Power Grab/Fire anyone who can stop him
DOJ backs Trump’s bid to stay sanctions and remove the judge, and the 11th Circuit denies the stay
Acting Deputy Attorney General R. Trent McCotter filed a 39-page response on August 12, 2026. On September 29 a unanimous panel denied the stay.
What happened
On August 12, 2026, Acting Deputy Attorney General R. Trent McCotter filed a 39-page response in Eleventh Circuit case 26-12692 supporting President Trump’s motion to stay Judge Kathleen Williams’ July 13 sanctions order and asking that the case be reassigned. He argued its timing gave “the strong appearance” of political motivation.
Williams had found Trump’s $10 billion suit against the agencies collusive. She referred lawyer Alejandro Brito to the Florida Bar, barred Daniel Epstein from pro hac vice practice for a year and prohibited citing the $1.776 billion settlement as a “settlement.”
On September 29 a unanimous Eleventh Circuit panel denied the stay, finding no strong showing of success and doubting its jurisdiction. The merits appeal continued into October. The merits appeal continued into October, and the sanctions order of July 13 remained in effect while the appeal went on.
Who benefited
Trump and the lawyers Williams sanctioned would have benefited from a stay and from a new judge, and got neither. The panel denied the stay on September 29. The panel denied the stay on September 29, finding no strong showing of success, and the sanctions Williams imposed on July 13 remain in place.
Who wanted something
Trump, with the Justice Department’s support, wanted the sanctions stayed and the case taken from Judge Williams. The Justice Department backed the president’s motion in a suit Williams had found collusive. The Justice Department backed the president’s motion in a suit Williams had found collusive, filing 39 pages on August 12, 2026, and asked for reassignment of the case.
Who lost out
Judge Williams, who imposed the sanctions, was accused in a Justice Department filing of acting with “the strong appearance” of political motivation. Brito faces a Florida Bar referral, and Epstein is barred from pro hac vice practice for a year.
Why it matters
The Justice Department took the president’s side against a judge who had found his suit collusive, and a unanimous appeals panel refused. The panel found no strong showing of success and doubted its own jurisdiction.
Sources U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit (via DocumentCloud) (primary)U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit (primary)CNBCReason (Volokh Conspiracy)