The Lawfare Podcast Lawfare Daily: The Trials of the Trump Administration, March 27
Mar 30, 2026
Anna Bauer, an on-the-ground legal correspondent who covered the Fulton County courtroom, gives vivid firsthand courtroom reporting. She walks through the March 27 hearing over seized 2020 ballots and the judge’s skeptical stance. Short updates touch on related hearings, evidentiary fights, and where the matter may head next.
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Why The Opinion Built Multiple Legal Roads To The Same Result
- The panel strategy matters: narrow statutory rulings might leave other executive authorities usable, whereas constitutional findings block multiple avenues.
- Judge Lynn wrote alternative First and Fifth Amendment holdings to make reversal harder on appeal.
Appellate Chances Turn On Deference And Panel Makeup
- Appellate outcomes may hinge on deference and panel composition; D.C. Circuit could be favorable while the Ninth may be tougher.
- Roger Parloff noted deference to Defense Secretary and the novelty of AI systems could influence courts' receptiveness.
Fulton County Lost The Chance To Question The Key Agent
- Judge Boulay in Fulton County quashed the subpoena for the FBI agent whose affidavit supported the ballot seizure.
- That ruling shrank plaintiffs' ability to probe the agent's state of mind and made the day's evidentiary hearing less advantageous for Fulton County.