Judge blocks Trump effort to strip security clearance from attorney who represented whistleblowers

[LetMyPeopleVote]

Mark Zaid is a great attorney and has been doing some amazing work.

Link to tweet

https://apnews.com/article/trump-whistleblower-security-clearance-mark-zaid-2a6f7d23dc85d7e1db2ac9a38e548b8e

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration from enforcing a March presidential memorandum to revoke the security clearance of prominent Washington attorney Mark Zaid, ruling that the order — which also targeted 14 other individuals — could not be applied to him.

The decision marked the administration’s second legal setback on Tuesday, after the Supreme Court declined to allow Trump to deploy National Guard troops in the Chicago area, capping a first year in office in which President Donald Trump’s efforts to impose a sweeping agenda and pursue retribution against political adversaries have been repeatedly slowed by the courts.

U.S. District Judge Amir Ali in Washington granted Zaid’s request for a preliminary injunction, after he sued the Trump administration in May over the revocation of his security clearance. Zaid’s request called it an act of “improper political retribution” that jeopardized his ability to continue representing clients in sensitive national security cases.

The March presidential memorandum singled out Zaid and 14 other individuals who the White House asserted were unsuitable to retain their clearances because it was “no longer in the national interest.” The list included targets of Trump’s fury from both the political and legal spheres, including former Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, New York Attorney General Letitia James, former President Joe Biden and members of his family.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

1. Statement from Mark Zaid

[malaise]

2. Good

Rec

[LetMyPeopleVote]

3. Two late Trump court defeats 'could make a big difference in 2026': analyst

Maybe SCOTUS is not going to give trump everything he wants

Two late Trump court defeats 'could make a big difference in 2026': analyst

— Raw Story (@rawstory.com) 2025-12-26T20:01:22.528Z

https://www.rawstory.com/trump-cpourt-loss/

Two significant legal setbacks for Donald Trump's administration are likely to have substantial implications as the president enters 2026.

According to former White House correspondent Brian Karem, the Trump administration's winning streak with the conservative Supreme Court ended abruptly when the court blocked the president's attempt to deploy the National Guard to cities on a whim and as a show of force. A separate defeat came when a federal court rejected administration efforts to revoke security clearances from Trump critics.....

In a related development, U.S. District Judge Amir H. Ali ruled against the Trump administration on December 23, issuing a preliminary injunction preventing the president from denying security clearance to attorney Mark Zaid, a Freedom of Information Act and national security specialist.

The Zaid case carries particular significance, as he has spent three decades defending whistleblowers from both Democratic and Republican administrations. While Judge Ali granted the government until January 13 to file an appeal—which Trump is expected to pursue—Karem noted the decision offers hope that judicial oversight remains intact. "Congress has surrendered its power, but the judiciary has not," he wrote.

[kentuck]

4. Somebody has to watch him every second of every day....

to try and keep him from breaking the laws and destroying our entire nation.