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Kyle Cheney

@kyledcheney.bsky.social

294K followers 434 following 2.9K posts

Senior legal affairs reporter at POLITICO with a focus on democracy, the balance of power and the clash between the Trump administration and courts.

Posts Replies Media

Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney.bsky.social · 2h

NEW: The Justice Department's ethics complaint seeks recusal of Minnesota federal judges for speaking to the NYT about their efforts to manage the deluge of ICE detention cases that flooded their dockets during Operation Metro Surge. w/ @joshgerstein.bsky.social www.politico.com/news/2026/09...

Justice Department files ethics complaint against Minnesota federal judges

DOJ alleges the district judges showed bias when they spoke to The New York Times about the administration’s immigration enforcement efforts.

Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney.bsky.social · 23h

NEW: It's hard these days for members of Congress to transcend the news cycle with viral moments in committee hearings. Sen. Schmitt today raised the bar with an allegation against Jack Smith that imploded in real time. w/ Chris Marquette www.politico.com/news/2026/09...

Republicans wanted Jack Smith to give them a smoking gun. They got a gaffe instead.

The former special counsel’s appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee was marked by personal insults rather than new revelations.

Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

NEW: We launched this tracker in May, when ICE's detentions had been rejected about 10,000 times by federal courts. It's doubled in less than five months. See and sort the latest numbers, plus read the rulings. www.politico.com/news/2026/05...

Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

NEW: Sen. Eric Schmitt exposed Jack Smith — as a Caitlin Clark fan. Schmitt's erroneous effort to catch Smith in a lie resulted in Smith confirming he went to see Clark's Iowa Hawkeyes play the Terrapins in Maryland in 2023. w/ Chris Marquette www.politico.com/live-updates...

Sen. Eric Schmitt pins down Jack Smith — as a Caitlin Clark fan

It appeared that the Missouri Republican misinterpreted a text message reference to the "hawks."

Reposted by Kyle Cheney

Josh Gerstein @joshgerstein.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

BREAKING: #SCOTUS again rejects GOP bid to tweak Missouri district lines to pick up another U.S. House seat, chides lower federal courts for ignoring Purcell principle and interfering in state decisions just prior to election. Remarkably, no noted dissent. www.politico.com/news/2026/09...

Supreme Court again snubs GOP gerrymander in Missouri

Justices also warned federal courts not to interfere with state decisions.

Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

BREAKING: The Supreme Court is requiring Missouri to use its 2022 map in the general election, rejecting a late push by lower courts to require the state to implement a GOP-friendlier 2025 gerrymandering.

Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

NEW: Trump’s ballroom? Actually it’s a ‘military complex.’ Trump’s arch? Also a ‘military complex.’ That press ban? A national security move. The president keeps cloaking pet projects in NatSec rationales — and judges are increasingly looking askance. www.politico.com/news/2026/09...

Trump’s ‘magic words’: National security

Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

JUST IN: A federal judge (Trump-appointed Stephanie Gallagher) has held the Trump administration in contempt for deporting a man to El Salvador in violation of three court orders. She's ordering the government to return him. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Tonight’s state dinner guests at the White House with President Xi include: • Chief Justice John Roberts, • Jane Sullivan Roberts, Spouse • Justice Amy Coney Barrett • Jesse Barrett, Spouse • Justice Brett Kavanaugh • Ashley Estes Kavanaugh, Spouse

Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

NEW: The Trump administration is asking SCOTUS to let it resume third-country deportations without the due process protections — like more than 24 hours notice and availability of fear-based challenges — ordered by lower courts. w/ @joshgerstein.bsky.social www.politico.com/news/2026/09...

Trump admin asks Supreme Court to lift limits on third-country deportations

Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

JUST IN: A federal judge has issued a permanent injunction upbraiding ICE for mass arrests that have strained detention facilities and forced detainees all over the country into "overcrowded, squalid, and degrading rooms for excessive periods of time" www.nysd.uscourts.gov/sites/defaul...

Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

NEW: A federal judge ordered the White House to immediately restore hard passes for POLITICO, CNN and MSNOW, saying President Trump's ban punished "routine" reporting and the WH provided zero evidence for its national security claims. w @joshgerstein.bsky.social www.politico.com/news/2026/09...

Judge restores White House access for POLITICO, CNN and MS NOW

U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly ordered the return of press credentials President Donald Trump had revoked.

Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

One of the “sensitive” stories the White House accused Politico of publishing was based on quotes from a background briefing on Iran … arranged by the White House and provided to multiple news outlets. t.co/lUZRJiNcje

Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

NEW: Judge Kelly signaled Wednesday he was skeptical of the constitutionality of President Trump's media ban and said he would rule on it "as soon as I can." w/ @joshgerstein.bsky.social www.politico.com/news/2026/09...

Judge appears skeptical of Trump’s effort to ban news outlets from White House

U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly, a Trump appointee, said he would rule soon.

Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

NEW: DOJ is justifying President Trump's ban on media orgs by citing stories about sensitive topics like depleted U.S. munitions, the war in Iran, Trump's ballroom security features and ... bad "vibes" at the GOP midterm convention w/ @joshgerstein.bsky.social www.politico.com/news/2026/09...

Trump cites national security, midterms coverage to defend press ban

Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

NEW: Lazy postman or election tampering mastermind? DOJ says a Utah mailman — who tossed 300 undelivered primary ballots in the trash — helps justify Trump's crackdown But the man told investigators he was just tossing a pile of ads to ligthen his load. www.politico.com/news/2026/09...

Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

DEPT. OF UNCANNY TIMING: A ruling *today* from the D.C. Circuit underscored the steep hill facing Trump's ban on three media organizations from the White House. The lead author: Trump appointee Judge Neomi Rao. w/ @joshgerstein.bsky.social www.politico.com/news/2026/09...

Appeals court’s Capitol steps ruling may signal trouble for Trump on media ban

The D.C. Circuit reaffirmed Tuesday that government restrictions on First Amendment activity must be “viewpoint neutral.”

Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

NEW: It's the gerrymander that won't die. The 8th Circuit Court of Appeals has revived a GOP-friendly Missouri map expected to net the party a congressional seat — despite what everyone thought was an earlier death knell from SCOTUS. w/ @joshgerstein.bsky.social www.politico.com/news/2026/09...

Appeals court revives GOP gerrymander in Missouri that Supreme Court killed off twice

The 8th Circuit on Monday blocked a ruling from the state’s highest court that sharply rebuked the Republican secretary of state.

Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

JUST IN: A federal judge has tossed the defamation lawsuit by Cassidy Hutchinson's former lawyer, Stefan Passantino, against MSNBC commentator Andrew Wesissman. ecf.dcd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/show...

Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

JUST IN: POLITICO's joint lawsuit with CNN and MSNOW to lift the White House ban is now live. Read it here: storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

NEW: Politico, CNN and MSNOW are jointly suing to demand immediate restoration of White House press passes. They’re asking a judge to declare Trump’s ban a flagrant violation of First and Fifth Amendment rights. w/ @joshgerstein.bsky.social www.politico.com/news/2026/09...

News outlets Trump banned from White House announce lawsuit

POLITICO, CNN and MS NOW to seek restraining order to restore reporters’ access.

Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

President Trump knows that one way to gain advantage in the legal fight over a controversial construction project is to link it to a military need

Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

NEW: ICE’s mass detention policy has been routed in court en route to SCOTUS. But backers of the ICE crackdown say clues in the lower-court rulings point to a different fate in the high court www.politico.com/news/2026/09...

Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

👀 The Justice Department says the Supreme Court's on Jan. 6 obstruction charges was narrow, did not render every J6 obstrcution charge invalid and did not require the AG to investigate J6 plea deals. s3.documentcloud.org/documents/28...

Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

NEW: A federal appeals court blocked the core of the Trump administration's third-country deportation policy. w/ @joshgerstein.bsky.social www.politico.com/news/2026/09...

Appeals court rejects Trump's third-country deportation policy

Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

JUST IN: The 1st Circuit rejects the Trump administration's 3rd-country deportation policy, finding blanket assurances from countries who say they won't torture U.S. deportees is not good enough. And the judges raise this point: storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

A federal judge in Vermont becomes the latest — of about two dozen unanimous courts — to deny the Justice Department access to the state's voter registration rolls. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

NEW: Like Monty Python's Black Knight, Missouri's redistricting push is not dead yet. A federal appeals court panel says the SCOTUS order that appeared to kill the state's GOP-friendly map might have just been a message for courts to move even faster. www.politico.com/news/2026/09...

Appeals court considers reviving Missouri redistricting fight, citing murky Supreme Court orders

Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

JUST IN: Attorneys for Rep. Joyce Beatty asked for an emergency hearing after a staffer was denied access to the Kennedy Center and told it was closed to the public. www.documentcloud.org/documents/28...

documentcloud.org

Kennedy Center Closed

Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

JUST IN: A federal judge has barred DHS from threatening to prosecute a man who harshly criticized ICE’s acting director following the fatal shootings in Minnesota. It violates his free speech, Judge Contreras ruled. ecf.dcd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/show...

Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

NEW: An months-long effort by DOJ to obtain a journalist's LinkedIn records in a national security leak probe spilled into view Tuesday in a federal appeals court battle. The secretive fight pits big tech against the Trump admin. w/ @joshgerstein.bsky.social www.politico.com/news/2026/09...

DOJ seeking reporter’s LinkedIn records in secretive First Amendment court fight

The fight comes at a sensitive moment for national media, which has seen reporters targeted by subpoenas and search warrants in leak probes.

Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Trump says the Kennedy Center won’t be renovated unless he gets his name on it.

Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

JUST IN: Judge Cooper has broadly blocked the Kennedy Center from inscribing Trump's name on the building. "Simply put, Defendants cannot install memorials for President Trump or anyone or anything else at the Kennedy Center without Congress’s blessing." ecf.dcd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/show...

Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

NEW: Prosecutors told John Brennan's lawyers that the "grand conspiracy" case against Trump's adversaries is viable and ongoing, despite DiGenova resignation. Brennan a "target" of false statements probe and "subject" of the bigger one w/ @joshgerstein.bsky.social www.politico.com/news/2026/09...

Prosecutor details ongoing “grand conspiracy” probe into Trump’s enemies

Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

NEW: Once exceptionally rare, illegal deportations — in defiance of court orders or due to ICE screw-ups — are now a routine part of President Trump's mass deportation push. It happened 3 times this past week and more at least 30 times in recent months. www.politico.com/news/2026/09...

Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

BREAKING: Judge Nichols, a Trump appointee in Washington, D.C., has *blocked* the administraiton's mail-in ballot plan, saying USPS lacked the authority to issue it. ecf.dcd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/show...

Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

JUST IN: A federal judge has paused construction of an immigration holding facility in Santa Clara, California on a site known for hazardous waste violations. It's the latest ICE facility blocked due to environmental and health concerns + lack of analysis. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

JUST IN: A federal judge concludes that DHS leaders arbitrarily decided to cut FEMA staff by 50% even though it damaged the agency's ability to fulfill its mission — and leaders hid their comms about it on auto-delete Signal chains. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

BREAKING: As we await SCOTUS, the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals rejects the Trump administration's bid to reinstate its mailin ballot rule for the midterms, warning it could disenfranchise millions. s3.documentcloud.org/documents/28...

Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

NEW: It's SCOTUS time for ICE's mass detention policy, which has been met with overwhelming rejection at every level in the courts: from more than 460 district judges and nine federal appeals courts. www.politico.com/news/2026/09...

Appeals court rejects ICE detention policy, setting stage for SCOTUS

The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals compared ICE’s policy to Japanese internment.

Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

JUST IN: The 8th circuit has denied a stay of the district court order reinstating Missouri’s 7R-1D gerrymandered map. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

NEW: The Trump admin is asking SCOTUS to reopen a database of DHS and Social Security data states can use to verify citizenship Lower courts sided with voting and privacy rights groups who said the system was fraught with errors/risks. w/ @joshgerstein www.politico.com/news/2026/09...

Trump asks Supreme Court to restore states’ access to citizenship database before election

Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

JUST IN: D.C. Circuit says IRS decision to share taxpayer info with DHS tens of thousands of violates the law — and that the administration's rebuttal to that claim is "weak sauce." www.documentcloud.org/documents/28...

Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

JUST IN: The D.C. Circuit rules 2-1 that the Trump administration may not implement a new system for states to bulk search DHS and Social Security data to verify voter citizenship. Voting rights groups say the system is fraught with errors. s3.documentcloud.org/documents/28...

s3.documentcloud.org

Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

JUST IN: Judge Chutkan orders the Trump admin to provide 48 hours’ notice before doing any work on President Trump’s proposed arch.

Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

HAPPENING NOW: Citing Trump's commentary, a judge in D.C. seems inclined to bar DOJ from seeking new charges against David Hearn for reflecting pool damage. Hearing still ongoing but judge concerned about Trump's obvious pressure campaign to re-charge Hearn.

Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

In the first 90 seconds of Judge Reyes' hearing on the East Potomac golf course, she has referenced: -Alanis Morissette -A random caller demanding her removal from the bench -The Lorax -George Washington chopping down a cherry tree

Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

JUST IN: Leon Black is suing the House Oversight Committee to block to subpoenas related to his deposition testimony and an effort to obtain NDAs he has with women. He claims the subpoenas lack a legitimate legislative purpose and exceed Congress' power. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

JUST IN: A federal judge has thrown out the Trump administration's lawsuit against Rochester, NY over its sanctuary city policies, saying they don't improperly impede federal immigration enforcement. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

NEW: The Justice Department concluded that a 1998 law requires states who use key safety net programs (TANF + SSI) to report to DHS anytime it identifies an immigrant living unlawfully in the country. It's a reversal/expansion of DOJ's previous analysis. www.politico.com/news/2026/09...

DOJ says states must report all undocumented immigrants — or lose federal funds