BROADVIEW, ILLINOIS - SEPTEMBER 27: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) personnel, and Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino stand together amidst a tense pro... BROADVIEW, ILLINOIS - SEPTEMBER 27: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) personnel, and Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino stand together amidst a tense protest outside the ICE processing facility in Broadview, Illinois, on September 27, 2025. Demonstrators gathered to oppose the Trump administration's immigration enforcement operations, including 'Operation Midway Blitz,' as clashes escalated with reports of tear gas and pepper balls used to disperse crowds. (Photo by Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu via Getty Images) MORE LESS

I was thinking last night about the denouement of the Broadview Six case, a collapse which I’m told by some legal observers stands a non-trivial chance of seeing some of the prosecutors disbarred. And I contrasted it with the series of TPM Reader emails about the “fancy lawyers.” A number of these emails start out with some version of, I’m not part of the legal elite, I’m just working here in the trenches as a lawyer in [this or that mid-sized city in the United States]. Or maybe, my background is in elite law but I’m down here in the trenches, etc.

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