Main Justice is the next era of legal analysis from Andrew Weissmann and Mary McCord, the veteran lawyers behind the hit podcast Prosecuting Donald Trump. As the Trump administration wields its power, Andrew and Mary draw on their extensive experience working within the Department of Justice to break down what’s happening inside Trump’s DOJ. Each week, they use their platform on Main Justice to safeguard against assaults on our laws, our Constitution, and our democracy.

Main Justice

In this episode: 

On the eve of Election Day, Mary and Andrew discuss the defeats the Trump administration has suffered in its attempts to disrupt state elections and potentially intimidate voters and election workers. “Our biggest adversary is the federal government,” says Mary.  
First, a federal judge rejected the DOJ’s preemptive challenge to the certification of Alaska’s Senate race results if the Republican candidate loses. Channeling Mary, Andrew asks, “What on God's Green Earth is the Department of Justice thinking?”  
Then, we go to California, where the federal government is stymied yet again in their attempt to put aside 20,000 ballots from alleged noncitizen voters -- a move from the government that Andrew calls the “Raffensberger call on steroids.”  
Relatedly, a federal judge restricts DHS’s field operations to find noncitizen voters, concluding its efforts likely violate the Voting Rights Act, while several prominent unions sue the DOJ over threats to election officials.  
And finally, James Comey can’t stay out of the news, the golf course case gets even more contentious, and Trump’s triumphal arch faces more scrutiny. 

Further Reading: Just Security 2026 Midterms: Election Integrity Litigation Tracker
Sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts to listen to this show and other MS podcasts without ads. You'll also get exclusive bonus content from this and other shows.

 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Trump Modus Operandi

In this episode:   

Mary and Andrew examine the “extraordinary efforts of the federal government to preemptively interfere with the midterm elections,” starting with the Ninth Circuit’s ruling against DOJ’s attempt to block more than 20,000 alleged noncitizen votes. Mary and Andrew call the suit “outrageous.” 
Then, election pre-interference goes beyond the “lower 48.” The DOJ filed what Mary calls a “frivolous” lawsuit to block the certification of the Senate race in Alaska if the Republican candidate on the ballot, Dan Sullivan, loses, noting potential confusion with the Independent candidate of the same name. Put simply, Andrew says, “That’s not the way it works.” 
Then, “a tale of two Comeys”: James Comey is charged for the third time while a judge rules that his daughter, Maurene Comey, was unlawfully fired by the Trump administration. 
And the golf course saga continues with a ruling in prose.


Sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts to listen to this show and other MS podcasts without ads. You'll also get exclusive bonus content from this and other shows.

 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Lessons from The Lorax

In this episode:

President Trump is trying to renovate the East Potomac Golf Links in Washington D.C. without proper judicial approval, the latest of many examples of this administration evading due process. Mary poses a question: “If this kind of thing can happen about a golf course, what’s the next time?” 
The DOJ sues California to block more than 20,000 mail ballots, alleging the voters are likely noncitizens. “If you do not see this as a precursor to what the Department of Justice could easily do — or try to do” ahead of the midterms, says Andrew, “you are living with your head buried in the sand.”
Andrew and Mary discuss updates in the investigation into Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, and how this situation is yet another example of the government undermining due process — in this case, that of a sitting congresswoman actively up for reelection.
Plus, a judge issues an injunction securing CNN, MS NOW and Politico’s White House access until the case is settled in court, a win against Trump’s political retaliation.


Sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts to listen to this show and other MS podcasts without ads. You'll also get exclusive bonus content from this and other shows.

 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Death Threats Over a Golf Course

In this episode: 

Thing one: retribution. “We are IN the midterms,” Mary stresses when discussing federal agents executing a search on Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar’s home in relation to an unspecified “ongoing federal criminal investigation.” “The Department of Justice is taking a very, very overt public action targeted at a sitting congressperson.”  
Even more retribution: Mary and Andrew say President Trump’s committee of inquiry to assess whether Federal Reserve Board member Lisa Cook committed mortgage fraud is the administration’s latest attempt to fire her. 
Thing two: attacks on the press. The White House media ban nears a decisive conclusion as Trump launches an anti-trust investigation into five networks. Andrew says “the investigation IS the punishment.” Editors' Note: After recording (and as predicted by Andrew and Mary), U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly ruled Tuesday night to restore White House press access to MS NOW, CNN, and Politico indefinitely. For more on this story visit ms.now.
Thing three: propaganda. Trump’s political ads are struck down, but Andrew and Mary say the damage has already been done.  

Further Reading:  

Here is the Charlie Savage piece for The New York Times, which Andrew says gives insight into the administration’s “effort to create and manufacture propaganda and misinformation.”


Sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts to listen to this show and other MS podcasts without ads. You'll also get exclusive bonus content from this and other shows.

 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

“Why Now?" Retribution and Propaganda in the Midterms

In this episode:

The Supreme Court is back in session and plans to hear two cases that could dramatically alter the lives of thousands of people caught up in Trump’s mass deportation agenda, namely those at risk of being deported to third countries and those detained even after years of living in the US without any criminal record.
The Trump administration is blocked from firing court-appointed prosecutors after a Washington U.S. attorney takes them to court when he was fired immediately after being appointed to the role.
Mary and Andrew talk through Jack Smith’s memorable congressional testimony, comparing Smith’s poise to FBI Director Kash Patel’s combativeness, and the viral exchange with Senator Schmitt that felt like watching an SNL skit happen in real time.
Plus: the co-hosts offer some "reflection" on the Reflecting Pool, the “Broadview Six” prosecutors face legal scrutiny over their conduct in the investigation, and Mary and Andrew discuss the District Attorney "passing the buck" on the gang rape case out of Cornell University.


Sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts to listen to this show and other MS podcasts without ads. You'll also get exclusive bonus content from this and other shows.

 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Blank Check Supreme Court: Tales from the Court, Senate & DOJ

In this episode:

“That’s Propaganda,” says former DOJ senior ethics attorney, Joseph W. Tirrell, on the Trump administration’s re-airing of their 2024 campaign ad, on the taxpayer’s dime
Why Mary and Andrew think SCOTUS’ decision to uphold Trump’s SAVE voter database will have a greater effect on the next election
How irked the high court is about having to reject the Trump-back Missouri congressional map for a third time
The legal status of the attempted media ban by the White House
Anthropic’s heated fight with the government over being labeled a “supply chain risk”
The “hot mess” surrounding FBI agents reportedly being subpoenaed to testify in the grand conspiracy investigation in the Southern District of Florida, all while Jack Smith testifies in front of Congress yet again


Sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts to listen to this show and other MS podcasts without ads. You'll also get exclusive bonus content from this and other shows.

 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

That’s Propaganda: The Trump Administration is off the Legal Rails

Mary and Andrew begin by addressing President Trump banning CNN, MS NOW and POLITICO from White House grounds. Andrew calls the move “blatantly unconstitutional,” making an allusion to Nazi Germany and noting that the control of the free press is “the tool of autocrats”: “‘You will believe what I tell you and you will see only what I want you to see,’” he summarizes. Then, the co-hosts move to Trump’s “vanity projects,” beginning with what they call the “Arc de Trumph” — a proposed 250-foot arch in Washington DC that Trump says will serve as a military complex. Then, more on the Kennedy Center drama: a federal judge has blocked Trump’s name from being added to the building, after which Trump stated that the building will stay closed and without necessary renovations until that decision is reversed. Plus, several organizations file two lawsuits aimed at preemptively keeping federal agents from polling locations.
 
Further Reading: 
Read the civil rights coalition lawsuit here: https://cdn.sanity.io/files/iroghafc/production/4aa15ae3e51d5acca66ae163c2fafd25ced778e7.pdf 
Read the LULAC-led lawsuit here: https://democracyforward.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/LULAC-v-DHS.pdf  
 
A Note to Listeners: As the 2026 midterm elections heat up, MS NOW is headed to the Lone Star State. Join more than a dozen of your favorite hosts - including Rachel Maddow, Lawrence O'Donnell, Jen Psaki, Michael Steele, Ali Velshi and more - in Arlington, Texas on September 26 for a day of community and conversation about the issues that matter most to you. Get your tickets at ms.now/together. 
Sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts to listen to this show and other MS podcasts without ads. You'll also get exclusive bonus content from this and other shows.

 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Meshuganah! Press Bans, Vanity Projects, and the Midterms

The mail-in ballot saga has come to an end — for now. Mary and Andrew detail yesterday’s Supreme Court decision rejecting President Trump’s restrictions on mail-in voting, which they call “good news” in the fight against election interference. “Knock it off,” Andrew says to paraphrase the Supreme Court: “we are not engaging in this.” Then, the co-hosts delve into two more examples of what they consider attempts by government bodies to meddle in the midterms, the first being Missouri’s failed redistricting effort as the Supreme Court rejects the state’s new Trump-backed congressional district map. The second: the Solicitor General’s emergency motion to stay an injunction on the Trump administration’s SAVE database, urging the court to restore the immigration verification system that was blocked by a lower court. Plus, the prosecutor who led the “grand conspiracy” investigation into Trump’s political enemies earlier this year has left the probe. And former CIA Director John Brennan preemptively goes to court ahead of the government’s likely prosecution against him. 
A Note to Listeners: As the 2026 midterm elections heat up, MS NOW is headed to the Lone Star State. Join more than a dozen of your favorite hosts - including Rachel Maddow, Lawrence O'Donnell, Jen Psaki, Michael Steele, Ali Velshi and more - in Arlington, Texas on September 26 for a day of community and conversation about the issues that matter most to you. Get your tickets at ms.now/together.
Sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts to listen to this show and other MS podcasts without ads. You'll also get exclusive bonus content from this and other shows.

 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

SCOTUS to POTUS: Knock It Off

The updates just keep coming. On Sunday, the Trump administration returned to the Supreme Court to ask for more control over mail-in ballots, coming two days after U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani’s order blocking the government from implementing parts of the new Postal Service rule. Mary and Andrew analyze the case’s implications as states begin sending out their ballots ahead of the midterms before turning to another update: a preliminary injunction issued in the CASA Inc. v. Trump case on birthright citizenship. Then, the co-hosts turn to the ICE agent involved in the shooting of a Venezuelan man during Trump’s “Operation Metro Surge” in Minneapolis, who is now being federally charged with making false statements to the FBI about the event. They call this “good news” — an instance of the federal government choosing to intervene in an “outrageous” case instead of leaving it up to the states’ discretion. Plus, the Supreme Court allows the construction of Trump’s White House ballroom to continue.
A Note to Listeners: As the 2026 midterm elections heat up, MS NOW is headed to the Lone Star State. Join more than a dozen of your favorite hosts - including Rachel Maddow, Lawrence O'Donnell, Jen Psaki, Michael Steele, Ali Velshi and more - in Arlington, Texas on September 26 for a day of community and conversation about the issues that matter most to you. Get your tickets at ms.now/together. 
Sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts to listen to this show and other MS podcasts without ads. You'll also get exclusive bonus content from this and other shows.

 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Born in the USA

A lot can happen in a week. Mary and Andrew begin with the most recent movement in the court battle against President Trump’s three-tiered mail-in voting executive order. Last week, Judge Talwani issued a fresh injunction blocking one provision of the EO centered around the Postal Service, two days after the Supreme Court lifted a block from the same judge, saying the provisions in the EO could not be applied to November’s midterms. The co-hosts affirm that this fight is far from over before moving to two more updates from cases they talked about last week: a motion brought by Mary’s ICAP team alongside others challenging the 2026 birthright citizenship EO and a decision on Minnesota’s effort to extradite an ICE agent from Texas, after he was charged with shooting Julio Sosa-Celis through the door of a Minnesota home. Next, a win for Anthropic after a federal judge ruled against the Pentagon, saying it acted illegally in labeling the AI company a “supply chain risk.” Plus: a moving video from an active-duty Marine Colonel pleading for an Afghan national to return to the US after he was deported- despite his asylum status after his family helped the US military in Afghanistan. 
A video edition of this episode is available on YouTube now. 
Further Watching: 
Here is the full video that Andrew mentioned about Khalil from Active-duty Marine Colonel Zach Schmidt, via Ryan Goodman’s Bluesky post: https://bsky.app/profile/rgoodlaw.bsky.social/post/3muagjmc35k23 
A Note to Listeners: As the 2026 midterm elections heat up, MS NOW is headed to the Lone Star State. Join more than a dozen of your favorite hosts - including Rachel Maddow, Lawrence O'Donnell, Jen Psaki, Michael Steele, Ali Velshi and more - in Arlington, Texas on September 26 for a day of community and conversation about the issues that matter most to you. Get your tickets at ms.now/together. 
Sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts to listen to this show and other MS podcasts without ads. You'll also get exclusive bonus content from this and other shows.

 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.