The Department of Justice Ignores Court Orders Because It Knows It Can

I've got the receipts to prove it.

The United States Department of Justice does not miss deadlines because it is confused. It does not file incoherent, late, non-responsive pleadings because it lacks lawyers. It does these things because it has learned, over time, that there are no consequences.

In my case, a federal judge issued a straightforward order. Respond within twenty-eight days after the federal government shutdown ended. The shutdown ended. The deadline passed. And the Department of Justice responded the way an entitled institution responds when it believes the rules are for other people.

They blew the deadline.
They did not ask for an extension.
They did not seek leave of court.

Instead, they filed a late submission that ignored the court’s instructions, mashed together two unrelated matters (one in Illinois and one in DC), and shifted the burden of sorting out their mess onto the judge and the opposing party.

That is not advocacy. That is not discretion. That is contempt disguised as paperwork.

This Is What Power Looks Like When It Is Not Afraid