posted
on
Truth
Social
that
if
the
“current
Iranian
Regime
is
unable
to
MAKE
IRAN
GREAT
AGAIN,
why
wouldn’t
there
be
a
Regime
change???
MIGA!!!”



UPDATED
6/22/2025
at
5:40pm
ET
to
include
Trump’s
comments
about
“regime
change”
in
Iran
and
White
House
comments
about
notifications
to
congressional
leadership.

Morning Docket: 06.23.25 – Above the Law

*
Kilmar
Abrego
Garcia
released
pending
trial.
[Axios]

*
In
addition
to
massively
expanding
the
deficit,
Congress
is
also
planning
student
loan
caps
that
will
crowd
out
law
school
access
for
many.
[Reuters]

*
White
nationalist
receives
law
school
prize
from
Trump
judge
over
paper
arguing
that
constitutional
protections
should
only
apply
to
white
people.
[NY
Times
]

*
UK
judge
warns
that
citing
AI-hallucinated
cases
could
carry
maximum
sentence
of
life
in
prison.
[AP]

*
Lateral
market
for
energy
lawyers
heating
up.
Get
it,
because
energy
is…
whatever.
[Bloomberg
Law
News
]

*
AI
could
drive
the
next
big
class
action.
Honestly,
AI
could
BE
the
next
big
class
action.
[Law.com]

*
On
the
other
hand,
this
civil
rights
lawyer
secured
a
big
victory
with
the
help
of
AI.
[Business
Insider
]

Detective Kedha’s Private Firm Hits Back At ZRP In Stolen Land Cruiser Row

In
a
statement
issued
on
Sunday,
22
June,
the
firm
responded
to
a
report
published
by
The
Herald,
which
quoted
ZRP
spokesperson
Commissioner
Paul
Nyathi
as
saying
Interpol
operates
through
official
police
structures
and
not
in
collaboration
with
private
entities
or
investigators.

Matrix
strongly
refuted
that
position,
asserting
that
Interpol
is
an
international
organisation
made
up
of
multiple
sovereign
member
states,
and
cannot
be
represented
by
any
single
national
police
authority.

The
firm
also
took
exception
to
implications
that
cast
doubt
on
the
legitimacy
of
its
role
in
the
Land
Cruiser
investigation.

Matrix
asserted
that
it
had
been
lawfully
engaged
by
the
complainant
and
that
its
operatives
had
successfully
traced
and
recovered
the
vehicle
in
Malawi,
all
while
operating
fully
within
Zimbabwe’s
legal
and
regulatory
framework.
The
statement
reads:

Interpol
is
an
international
organization
comprising
multiple
member
countries,
and
in
all
progressive
jurisdictions,
the
role
and
legitimacy
of
Private
Investigators
is
clearly
recognized.

With
specific
reference
to
the
recent
recovery
of
a
stolen
Land
Cruiser,
we
wish
to
clarify
that
Matrix
Private
Investigations
and
Security
was
lawfully
engaged
by
the
complainant
to
carry
out
investigations.
Our
team
successfully
traced
and
located
the
vehicle
in
Malawi.

Any
statements
casting
doubt
on
the
authenticity
of
this
recovery
are
not
only
misleading
but
undermine
a
legitimate
process
undertaken
by
a
licensed
firm.

The
statement
further
affirms
that
Matrix
Private
Investigations
and
Security
is
a
duly
registered
and
licensed
entity
under
Zimbabwean
law,
operating
within
the
country’s
legal
framework
and
maintaining
professional
partnerships
with
investigative
counterparts
worldwide
to
ensure
seamless
and
effective
operations. It
added:

As
a
nation
striving
toward
modernization
and
progress
across
all
sectors,
any
form
of
unprofessional
conduct
not
only
undermines
Zimbabwe’s
Vision
of
becoming
an
upper
middle-income
economy
but
also
risks
projecting
a
regressive
image
among
our
peer
nations.

We
urge
members
of
the
public
to
disregard
unfounded
reports
and
to
seek
information
from
verified
and
credible
sources.

Yoga in a Zimbabwe tavern is the latest mental health outreach in a struggling country

CHITUNGWIZA,
Zimbabwe

It’s
before
sunrise
on
a
Saturday
and
a
small
group
has
gathered
at
Socialite
Bar
in
on
the
outskirts
of
Zimbabwe’s
capital.
Instead
of
nursing
hangovers,
they
sit
with
eyes
closed
and
bodies
in
meditative
poses
on
the
bare
floor.

It’s
an
unlikely
setting
for
a
yoga
class.
In
Zimbabwe,
the
practice
is
rare
and
mostly
found
in
the
wealthy
suburbs.
Yet
it
is
quietly
taking
root
here
in
a
beer
tavern
in
Chitungwiza,
a
low-income
town
30
kilometers
outside
the
capital,
Harare.

The
initiative
is
led
by
Actions
Winya,
a
yoga
instructor
who
saw
how
economic
hardship
and
social
pressures
were
damaging
the
mental
health
of
people
in
his
hometown.

“Yoga
is
expensive

but
we
also
got
humans
in
the
ghetto.
They
need
mental
wellness,”
said
Winya,
who
usually
teaches
in
affluent
areas,
charging
between
$30
and
$100
a
month.
That’s
an
impossible
cost
for
most,
especially
in
a
country
where
many
survive
through
informal
jobs.

Since
2023,
Winya
has
been
offering
free
weekend
classes
to
some
of
those
hardest
hit
by
Zimbabwe’s
economic
problems.

The
sessions
have
become
a
source
of
relief
for
people
navigating
relentless
challenges.
Authorities
acknowledge
a
growing
societal
crisis
worsened
by
drug
abuse,
domestic
violence
and
poverty,
compounded
by
a
shortage
of
public
health
services
and
therapists.

“I
am
a
coach,
so
they
bring
the
stuff
that
they
face
within
families
(to
me).
This
is
where
we
come
in
and
say,
‘Guys,
come
and
try
yoga,
it
can
help
somehow,’”
Winya
said.

Yoga,
an
ancient
Indian
practice,
has
become
a
multibillion-dollar
industry
and
a
daily
ritual
for
millions
around
the
world.
The
United
Nations
over
a
decade
ago
designated
June
21
as
International
Day
of
Yoga.

In
Africa,
other
countries
like
Kenya
and
South
Africa
are
introducing
yoga
to
poorer
communities,
with
the
Indian
government
promoting
its
spread
across
the
continent.

Inside
the
tavern
in
Zimbabwe,
mellow
music
played
as
about
a
dozen
participants
moved
through
poses.
They
had
no
mats,
just
a
cold
brick
floor,
but
plenty
of
determination
for
inner
peace.
One
mother
tried
to
stay
focused
as
her
toddler
dashed
around,
disrupting
her
poses.

For
47-year-old
John
Mahwaya,
the
practice
has
been
transforming.
A
father
of
four,
he
also
supports
relatives
in
the
countryside,
a
responsibility
he
said
once
weighed
heavily
on
his
mental
health.

“My
head
was
always
spinning.
I
thought
I
was
losing
my
mind,
and
the
stress
started
causing
back
pains,”
he
said.
“Yoga
helps
me
relax
and
clear
my
mind.
I
sleep
peacefully
these
days.”

He
said
many
Zimbabwean
men
bottle
up
their
emotions,
afraid
to
show
weakness
in
a
highly
patriarchal
society
that
prizes
toughness.

“We
focus
on
physical
fitness,
forgetting
the
mind,”
he
said.
“We
suffer
slowly,
but
what
suffers
first
is
the
mind,
and
from
there,
it
becomes
a
slow
death.”

Actions
Winya,
a
yoga
instructor,
assists
a
young
girl
in
perfecting
her
pose
at
Socialite
Bar
in
Chitungwiza
on
June
20,
2025
(AP
Photo/Aaron
Ufumeli)
Participants
at
a
yoga
class
at
the
Socialite
Bar
in
Chitungwiza
seen
on
June
30,
2025
(Ap
Photo/Aaron
Ufumeli)

Edinah
Makosa,
24,
joined
the
class
earlier
this
year
and
said
it
gave
her
hope.

“I
used
to
be
depressed
a
lot.
You
know,
for
people
my
age,
our
main
stressors
are
unemployment
and
relationships,”
she
said.

“Yoga
changed
my
mindset.
I
used
to
think
negatively
all
the
time.
Now
I
have
started
selling
beauty
products
to
earn
a
living.
As
for
romance,
well
if
it
works,
it
works;
if
it
doesn’t,
it
doesn’t.
I
no
longer
stress
about
men.
I
go
with
the
flow.”

As
they
practiced,
the
sounds
of
township
life
seeped
in.
Taxi
drivers
shouted
for
passengers.
Vendors
pushed
carts,
calling
out
to
potential
customers.

“We
need
a
proper
environment
and
studio.
But
we
are
trying,”
Winya
said.

For
participants
like
Mahwaya,
the
location
didn’t
matter
nearly
as
much
as
the
healing.

“We
need
to
promote
yoga
in
the
communities
because
everyone
has
a
mind.
And
fitness
of
the
mind
is
the
responsibility
of
everyone,
regardless
of
where
you
live,”
he
said.

AP

Police say exorcism attempt led to man’s death at church shrine in Kwekwe

KWEKWE

A
self-styled
prophet
and
eight
of
her
followers
from
a
white
garment
church
have
been
arrested
in
Kwekwe
in
connection
with
the
death
of
a
54-year-old
man
during
an
alleged
exorcism
at
a
shrine,
police
said.

Charity
Mafirowanda,
46,
was
taken
into
custody
along
with
congregants
Talent
Khumalo,
42,
Bongani
Paraffin,
33,
Admire
Makota,
23,
Ronald
Mandiedza,
24,
Margret
Zireba,
21,
Lyton
Ndlovu,
19,
Arnold
Mashiri,
23,
and
Pauline
Banda,
33,
according
to
a
police
statement
issued
Sunday.

The
group
is
accused
of
administering
a
concoction
to
Micky
Chuma
on
June
18
at
a
shrine
in
Mbizo,
Kwekwe,
in
an
attempt
to
expel
what
they
believed
were
evil
spirits.
Chuma
died
during
the
ritual.

Police
allege
the
suspects
then
carried
Chuma’s
body
to
his
residence
and
placed
it
on
his
bed,
covering
it
with
blankets
in
an
apparent
attempt
to
conceal
the
circumstances
of
his
death.

Authorities
say
investigations
are
ongoing.