By Ben Meiselas
Today on Substack Live, I had the honor of interviewing someone I consider one of the most brilliant and passionate legal journalists in the world: Adam Klasfeld, co-founder of All Rise News on Substack. If you care about the rule of law, due process, and stopping Trump’s unconstitutional power grabs, this was a must-watch conversation. Thanks to all those who joined us live!
Adam has been on top of every major legal story, from Guantánamo Bay military commissions to Trump’s criminal trial in Manhattan. He doesn’t just report the law, he lives it, with a deep understanding of court dynamics, deadlines, and yes, even footnotes (always read the footnotes). That’s what makes his work at All Rise News so vital in this era of creeping authoritarianism.
Our discussion focused on today’s bombshell ruling just handed down by Judge Alvin Hellerstein in the Southern District of New York, who struck at the heart of Trump’s illegal use of the Alien Enemies Act to detain immigrants and ship them off to what the judge himself called a “notoriously evil jail.”
This ruling isn’t an isolated win. It follows a similar decision by Judge Fernando Rodriguez, a Trump appointee in Texas, who concluded that there is no war, no invasion, and no legal basis whatsoever for invoking this 1798 law. These rulings matter because Trump’s defenders are trying to bypass our Constitution with made-up threats and lies about immigrant “invasions.” And the courts aren’t buying it.
Even more damning? The U.S. intelligence community has reportedly debunked the Trump administration’s entire rationale for this scheme, saying the supposed link between immigrants and the Venezuelan government is nonsense. That’s the entire legal foundation. Gone.
Adam and I also discussed the growing pressure for transparency. Over 200 people are reportedly rotting in these shadowy detention facilities, and we’re learning, thanks to relentless reporting, that court orders were violated to get them there. Some, like Kilmar Abrego Garcia, had explicit legal protections and were still abducted and shipped out in apparent contempt of court.
We also talked about what’s next, including ongoing hearings, critical appellate court battles, depositions of Trump officials, and a wave of public pressure that we—yes, you—can amplify. This isn’t just about reading headlines. It’s about showing up, filing public comments, showing up to protests, and supporting independent media that does what corporate networks won’t.
Speaking of public comments, Adam told us how you can weigh in on Trump’s purges of immigration judges and make a tangible, real-world impact right now. Get this: only six people at the time Adam went to press on his story about these firings had left public comments. Six. We can do better than that. Read Adam’s piece about how to make your voice heard on this issue, here.
So here’s your call to action:
Subscribe to All Rise News on Substack.
Stay tuned to our Substack here at Meidas+.
Stay in the fight—because democracy doesn’t defend itself.
As I told Adam, the Meidas Mighty doesn’t do fluff. We do facts, deadlines, footnotes, and results. And today’s conversation was a masterclass in what it means to hold power accountable and get people the information they deserve to know.
Let’s keep going. Let’s keep rising. And thank you, Adam, for joining us.
Subscribe to the Meidas+ Substack now for more conversations like this.
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