Kash’s Complaint As he said he would on Sunday morning, FBI Director Kash Patel filed a defamation case against The Atlantic and reporter Sarah Fitzpatrick this morning over a story that characterizes him as an incomp...

FBI Director Kash Patel’s defamation lawsuit against the Atlantic explained: joycevance.substack.com/p/kashs-comp...

Kash’s Complaint As he said he would on Sunday morning, FBI Director Kash Patel filed a defamation case against The Atlantic and reporter Sarah Fitzpatrick this morning over a story that characterizes him as an incomp...

FBI Director Kash Patel sued the Atlantic & a reporter for defamation, alleging they recklessly disregarded truth in suggesting FBI officials are concerned his drinking compromises his ability to do his job. Here’s the breakdown you need to understand the complaint. open.substack.com/pub/joycevan...

The Week Ahead We seem doomed to another week of war news.

2/ More detail about those revelations here: joycevance.substack.com/p/the-week-a...

FBI Director says arrests ‘coming soon’ on 2020 rigged election conspiracy FBI Director Kash Patel: "We have the information that backs President Trump's claim.”

1/ Looks like the FBI director is trying to fight to hold onto his job by currying favor with the president after recent revelations about his personal conduct. www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/...

The Week Ahead We seem doomed to another week of war news.

This morning, just after 8 a.m., Trump had a long ramble on Truth Social that concluded, “if they don’t, the United States is going to knock out every single Power Plant, and every single Bridge, in Iran. NO MORE MR. NICE GUY!” That’s our start to the week ahead.
open.substack.com/pub/joycevan...

The Sunday Morning Wrap-Up Here’s the highlight reel of last week’s posts and events.

In case you missed any of my columns in Civil Discourse last week, here they are, all collected in one place.
open.substack.com/pub/joycevan...

7/When a president can make convictions disappear for his allies while leaning on prosecutors to go after his critics, the damage isn’t just theoretical, it’s already happening in front of our eyes. It’s on all of us to see it clearly and refuse to look away. joycevance.substack.com/p/justice-ac...

Justice According To Trump The Justice Department has moved to drop the last remaining January 6 insurrection criminal matters: the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys seditious conspiracy cases.

6/The polar opposite treatment of these two cases clarifies what Justice looks like under Trump. If you think it matters to stay on top of issues like this, I cover them in my Newsletter civil discourse, and you can sign up for free. joycevance.substack.com/p/justice-ac...

5/ Hard to figure how there’s jurisdiction in the Southern District of Florida for supposed crimes allegedly committed in DC during the 2016 election, but at least Judge Aileen Cannon, is there. Brennan is just Trump‘s latest target for revenge; an esteemed public servant, now being targeted.

4/DOJ is investigating former CIA director John Brennan in the Southern District of Florida. The career prosecutor running that investigation reportedly questioned the strength of the evidence & was removed from the case. Former Trump election denial lawyer Joe DiGenova has been brought in.

3/Here’s what that means: The gov’t wants to pretend the indictments didn’t occur & juries never convicted these defendants on some of the most serious charges that can be leveled against people in a democracy. Vacating a conviction means it never happened.

Here’s the chaser: At the same time…

2/So earlier this week, Trump’s U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, Jeanine Pirro, moved to vacate the convictions of prominent insurrectionists. She wrote that doing so was “in the interests of justice.”

1/The Justice Department has moved to drop the last remaining January 6 insurrection criminal matters: the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys seditious conspiracy cases. Trump commuted their sentences when he returned to office, which got them out of prison, but it didn’t erase their convictions.

Justice According To Trump The Justice Department has moved to drop the last remaining January 6 insurrection criminal matters: the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys seditious conspiracy cases.

DOJ seeks to vacate insurrectionists’ convictions, while going after a former CIA Director: If Trump can make convictions disappear for allies while prosecuting critics, the damage isn’t just theoretical. Once that line is crossed, it doesn’t easily uncross itself. open.substack.com/pub/joycevan...

LiveNation, Ticket Master, DOJ's Betrayal, and State AGs' Success Substack Live with California AG Rob Bonta; Sunday 11:45 am ET

Join me Sunday at 11:45 AM Eastern, for a Substack live with California AG Rob Bonta. We’ll discuss the decision in the Live Nation case and what comes next. Karma. joycevance.substack.com/p/livenation...

How is this not The Onion? www.nytimes.com/2026/04/17/h...

2/By contrast, the papers reveal a court wielding those same powers to block Mr. Obama. Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. warned that if the court failed to stop the president, its own ‘institutional legitimacy’ would be threatened.”

The Inside Story of Five Days That Remade the Supreme Court

1/The NYT is releasing internal SCOTUS documents re: 2016 creation of the modern “Shadow Docket” noting Justice Roberts & “other conservative justices have repeatedly empowered [Trump] through their shadow docket rulings. www.nytimes.com/2026/04/18/u...

Hi Atlanta friends! Come see # SistersInLawpodcast live in Atlanta on May 3–the first time my sisters are coming to the Deep South to join me! Smart political talk can be lots of fun. www.politicon.com/tour/

I can't believe someone with a Malinois would chicken out 😂

Thank you!

Me too!

Five Questions with Independent Journalist Scott MacFarlane Where do we find reliable news in an era of disinformation?

Scott MacFarlane, after leaving CBS, has one of the hottest new indie news Substacks around. He joins us tonight to give us a peek at his new world—and how he manages to cover all the news, all the time. open.substack.com/pub/joycevan...

I tried this out yesterday & y’all seemed to like it, so here’s another one: As a former federal prosecutor I share my insight into ICE’s attempt to disappear from the spotlight & why that’s so danger... TikTok video by Joyce

Indulge me. My chicken, Pickles, and I are trying TikTok videos as a form of civics education to get people engaged ahead of the midterms. If your on TikTok, take a look? www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8gaPFsC/

What is ICE doing with all of that taxpayer money? Although they’re off the front pages, there are substantial problems — but you have to be willing to look across the country & also at policy and personnel changes. I put some of those pieces together here. joycevance.substack.com/p/ice-and-th...

ICE And The Absence Of Accountability Earlier this month, at the notorious state-run immigration detention facility in Florida dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz” by state officials, there was another incident.

In Maine, ICE brazenly called their operation “catch of the day.” The banal inhumanity of it all is overwhelming. The deaths, the injuries, the conditions in detention, the brazen disregard for people’s rights, including American citizens. And it’s still happening.
open.substack.com/pub/joycevan...

This is all happening because Republicans refused to hold Trump accountable for Jan 6. And now the “Sec of War” is comparing Trump to Jesus. Well done, GOP.

Federal judge sets new limits on Trump ballroom construction U.S. District Judge Richard Leon clarified that some national security work can continue while the overall project is halted.

“National security is not a blank check to proceed with otherwise unlawful activity,” U.S. District Judge Richard Leon wrote, permitting construction underground the military says is necessary, but not in Trump’s fancy ballroom. www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

Substack Live with Harry Litman Thursday, 9pm ET

Join @harrylitman.bsky.social and me, Thursday at 9 pm ET, for a Substack Live.
open.substack.com/pub/joycevan...

Fairhope protester acquitted of charges after inflatable costume arrest during anti-Trump rally Renea Gamble, 62, was cleared of all charges Wednesday after her arrest at a "No Kings" protest drew national attention and raised First Amendment questions.

Wearing a penis costume to a No Kings rally is a 1st Amendment right. Alabama’s efforts to prosecute were firmly rejected today. www.al.com/news/2026/04...