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THE WEEK IN LAW: WEEKLY GOOD NEWS ROUNDUP FROM THE FRONT – 6/20/26 (feel free to share!)
by Anne P. Mitchell, Esq. – giving you zero hyperbole and 100% facts in plain English about what’s going on with this administration and the law
NOTE: Several people have asked me whether I have staff or other people helping me with Notes from the Front. Nope. It’s all just me. The buck truly does stop here. :~)
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Ok, on to this week’s good news! Here’s the recap of all of the good things that have happened over the past week or so in our battle to defend our country from the ravages of the current administration, and to turn this ship around!
TRUMP’S NAME REMOVED FROM KENNEDY CENTER
Last Friday Charles Floca, the Director of the Kennedy Center, filed a Declaration confirming to the Court that the name “Donald Trump” has been removed from “all physical signage” and from the website, and that, in addition, they have “Withdrawn any trademark application officially referring to the Kennedy Center as the “Trump Kennedy Center,” the “Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts,” or any similar formulation.”
Further, they have “Removed references to President Trump from employees’ email signatures, employees’ email communications, letterhead, brochures, promotional materials, press releases, signs, contracts, memoranda of understanding, and any other agreements to which the Center or its Board is a party.”
Oh, and issued employees new IDs.
Buh-bye D!
And yesterday, in another status update to the Court, the administration reaffirmed that the name had been removed. Nobody seems to know why that damned tarp is still up, but Trump is gone (oh it feels good to type that).
Notes from the Front members: the full declaration confirming that Trump’s name has been removed is in your inbox – you may want to save and frame it as an example of the Courts protecting We the People against a wannabe king.
JUDGE SPANK-ORDERS TRUMP TO STOP ERASING OUR HISTORY AT OUR NATIONAL SITES
It takes quite a bit to move me to tears, but this opinion and order issued late yesterday by Judge Angel Kelley of the District Court of Massachusetts did it.
Let me start with the beginning of the actual order, which of course is near the end of this *incredible* and momentous document (full document included for Notes from the Front members):
“Plaintiffs have demonstrated a likelihood that Defendants’ efforts, ostensibly taken in the name of restoring dignity, instead seek to rewrite the Nation’s history with a white-out pen. History cannot be faithfully told while excluding the experiences of communities whose contributions, struggles, and achievements form an important part of our Nation’s story. Indeed, at a time of facts and alternative facts, the only thing we must be able to rely on as undeniable truth is history. And telling the full truths of our shared story helps our Nation heal from past wrongs, rather than prolonging us.”
(sniffle)
*Then*, among other things, Judge Kelley said “Defendants are ORDERED to take all necessary steps forthwith to restore and reinstall all interpretive materials at park sites managed by the NPS that, pursuant to the Secretary’s Order, have been altered, removed, or damaged in the process of such removal since May 20, 2025, to be completed within twenty-one (21) calendar days of this Order. Defendants are further ENJOINED from making any further alterations to interpretive materials at NPS park sites pursuant to the Secretary’s Order.”
AND then ordered the administration to file a status report *every week*!!
But let’s back up a bit.
This is a response to Trump’s executive order “Restoring
Truth and Sanity to American History”. You know the one, the one under which places like our National Parks were instructed to *remove* references to our nation’s history that Trump considers either unsavoury, or fake news, or both.
That executive order said, among other things, “Over the past decade, Americans have witnessed a concerted and widespread effort to rewrite our Nation’s history, replacing objective facts with a distorted narrative driven by ideology rather than truth.
“Under the guise of promoting American dignity, this Administration seeks to share a limited history by ordering the removal of all signs, displays, and interpretive exhibits at National Parks that do not align with its preferred narrative, thereby telling half-truths.”
Well, if that isn’t the racist pot calling the kettle erasable.
And *then* it directed the Department of the Interior – and pay attention here because this is the really sinister part – to “take action, as appropriate and consistent with applicable law, to ensure that all public monuments, memorials, statues, markers, or similar properties within he Department of the Interior’s jurisdiction do not contain descriptions, depictions, or other content that inappropriately disparage Americans past or living (including persons living in colonial times), and instead focus on the greatness of the achievements and progress of the American people or, with respect to natural features, the beauty, abundance, and grandeur of the American landscape.”
Let me repeat that: the Department of Interior was directed to ensure that those places “do not contain descriptions, depictions, or other content that inappropriately disparage Americans past or living (including persons living in colonial times)”.
That’s some motherflocking authoritarian doodoo right there.
And the list of sites in which “inappropriate” information had already been removed is rivaled only by the list of sites that had been flagged to yet have such information removed. Judge Kelley lists a large number of them, including signs at parks talking about the effects of climate change, *and*, says Judge Kelley, “Defendants have removed multiple signs involving slavery, abolition, immigration, labor, women’s suffrage, and civil rights.”
Honestly, when you read this opinion you will be gobsmacked, if not downright horrified, at the list of what has already been removed, and from where it was removed, and of what is earmarked to yet be removed, erasing any trace of our nation’s sometimes fraught history.
Fortunately Judge Kelley is not only on the case, but is *pissed*!
And in yet another example of what I try to keep explaining to people who get freaked out over executive orders (that they are not law and do *not* have the force of law), Judge Kelley says “The Court is not persuaded by Defendant’s {Dept of the Interior} insistence that they may not simply disregard the President’s directive,” explaining, “Agencies are duty-bound to presidential directives only “to the extent allowed by law.” Here is Judge Kelley pointing out, in case you haven’t heard it enough from me, that executive orders are *not law*, and in fact people who work in the agencies in the executive branch are *not* required to follow orders if those orders *are not allowed by law*!
“We were only following orders” didn’t work 80 years years ago, and it doesn’t work now.
This is of course but a thumbnail sketch of Judge Kelley’s marvelous opinion and order, which is 63 pages long (and which is in Notes from the Front members’ inboxes). Hopefully it gives you an immediate sigh of relief, it’s as if Judge Kelley is saying “Citizens of our great country, I’ve got your back here”, but if you’re a Notes from the Front member you really should read the whole opinion, it will bolster your faith in our system and our judges.
JUDGE EXTENDS AND *EXPANDS* RESTRAINING ORDER IN THE 8647 FLAG CASE!!
You may recall that almost exactly two weeks ago I told you about the case in which peaceful protestors who were displaying an 8647 flag were *targeted by the secret service* and by national park police, telling the protestors that they considered the 8647 flag to be threats against the president, and telling them that “Right now, we’re looking at the 8647 as a threat against the President,” and asking them to take the flag down. (You can read about this here: https://annepmitchell.substack.com/…/woot-judge-smacks… )
In that case the judge issued a two-week temporary restraining order (TRO), two weeks being the maximum time that a TRO is to remain in place. This is because it is anticipated that a hearing will be held before the two weeks are up.
In this case a hearing was not calendared before the two weeks were up, and so the plaintiffs (Accountability Now USA) requested a two-week extension of the TRO.
Which the Court has now granted.
But wait! There’s more!
Because the Court also *expanded* the TRO to cover not just the 8647 flags, but, well, I’ll let the Court explain it:
“In light of intervening events, Plaintiff also requests that the Court “expand the existing TRO” to enjoin the revocation of Plaintiff’s demonstration permit based on its display of similar materials. In particular, as part of its ongoing demonstration near the George Meade Statue on Constitution Avenue, Plaintiff is now displaying a sign that reads “SIGN OUR DECLARATION OF SUPPORT” and “CONVICT. REMOVE.” and that depicts an anthropomorphic raccoon, surrounded by a tree and flowers, holding a petition and waving an “8647” flag. Plaintiff is also displaying a new flag, which is very similar to the flag addressed in the Court’s prior opinion. This flag is also red, white, and blue and star-spangled and includes the “8647” insignia, but it also contains the phrase “IMPEACH TRUMP” beneath that insignia. Having reviewed these new displays and the context in which they are displayed, the Court concludes that, like the flag addressed in the Court’s prior opinion, these new displays are not reasonably construed as calls for violence and, instead, merely advocate for President Trump’s impeachment and removal from office.”
(snort)
Even though the Court’s full order is only four pages long, I promise you’re going to love it!
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And that’s the good news from the past week!
Remember, if you are a Notes from the Front member *all* of the original source documents (transcripts, orders, etc.) are in the archives for you. And don’t forget to share your thoughts and questions about all of this in our private chat! If you’re not a Notes from the Front member yet, please consider joining us! And yes, really, your $5 a month really does help support my coffee habit and helps me keep on with all of the research and writing I do for you (and to answer questions I’ve received, it’s all just me, I don’t have any staff or anyone helping me). Sign up here!:
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Until next time, this is me, reporting from the front line of the battle to save the soul of our country.
Anne
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Anne P. Mitchell, Esq.
Internet Law & Policy Attorney, Legislative Advisor
Author: Section 6 of the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 (the Federal anti-spam law)
CEO Institute for Social Internet Public Policy
Author: Notes from the Front (a Substack publication)
Board of Directors, Denver Internet Exchange
Dean Emeritus, Cyberlaw & Cybersecurity, Lincoln Law School
Prof. Emeritus, Lincoln Law School
Chair Emeritus, Asilomar Microcomputer Workshop
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