OMG!! The Judge Whose TRO Federal Agents Violated JUST Held an Ad Hoc Hearing and Said She is GOING TO ORDER THEM TO WEAR BODY CAMS!!!
This is going to be short, in part because I’m in the middle of writing up an article on the first lawsuit challenging the “blame the Democrats” language that has gone up on government websites, but this is breaking and a big deal!
Remember how just a couple of hours ago I told you that the plaintiffs in the lawsuit against the administration in which Judge Ellis has issued a TRO (forbidding federal agents from using a whole bunch weapons and tactics against protestors) had filed a motion yesterday and in that motion brought to the Court’s attention that DHS, ICE, CBP, etc. were violating the TRO?
Well, the Court took notice of that filing and immediately scheduled an ad hoc hearing which happened just a little while ago today, and Judge Ellis is *not amused*.
“I’m getting images and seeing images on the news, in the paper, reading reports where I’m having concerns about my order being followed,” she said.
Of course, the administration (that’d be the “defendants”) say that they are not violating the order. And to *that* Judge Ellis said “We’ll see about that, I’m going to order all of your agents to wear body cams.”
Ok, that’s not actually how she said it, but she *did* say that she was going to order them to wear body cams, and I’m betting that’s how she thought it, even if that’s not how she said it.
What she actually said, in fact, was “I am adding {to the TRO} that all agents who are operating in Operation Midway Blitz are to wear body-worn cameras, and they are to be on.”
Then she ordered Field Director Russell Hott to appear before her in person on Monday, saying that “The field director is going to explain to me why I am seeing images of tear gas being deployed and reading reports that there were no warnings given out in the field.”
The minute order (again, that’s a memorialization of what the Judge said outloud in the courtroom, from the bench, rather than an order being written up) orders both parties to submit their proposed language for the body cam part of the order, saying:
“The Court modifies the Temporary Restraining Order and orders the parties to meet and confer regarding the modification as to use of body cameras. The parties must submit their proposed modified order to Judge Ellis’ proposed order email.”
So at the hearing on Monday the TRO *will* be modified to include that federal agents must wear body cams, only the actual language is not yet known.
I’m ringing off now to get back to the other article; Notes from the Front members, the full minute order is attached.