Hello! @adamsopko.bsky.social and I have been working on a proposal to charter an AALS Section on State Constitutional Law. We believe that such a section is long overdue and that it is urgent to foster scholarly community and support in a growing discipline. Links to support this effort below: ⬇️

"[T]he parents who once supported me fully in being an artist sent me an AI generated picture of a caricature of themselves holding a birthday cake with my name spelled incorrectly. My friends all post themselves as cartoons online."

With the AJC dropping its print edition, I feel compelled to share one of the greatest moments in print design history

PARTICULARLY RELEVANT now and in the coming days: smithblawg.blogspot.com/2023/07/goin... (The initial interview stage) smithblawg.blogspot.com/2024/07/goin... (The callback and job talk) Those going on the market should also free to reach out to me with any questions about the process!

Just a reminder of my favorite idea for a law student note: Pick an important Supreme Court case from 5-10 years ago, and see how lower courts are interpreting it. It's helpful for practitioners and courts, and something law students can research and present effectively.

Inspired to see law enforcement committed to justice, even when that means acknowledging weak evidence and mysteriously-destroyed files. I hope @joshsteinnc.bsky.social's office and JSRB can work through the clemency backlog soon!

Students who are scared of judgement so they perform cynicism... I see this in some young organizers too. This is precisely why I constantly say that sincerity is A VIRTUE. Let's bring back EARNESTNESS: www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsGs...

The weekly free 5m calls are also interrupted by automated messages and reminders that time is almost up. Trying to collaborate on writing a piece with someone inside in NC has been surprisingly expensive for both of us (even the $0.25 text messages)--I can't imagine how I'd feel as a family member.

There will now be 10,000 new ICE agents & 100,000 new detention beds--and few safeguards protecting people from constitutional violations by the feds. Time for states to pass laws allowing people to sue fed agents. Read about it these "converse-1983" statutes here: papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

NEW: The 12-year-long lawsuit over conditions at Stateville was settled. The lawsuit helped bring the 100-year-old facilty to a close: news.wttw.com/2025/04/24/1...

Georgia legislators passed one of the most robust laws in the country to protect survivors of abuse from long prison sentences. What is the future for other states? www.themarshallproject.org/2025/04/12/w...

One of my awesome colleagues here at W&L, Professor Catherine Smith, has helped to organize a webinar scheduled for April 9 for lawyers interested in law teaching. Registration link here: udenver.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

Chris Blackwell + Sarah Sax have a story up in @nytimes.com about the brutality of prison strip searches. "A state-imposed violation, which some experience as a form of sexual violence, which costs states and local governments millions in lawsuit settlements..." www.nytimes.com/2025/03/20/o...

One thing I never thought about until doing this story: How bad sleep in jail leads to poor legal outcomes. People are so tired they have trouble participating in their defense & lawyers say some clients are so exhausted they take plea deals they might have otherwise avoided. tinyurl.com/47eun36u

An incarcerated writer shares what it was like when Hurricane Helene hit a North Carolina prison.