Recent posts by Legal Academics on Bluesky

She's a tiresome bigot. But let her use her Visa card, for goodness sake.

The price of a tank of gas for me just doubled in 3 weeks. We haven't measured current inflation and people can already see the delta on inflation itself. Our last grocery bill packed a hefty punch.

She's a tiresome bigot. But let her use her Visa, for goodness sake.

you donate to one fraudulent charity and the department of justice never lets you forget it

Yes, he definitely would.

1st Cir. will not lift a district court decision that blocked the Trump administration from defunding federal assistance to housing and services for homeless people. Administration missed a crucial step: didn't ask the dist. ct. to reconsider or appeal it. www.ca1.uscourts.gov/sites/ca1/fi...

Samuel Alito, himself, is the son of an immigrant.

He was born again there, but then became a Catholic, to the chagrin of the local Klavern. The fact that he has also been challenging the religious teachings of Popes makes the picture even more bizarre.

Reports suggest SpaceX has confidentially filed for an initial public offering, putting Elon Musk's company on track for a June listing. What would that mean for science?

Trump's Solicitor General Sauer sounds like Bosley on Charlie's Angels.

He was born again there, but then became a Papist, I mean Catholic, to the chagrin of the local Klavern.

The results of the bot study a couple years back suggest that many large accounts still have no followers.

Will it give a AAA discount?

An Open Letter to the Senators, perhaps? bsky.app/profile/mcop...

Hands down, whoever is writing these for Kimmel is doing an EXCELLENT job. Its not about the humor. Its the clear, accurate, accessible way he is explaining IN DEPTH what the admin is doing. Id argue no other host on late night does this quite at this level. Impressive. youtu.be/JjKPF9tG7_U?...

Amid the insanity of American politics, it’s highly inspiring to visit a country united in defense of an embattled democracy. maxboot.substack.com/p/why-ukrain...

Nothing is settled. Pace v. Alabama was 9-0 and was overturned by McLaughlin v. Florida (which was also 9-0).

Framing the #Section230 discussion as a choice between keeping the provision intact or scrapping it misses a key point: Repeal wouldn’t fix many of the concerns it raises. Today in @thehill.com, policy director @nadinefj.bsky.social proposes a new legislative approach. thehill.com/opinion/tech...

One of our excellent Ph.D. students, Insu Hwang, presenting his research at the recent #ISA2026 meeting.

Again, I have absolutely no problem with primaries. Primaries are good. And if I were in this district, I'd vote for Justin Pearson. www.nytimes.com/2026/04/01/u...

Trump's Hormuz Strait strategy, explained with interpretive dance.

A Democratic Electrician Nabs a State Senate Seat in Republican Florida With Brian Nathan’s victory certified, Democrats won two of three state legislative races in this month’s special elections, all in Republican-leaning districts. www.nytimes.com/2026/03/30/u...

🚨JOB ALERT!🚨 Research associate (entry-level researcher) role open at BCJ. Send us your killer undergrads thinking about a career in research, and spread widely!!! brennancenter.applytojob.com/apply/AbRxyB...

It (ironically) makes me sick to think about how much progress we’ve lost in science and medicine. Not just for the U.S., but for the world. Not just for now, but for generations to come.

My @crisisgroup.org colleague Naysan Rafati discussing the situation in the Strait with his wonderful neologism “Ayatollbooth.”

Native Americans are not citizens of the US by virtue of the Citizenship Clause of the 14rh Amendment, but are by statute.

From Paul Blumenthal www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-...

Miriam notes in her update here how theatrical Sauer was being with his gestures while Trump was in the room. Listening from afar today, I had the distinct impression that Sauer was more emotional and animated than I have ever heard him. www.nytimes.com/live/2026/04...

If—and right now it’s a big if—things do eventually work out, watch how quickly people forget how close we got to complete democratic collapse. They’ll say we overreacted. They’ll forget those who suffered and died. They’ll move on. But the victory will be worth it anyway. Keep fighting.

The bubble wand visually confirms the core critique of Lindsey Graham, that he lives a life of leisure insulated from his own decisions that he inflicts on others.

Friends, Native people are, indeed, Native to this land. But they were not Native to the United States. We all need to, somehow, collectively unpack the presumption that the U.S. is (and has ever been) the only instantiation of "this land." There were, and are, many other governments here.

Lindsey Graham is America’s biggest enabler of Trump’s wars & of Trump’s inflation. And while young Americans are dying in his war of choice & you’re struggling to make ends meet, Lindsey Graham is having the time of his life with a bubble wand in his hand at Disney World.

So delighted to hear that our edited volume, Speaking Science to Power, has been shortlisted for the 2026 Book of the Year prize by the Conflict Research Society. All credit goes to our amazing coeditors, @oliverkaplan.bsky.social & Rachel Epstein ➡️ conflictresearchsociety.org/the-conflict...

From @kevinrkosar.bsky.social of AEI, who knows a lot about both elections and the U.S. Postal Service, some thoughts on Trump's new EO seeking to restrain vote-by-mail

“Gov. Ron DeSantis signs Florida’s version of the SAVE Act” electionlawblog.org?p=155215

Warren was in the wrong about claiming American Indian heritage. But this point is so often lost. The claim is so ubiquitous in Oklahoma that, in my experience, it's hard to find someone from the state who doesn't make the same claim.

So, when is JD Vance’s conversion to Catholicism actually happening?

Yet another poll has his approval in the mid-30s. The trend is moving south, and quickly. You can see why he is becoming desperate to end the war (threatening to blow up NATO, etc) but he can't get the genie back in the bottle.

In his second term inaugural address, "Donald Trump promised to 'bring back free speech to America'." Clay Calvert of AEI surveys the "dispiriting reality" of what he has done instead in one area of speech freedom after another.

Just to emphasize that this optimistic version of events is sourced exclusively to US officials.

Yep, it is indeed not even a Catholic church on the cover of Vance’s book! The man has always been a total fraud.

Excellent analysis of the damage done by an unrestrained executive: to the rule of law, civil society, media, and the economy. Orbán's regime is not "conservative"--it's rank patrimonialism, reeking of corruption, graft, and autocracy.

"Secretary of State Marco Rubio has also resisted taking a strong position, keeping his attention on Cuba." Maybe the dual-hatted Secretary of State/National Security Advisor could do his job rather than fixating on his pet project. www.theatlantic.com/national-sec...

"followed by two escorts"

In politics, always follow the money.

Ditto. Never. If you ever see me saying I am using AI, its not real. I will not use AI to write stories. I wont use AI in my journalism. I use my brain. My sources. My skills. Human. Power.

If you were wondering how the class field trip went

1. SCOTUS is going to have a hard time ruling for Trump on birthright. He did himself no favors today. 2. Our birthright citizenship rule is a universal one, designed to prevent Trump from doing what he's trying to do now -- deciding who's American and who isn't. 3. SCOTUS? Still a major problem.🧵

Dude is vibe coding the rule of law

I was honored to offer a blurb for this book which said this was the single best history of the US Supreme Court. I stand by those words. Congratulations @rachelshelden.bsky.social on this magnificent achievement!

this is how putin treats journalists: as foreign agents. andrei soldatov & irina borogan are two of russia's great reporters of the kremlin's repression & corruption.

Never mind that I died inside when I heard Gorsuch say in Trump v Barbara arguments that there weren't any immigration laws in the 1860s. Taps new book 👇 in which I document the over a century of first colonial then state-level international and domestic migration laws before federalization.

Contrary to what right-wing media tell you, the $20 an hour minimum wage in California's fast-food industry is raising incomes, without costing jobs. The effect on prices is minimal irle.berkeley.edu/publications...

I wrote this three years ago, watching the Next Twitter come online, and I am feeling it erinkissane.com/tomorrow-and...

Suboptimal that POTUS is opposed to key provisions of the U.S. Constitution.

Never mind that a part of me died inside when I heard Gorsuch today on Trump v Barbara oral arguments say there weren't any immigration laws in the 1860s. Taps new book 👇

Gene Kranz went to high school with my uncles!

1989: Madchester 2026: Vapechester www.theguardian.com/society/2026...

Adding that there are many current and former professional officers in the U.S. military who are also very concerned about civilian-led efforts to promote partisanship in the ranks.

I’m trying to be better about reading books in Spanish & French more regularly to keep them from gradually rotting in my brain. So: accepting recommendations for novels that are conspicuously better in & deserve to be read in the original.

I have a WIN button!

Meanwhile ICYMI: IN JAN 6 CIVIL CASE

Good, efficient summary by @pemalevy.bsky.social @isabelaalhadeff.bsky.social: "the legal minds who submitted friend of the court briefs supporting Trump’s EO ... put forward both novel and recycled already-rejected arguments that are not only morally reprehensible but historically implausible."

Friends, again with respect because this is a complex issue: children born to citizens of tribal governments do not have constitutional birthright citizenship under many, if not most forms of constitutional argument and authority (incl. Supreme Court precedent relied upon in this case)./1

Watching the Times try for folksiness because they go to rural America is always fascinating. For example, this article describes Kristi Noem as “the first Trump cabinet member to get the old heave-ho this term." Cool. www.nytimes.com/2026/03/31/u...

OK, I’m sorry, but you know I had to write a “don’t kink shame Bryon Noem” post reason.com/2026/04/01/t...

Journos: There was a ton of convoluted discussion of federal Indian law in Trump v Barbara. Please interview actual scholars of the subject like Professors Dolan @maggieblackhawk.bsky.social @tannerallread.bsky.social now or when that final opinion arrives probably in June.

Good, efficient summary by @pemalevy.bsky.social: "[T]he legal minds who submitted friend of the court briefs supporting Trump’s executive order . . . have put forward both novel and recycled already-rejected arguments that are not only morally reprehensible but historically implausible."

👇🎯 Again, everyone's views about inflation and the economy are heavily driven by partisanship and media consumption patterns, & we should stop playing Calvinball & constantly inventing new reasons why folks think everything is terrible over & over again. bsky.app/profile/mcop...

Just saw today that JOP is now rejecting >50% of AP Behavior papers 👀

Prepping for class like:

Pope Leo has welcomed the LGBTQ community to Rome. But white christian nationalist Franklin Graham falsely thinks he’s more of a Christian than the Pope.

If you liked my recent podcast on Amicus w/ Dahlia Lithwick, here's a video with historians about Migration and the Origins of American Citizenship also on Spotify + Apple podcasts. Birthright citizenship is a very narrow part of US immigration, in this I went much broader as my book does.

The Catholic Church supports Pride in some Dioceses. Of course, I know white christian nationalist Franklin Graham doesn’t consider us Catholics to be Christians.

Everyone’s got a human trafficking vigilante complex these days (even Canadians!) youtube.com/shorts/3qyTr...

I wonder how the four schools in each of the Final Fours are doing financially? I know we’re doing great here at USC due to a supportive state legislature, in-migration, & a booming economy, & that UConn is unfortunately not doing well due to underinvestment by the state of CT.

Sir is this a Wendy’s?

Looks like there are at least 2 justices who think the constitution is not constitutional, eat your heart out Carl Schmitt

Sometimes it's awesome to be wrong

And I think it's ok for me to say publicly that we were so impressed by Matt's fieldwork when we interviewed him! We subsequently hired Matt and are thrilled he's joining our department. APSA's DDRIG can have big payoffs for the scholars receiving them.

The Chaos Is the Point politicalwire.com/2026/04/01/t...

Once again, I must state for the record that Alito is the worst.

Trump v Barbara. 1) There's a dispute over what original public meaning of the birthright clause was. ACLU has more evidence. 2) Alito had bizarre textual questions that do not bear on holding of Wong Kim Ark. 3) Legal + policy arguments in play. Hope policy ones win. 4) This was all unnecessary.

Posted my Ron Wayne interview on LowEndMac, and when I pointed out the non-Apple focus, some commenter accused me of burying the lede. I hate this. He clearly wanted to talk about many other things besides this. Apple made up such a small part of his life. He deserves to have his full story told.

Democrats were the party that sent astronauts to the moon. Republicans, specifically Richard Nixon, were the party that turned its back on that legacy for over 50 years.

Also Season 2

The four astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft will carry out a packed schedule during their trip around the moon’s far side

One of Europe’s foremost Trump whisperers tries to talk him off the ledge.

Nor do the words "parents"

Who's going to do the Trump Downfall parody after he left the SCOTUS birthright citizenship hearing early when he saw it wasn't going to go his way?

I do agree with Eric, though with one addendum: it could fit into a tiny thimble . . . with lots of room to spare.

As someone who lived through the Carter years, I feel like younger Democrats have a misconception of his presidency. The economy was awful, horrific during his presidency. People don't have to say otherwise just bc he was a Dem, & shouldn't. To poll worse than Carter on the economy is really bad.

Finally done with student questions after class. I'm afraid to look.

This makes me mildly hopeful that I was right. I had hoped they took the case to slam this particular door entirely shut. Yes, they suck in a lot of ways, but maybe they could do this one right?

We are still scheduled to blast off for the moon this evening and the rocket is now being loaded with fuel. www.livescience.com/space/live/a...

Just passing this AP article along because rural Black voters are so often ignored by our national political press.

Editorial cartoonists are leading the way communicating current events. H/t @anntelnaes.bsky.social

(The latter is what I suggested a few skeets back...)

I liked it better when even our mobsters knew what to do with Nazis.