Ben Eidelson
@beidelson.bsky.social
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Professor, Harvard Law School
https://hls.harvard.edu/faculty/benjamin-eidelson
I spoke yesterday at a local event here in MA about efforts to restrict criticism of Israel in K-12 schools and how schools should think about defining antisemitism in light of the 1st Amendment. Here's the video (~20 minutes):
www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNaT...
CC
@concernedjfaculty.bsky.social
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Protecting Free Speech in K 12 & Beyond - January 15, 2026
YouTube video by Minuteman Media Network
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNaTmCdzx94&t=8s
5 days ago
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The latest version of Case Viewer (
www.caseviewer.app
) includes a beta of an integrated chatbot that's pretty distinctive and genuinely useful (IMHO). It reads the case, answers directly based on the text, and scrolls you to the relevant passages.
@caseviewerapp.bsky.social
12 days ago
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Ben Eidelson
Case Viewer
about 1 month ago
New experiments with an integrated chat/assistant for Case Viewer. Still pretty amazing what LLMs can do, especially when they have full access to the relevant text
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I am trying to keep most of the Case Viewer content on
@CaseViewerApp.bsky.social
, but I'm especially proud of this innovation and can't resist sharing it here too. The best way to read a judicial opinion, IMHO. (The magic is that none of the section titles below are actually in the opinion.)
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about 1 month ago
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A nice write up about Case Viewer, my legal browser app:
hls.harvard.edu/today/harvar...
If you have an iPhone, iPad, or Mac and haven't tried it, you should! Learn more at
www.caseviewer.app
, follow
@caseviewerapp.bsky.social
, or download for free from app store:
apps.apple.com/app/apple-st...
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Harvard Law professor launches Case Viewer app for easier access to court decisions - Harvard Law School
Harvard Law Professor Ben Eidelson tapped into a childhood passion to build a tool for lawyers and law students.
https://hls.harvard.edu/today/harvard-law-professor-launches-case-viewer-app-for-easier-access-to-court-decisions/
2 months ago
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Based on the
@theharvardcrimson.bsky.social
's new reporting, Harvard's commitment to scrubbing discussion of race from the admissions process (left) appears to go far beyond what the conservative Supreme Court majority actually required in SFFA (right).
3 months ago
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Ben Eidelson
Case Viewer
3 months ago
Check out the latest version of Case Viewer on the App Store ā now with detailed AI annotations, on iPhone, iPad, and macOS
apps.apple.com/app/apple-st...
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reposted by
Ben Eidelson
Jamal Greene
4 months ago
Kaganās short dissent is unanswerable.
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Ben Eidelson
Free Law Project ā
5 months ago
Case Viewer is one of those tools you didn't know you needed. Apple-only for now, but it brings a simple, clean interface to reading case law, and it's finally out of beta! We're proud to have our APIs and data integrated into the tool and we encourage folks to give it a try!
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Case Viewer, my quirky side project of building my ideal legal search & reading app, has come a long way. With lots of help, it's grown into the best way to find & read cases on a Mac, iPhone, or iPad. Check it out or download on the App Store below. And follow @CaseViewerApp for updates!
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5 months ago
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Even with its professed limits, Trumpās flag-burning order appears blatantly unconstitutional. āProsecute disfavored acts of expression insofar as they also constitute criminal acts under some content-neutral lawā is not content-neutral.
@charliesavage.bsky.social
www.nytimes.com/live/2025/08...
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Trump Administration Live Updates: Presidentās Order on Burning Flag Reveals Its Own Limits
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/08/25/us/trump-news#trump-flag-burning-executive-order
5 months ago
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I have learned a ton from engaging across differences with Sherif and this essay is a wonderful example. Highly recommended!
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6 months ago
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As I explain in this
@bostonglobe.com
op-ed, the new Trump ruling on antisemitism at Harvard is deeply ironicāit quietly embraces ideas about anti-discrimination law that the administration has repudiated for civil rights claims by every other group. (1/3)
www.bostonglobe.com/2025/07/03/o...
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Trump goes āwokeā in report on antisemitism at Harvard - The Boston Globe
What is most striking is the brazen hypocrisy ā one might even say chutzpah ā of the Trump lawyersā arguments.
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2025/07/03/opinion/trump-harvard-antisemitism-report-discrimination/?s_campaign=8315:varf
7 months ago
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A stunning and telling error in the Title VI "notice of violation" against Harvard: One of the document's most striking claims is that Harvard ignored "reports of Jewish and Israeli students being spit on in the face for wearing a yarmulke." This is repeated in their letter & in news coverage.(1/3)
7 months ago
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Reading the Title VI "notice of violation" against Harvard makes stark that, to a large extent, the target is not antisemitism (not even trumped up claims of antisemitism) but protests. Where in these descriptions of alleged misconduct is the discrimination against Jewish (or Israeli) students?
7 months ago
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There is much that's far-fetched and remarkable about Trump admin's new Title VI finding against Harvard. One example is this bizarre bit about why claims in Harvard's antisemitism report can be treated as evidenceādespite the task force's explanation that it 'did not require ... evidence'! (1/2)
7 months ago
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This Ogles letter is deranged and incompetent on many levels. The Supreme Court addressed the standard for denaturalization in a unanimous opinion less than a decade ago and every one of the many elements it required is absent. Reporters covering this stunt should tell their readers as much.
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7 months ago
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"Antisemitism, Anti-Zionism, and Title VI: A Guide for the Perplexed" is now out:
tinyurl.com/3wpvbnzu
Thanks to HLR editors for fast & diligent editing and to the many who've engaged with us since we posted the draft. And of course to
@hellmandeborah.bsky.social
for another great collaboration.
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7 months ago
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Some takeaways from our new article on Title VI and antisemitism/antizionism (cc
@hellmandeborah.bsky.social
) in this
@chronicle.com
Q&A with
@shenandoahkate.bsky.social
. Full paper:
ssrn.com/abstract=527...
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8 months ago
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Trump's renunciation of disparate impact is ironic: As
@hellmandeborah.bsky.social
and I explain in new paper, the disparate impact regulation is likely essential to any plausible Title VI theory re: campus antisemitism. Reporters should ask if they're making an exception!
ssrn.com/abstract=527...
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Discrimination cases unravel as Trump scraps core civil rights tenet
The administration is dismissing cases and unwinding settlements built on "disparate impact," which holds that even neutral policies can lead to biased outcomes.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/06/01/trump-disparate-impact-discrimination-cases-civil-rights/
8 months ago
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reposted by
Ben Eidelson
Joey Fishkin
8 months ago
I appreciate what
@beidelson.bsky.social
&
@hellmandeborah.bsky.social
have accomplished here: a concise and thoughtful guide to the reach of Title VI when it comes to antisemitism and speech about Israel. The Trump Administration's attacks on universities, supposedly regarding antisemitism, are...
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Ben Eidelson
Jamal Greene
8 months ago
Very important guide for navigating the complexities here, including especially the nature of "deliberate indifference" in the context of a deeply contested mix of values and rights at stake.
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Ben Eidelson
Deborah Hellman
8 months ago
New to Bluesky, and posting a new paper: "Antisemitism, Anti-Zionism, and Title VI: A Guide for the Perplexed" -- with
@beidelson.bsky.social
. Forthcoming in Harv. L. Rev. Forum in June. (
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
). A thread follows.
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New paper: "Antisemitism, Anti-Zionism, and Title VI: A Guide for the Perplexed" ā with
@hellmandeborah.bsky.social
. Forthcoming in Harv L Rev Forum (
ssrn.com/abstract=5271044
) This is one of the first systematic analyses of the wave of Title VI claims over campus antisemitism. A quick summary š§µ:
8 months ago
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Ben Eidelson
Deborah Hellman
8 months ago
I've just joined BlueSky and need help from friends to gather followers. So
@uvalaw.bsky.social
, and other faculty and students, please share/follow. I write about discrimination law and its philosophical foundations and about bribery and corruption. Am interested in all things law and philosophy.
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Ben Eidelson
Guha Krishnamurthi
8 months ago
Mitch Berman is the among the best on unconstitutional conditions:
wapo.st/4jliBSO
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Opinion | No, Trump canāt force his agenda on U.S. entities. They have rights.
The government cannot withhold benefits because it doesnāt like how people exercise their rights.
https://wapo.st/4jliBSO
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Ben Eidelson
Marty Lederman
10 months ago
Essential reading, from Jenner's Adam Unikowsky. Not only does Adam pull together all of the reasons why the E.O.s are patently illegal and profoundly dangerous; he also explains ... [1]
adamunikowsky.substack.com/p/the-case-f...
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The case for suing
Why law firms should remain independent from the government
https://adamunikowsky.substack.com/p/the-case-for-suing
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"From Abundance to Enough," about "the struggle to teach about climate change and also honor childhood," featuring my favorite five year old:
www.theremake.org/from-abundan...
(And check out more of
@amywrothschild.bsky.social
's wonderful writing at
amyrothschild.wordpress.com
)
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From Abundance to Enough
Talking About Drought With a Five-Year-Old My son Velcroed his Stride Rite sneaker ā is this the right foot? and scrambled out the door into autumn. Whatās that smell? Smoke. Ashes. That Monday morni...
https://www.theremake.org/from-abundance-to-enough/
10 months ago
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reposted by
Ben Eidelson
Jamal Greene
10 months ago
An important perspective by
@sbagen.bsky.social
,
@ryandoerfler.bsky.social
, and my colleague David Pozen.
www.thenation.com/article/soci...
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Why Universities Must Start Litigatingāand How
The litigation would afford schools a high-profile venue in which to detail the Trump administrationās lawlessness and aggression.
https://www.thenation.com/article/society/universities-protests-trump-speech/
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Powerful First Amendment analysis and bracing conclusion from
@genevievelakier.bsky.social
: āIf Harvard gives in, we should recognize what it is doingāenabling & encouraging the unconstitutional actions of an administration ⦠hellbent on destroying the independence of American higher education.ā
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10 months ago
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Ben Eidelson
Nicholas Stephanopoulos
10 months ago
Iām proud of my colleagues
@nikobowie.bsky.social
and
@beidelson.bsky.social
for their eloquent condemnation of the administrationās threats against Harvard. Harvard has the law and justice on its side. Donāt give in!
www.bostonglobe.com/2025/04/04/o...
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Harvardās moment of truth - The Boston Globe
The stakes are high, but the choice should not be difficult.
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2025/04/04/opinion/harvard-antisemitism-trump/?s_campaign=8315:varf
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Ben Eidelson
Laurence H. Tribe
10 months ago
This is indeed a moment of truth for Harvard ā and for American higher education as well as science, medicine, technology, and the humanities. If the richest university in the world submits to lawless extortion by the Cult of Trump, we are truly sunk. We must be clear: Veritas is not for sale.
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Joey Fishkin
10 months ago
@nikobowie.bsky.social
&
@beidelson.bsky.social
explain in a straightforward way what the stakes are. Harvard should not be collaborating with the entirely lawless demands of an administration that aims to render Harvardāand American higher education as a wholeāa mere appendage of the government.
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āHarvard now faces a crucial choice: Submit to extortion and make itself complicit in the most profound assault on academic freedom and constitutional governance of our timeāor go to court. The stakes are high, but the choice should not be difficult.ā With
@nikobowie.bsky.social
at
@bostonglobe.com
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Harvardās moment of truth - The Boston Globe
The stakes are high, but the choice should not be difficult.
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2025/04/04/opinion/harvard-antisemitism-trump/?s_campaign=8315:varf
10 months ago
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reposted by
Ben Eidelson
Mark Tushnet
10 months ago
Why I signed the Harvard Law professors letter:
balkin.blogspot.com/2025/04/why-...
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Balkinization: Why I Signed the Harvard Law Professors Letter
A group blog on constitutional law, theory, and politics
https://balkin.blogspot.com/2025/04/why-i-signed-harvard-law-professors.html
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Ben Eidelson
Niko Bowie
10 months ago
Over 740 faculty from across Harvard (as of Friday) urged university leadership to publicly contest the ongoing, antidemocratic attacks on universities
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More Than 600 Harvard Faculty Urge Governing Boards To Resist Demands From Trump | News | The Harvard Crimson
More than 600 Harvard faculty signed a letter to Harvardās governing boards urging the University to publicly condemn attacks on universities and defy orders that interfere with its independence.
https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2025/3/27/faculty-letter-condemn-attacks/
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Ben Eidelson
Niko Bowie
10 months ago
Also this week: The AAUP - Harvard Faculty Chapter joined other AAUP chapters in suing the Trump administration:
www.thecrimson.com/article/2025...
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Weāre Harvard Professors Suing the Trump Administration. Hereās Why. | Opinion | The Harvard Crimson
Universities are currently on the front lines of a battle for basic civil liberties. We must fight for the values ā and the people ā that define us.Ā This lawsuit is a start.
https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2025/3/28/jasanoff-weld-harvard-aaup-lawsuit-trump/
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Ben Eidelson
Niko Bowie
10 months ago
āIt felt important to level with our students about how alarmed we areā
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More Than 80 HLS Professors Denounce Trump Admin Attacks on Law Firms in Letter to Students | News | The Harvard Crimson
Roughly 70 percent of Harvard Law Schoolās professors accused the federal government of exacting retribution on lawyers and law firms for representing clients opposed by President Donald Trump in a Sa...
https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2025/3/30/hls-faculty-letter/
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Ben Eidelson
Niko Bowie
10 months ago
From 91 professors at Harvard Law School: a letter to our students.
tinyurl.com/letter-to-ou...
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Genevieve Lakier
11 months ago
Excellent thread on the statutory and procedural problems raised by the administration's concerted attack on Columbia University. Also worth mentioning though that the attack raises obvious and very significant First Amendment retaliation and jawboning concerns!!
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This is all very clear in the statute and regulations and the fact that so much coverage omits any mention of it is alarming and very unfortunate
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11 months ago
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I'm biased, but if you're a lawyer and use a Mac, I think Case Viewer is now pretty clearly the best way to read cases. Fast, frictionless, and increasingly packed with bells and whistles. Try it out it (and pay only what you think it's worth) at
caseviewer.app
!
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about 1 year ago
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Ben Eidelson
Sherif Girgis
about 1 year ago
New piece in the Harv. L. Rev. Forum!
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
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My paper on affirmative action after the Sup Ct's decision in SFFA, co-authored w/ Deborah Hellman, is now out:
bit.ly/3Z3qQfk
. We explore what the decision does and doesn't allow and what it says about the broader state of equal protection law. Some highlights in this thread... 1/
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UNREFLECTIVE DISEQUILIBRIUM Race-Conscious Admissions After SFFA
For many years, there was a settled constitutional rule that universities could sometimes prefer certain applicants over others on the basis of race. In Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard College...
https://direct.mit.edu/ajle/article/doi/10.1162/ajle_a_00082/125072/UNREFLECTIVE-DISEQUILIBRIUM-Race-Conscious
about 1 year ago
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So ... here's something different! Over the past couple months, I've been working on a macOS app called "Case Viewer" (
www.caseviewer.app
). It's something I've wanted to have since law schoolāa fast, frictionless tool for accessing & navigating the best available versions of judicial opinions. 1/n
over 2 years ago
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