From the legal reporting team at Deadline: White House with Nicolle Wallace

Welcome back, Deadline: Legal Newsletter readers. We’ve paused our regularly scheduled programming for the summer. Please use this form to keep sending your legal questions for a chance to be featured in this newsletter.

In the meantime, here’s a preview of an article by Jordan Rubin that we think you’ll find interesting.

Why Trump’s second Supreme Court appeal against Carroll has a better chance than his first

By Jordan Rubin

The Supreme Court already denied the first of Donald Trump’s two petitions against E. Jean Carroll. But the second petition, filed Tuesday, stands a better chance of gaining the high court’s interest because it raises presidential immunity and is backed by the Justice Department.

The first petition came in Trump’s appeal of the $5 million judgment Carroll won against him from a jury that found him liable for sexually abusing her in 1996 and defaming her in 2022, when he was in between his two presidential terms. His appeal centered on arguments that evidence was wrongly admitted against him. The justices rejected his petition in June, and he is currently pressing a long-shot attempt to convince them to reconsider (he’s also trying to convince an appeals court to make Carroll return the money in the meantime while his rehearing petition is pending).

The new petition is Trump’s appeal from the $83.3 million defamation award that the writer won from another jury over statements he made while he was president during his first term, in 2019. That casts the second petition in a different light than the first, making it more about the presidency than Trump himself.

Read the full article here.

Ask Jordan

“Is a personal nuclear weapon protected by the Second Amendment?”

— Rebecca Klemm

Hi Rebecca,

No.

Although the Supreme Court has increasingly recognized Second Amendment rights over the past two decades, that trend is unlikely to produce a right to possess personal nuclear weapons.

To understand why, let’s look at how the court evaluates Second Amendment claims these days.

Start with the amendment’s text, which says, “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”

Despite the militia reference, the court said in 2008 that people have a personal right to possess firearms at home for self-defense, unrelated to militia service. Yet that 5-4 ruling in District of Columbia v. Heller also emphasized that the right is not unlimited. Rather, it applies to weapons in “common use” for lawful purposes and doesn’t apply to “dangerous and unusual” weapons. The type of firearm at issue in the Heller case was a handgun, which the court called “the most popular weapon chosen by Americans for self-defense in the home.”

Read the rest of Jordan’s answer here.

OTHER STORIES ON OUR RADAR

"Multiple state officials told NPR they fear these unverified numbers, or similar ones unveiled closer to the general election, could be used as a pretext for warrants to allow law enforcement to interfere in vote-counting. Several reviews in recent years have found that actual voting by noncitizens is extremely rare."

Trump's claims of 250,000 non-U.S. citizens on voter rolls leave some states baffled
(NPR)
"Mr. Trump promised during his campaign for a second term that he would deliver free I.V.F. treatment for all, and access to it remains broadly popular with voters, including large majorities of Republicans. Many G.O.P. lawmakers have said they, too, believe in allowing access to I.V.F.

But some religious conservatives are deeply opposed to the method — which can involve creating multiple embryos and implanting only those that are considered viable — believing that it leads to the destruction of life. For that reason, leading anti-abortion groups generally oppose legislation that seeks to increase access to I.V.F.

The closed-door vote afforded Republican senators a chance to privately signal to those groups and the conservative voters who vehemently oppose I.V.F. that they are aligned."
(New York Times)
"A year after forcing out many of its most experienced election-security specialists, a key federal cyber agency is now reassigning remaining staff into new roles.

The agency says the new liaisons are expected to “build trusted relationships” with state and local elected officials, according to an internal summary of the administration’s plans obtained by CNN."

Trump admin tries to rebuild election security infrastructure it gutted as midterms near
(CNN)
"With the passing of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act last year, there are now stiffer requirements for insurance and reduced funding for state programs. About 10 million fewer people are expected to have health insurance in 2034, according to a report by the Congressional Budget Office.

There were about 3 million fewer people enrolled through the health insurance exchanges in early 2026 than when the bill passed, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid.

Since then, Republicans have failed to recover on the issue, with only a third of total voters approving of the Trump administration's handling of the cost of healthcare, according to KFF's most recent poll on the issue from April."
(NPR)
"A few weeks earlier, the group, the Antwerp World Diamond Center, which handles most of the world’s rough diamonds and about half of its polished stones, had unveiled an 18-karat gold ring the size of a watch. The ring was encrusted with 321 diamonds and dozens of sapphires, emeralds and rubies, and it was a gift to Mr. Trump to mark America’s 250th anniversary.

The ring features two large diamond “Ts” on either side, and “45” and “47” — references to Mr. Trump’s presidential terms — ringed in diamonds in a Superman-style logo. On its interior is engraved, “Crafted in Antwerp for Donald John Trump.”"

How Diamonds, Paprika and Fertilizer Won Relief From Trump’s Tariffs
(New York Times)
Republican nominee for Colorado governor:

""Hey demon or demons, you know my voice already, and you know by what authority I come to you," Marx told the evil spirits attached to Stacey, the podcast host."

Victor Marx hunts for demons, and votes, in the race for Colorado Governor — The ministry leader says casting off evil spirits is his greatest achievement, but his exorcisms have drawn questions and criticism.
(9News)

Follow Rachel Maddow on Bluesky here.

GOING BACK ON THE ROAD

You're probably going to hear this event promoted so often that you begin to tune it out. But before you do, make sure to catch that each ticket, with prices starting as low as $30, includes a special offer for one year of free access to MS NOW’s new Membership experience.

"This forthcoming Membership experience will bring MS NOW fans closer to our hosts and to each other, with real-time connections and exclusive content you can’t get on-air."

PRE-ORDER NOW!

Rachel has a new book!

"Department of Fate: The Promise, the Power, and the Collapse of America’s Most Consequential Institution"

comes out November 10 but you can pre-order now.

See MS.NOW/DepartmentOfFate for links and options to pre-order.