Ruben gave an incredible commencement speech @umichlaw.bsky.social this week about the power of hope & how the law can be used as a tool for change: m.youtube.com/watch?v=YPeW.... We are proud to call Ruben our friend and can't wait to see what he will do next. Go Blue! /end

This week, MDefender Ruben Pinuelas was the commencement speaker at @umichlaw.bsky.social's graduation. Ruben was wrongly convicted and sentenced to 60 years to life for a murder that he did not commit. 🧵

We just graduated >25 lawyers into public defense. So grateful to have studied @umichlaw.bsky.social in this amazing program. Here, we found community, purpose, & training to prepare us for the challenges ahead. We are headed to CA, CO, LA, MA, MI, OR, NM, NY, PA, TN, TX, & WA. Can't wait to start!

Alex Votta, ’25, recently received Michigan Law’s Dimond Prize for his paper “The Great Rampart in Protecting Human Liberty: The Right to Education in Antebellum and Reconstruction Black Constitutional Consciousness.” michigan.law.umich.edu/news/alex-vo...

It’s Wednesday, time for a new #SistersSidebar, where we answer your questions. You can listen here. www.politicon.com/podcast-epis...

Post-graduation morning tranquility @umichlaw.bsky.social

TONIGHT, I’ll be live with Marc Elias for a Democracy Docket members-only virtual panel to answer Qs about SCOTUS demolishing the Voting Rights Act, the SCOTUS opinions we’re expecting next, and, ya know, democracy. ⏰Wed., May 6 at 6:30 PM ET. 🔗Join: newsletters.democracydocket.com/member-may-s...

How can AI improve access to the legal system and to justice? This semester, as part of the AI Law and Policy Clinic, 20 MLaw students partnered with courts, legal aid organizations, and other nonprofits to identify barriers and challenges—and then design AI-assisted tools to help. bit.ly/429VN2h

In "A Real Account of Deep Fakes," Prof. Benjamin L.W. Sobel of @law.wisc.edu examines anti-deepfake laws in arguing that properly understanding the semiotics of deepfakes is essential to appropriate and effective regulation. READ: bit.ly/MLRVol124Iss6Sobel

5Qs: Daniel Halberstam Discusses Professional Speech, Chiles v. Salazar, and Being Cited in SCOTUS Dissent michigan.law.umich.edu/news/5qs-dan...

From my term preview on Callais v LA: www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-i...

“The president cannot legally rely indefinitely on an acting AG. Blanche may well face legal challenges. (There have been) many lawsuits involving long-serving officials claiming to be ‘actings’ at other agencies.” —Professor Nina Mendelson in @politico.com www.politico.com/news/2026/04...

It's the end of the academic year @umichlaw.bsky.social. You know what that means: time for the annual MDefenders Public Defender Training Institute East Coast versus West Coast basketball game. Such a blast spending a year learning (and playing) with this group!

With today’s decision, the Supreme Court has completed its project of dismantling the Voting Rights Act. I shared analysis on @MS.NOW. www.ms.now/ana-cabrera-...

At the 70th session of the Commission on the Status of Women, held at the United Nations headquarters in New York in March, SJD student Debora Gunawan, LLM ’25, gained a deeper understanding of what meaningful progress on women’s rights requires. michigan.law.umich.edu/news/sjd-stu...

How should courts treat "unwelcomeness" in sexual harassment claims? In “Unwelcomeness Reconsidered,” @oldkingcoll.bsky.social (@umichlaw.bsky.social Class of 2024) argues it ought to be understood as a minimal burden for a plaintiff’s prima facie case. READ: bit.ly/MLRVol124Iss6Christner

"I was pleasantly surprised by how early and articulately people understood that reading was an important part of citizenship and an important part of being a person—being a full, dignified, equal member of society" Don Herzog spoke to @umichlaw.bsky.social 👇 michigan.law.umich.edu/news/5qs-her...

There is no scholar today whose work I love reading more than Don's. One of the most brilliant minds I've had the privilege of knowing. This book is a masterful analysis of how law and social practices have mediated past access to the written word . . . it is a sobering read in our current moment.

New from 2L Curtis Segarra on @ssrn.bsky.social: Tattoos and the Unreasonable Logic of Reasonable Suspicion: papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

Issue 6 of Volume 124 is now live on MLR's website! Make sure to check out these wonderful pieces by Professor Benjamin L.W. Sobel (@law.wisc.edu) and @oldkingcoll.bsky.social (@umichlaw.bsky.social Class of 2024). READ: michiganlawreview.org/volume/vol12...

A new book by Professor Don Herzog explores the contentious, sometimes violent history of the written word—and who is permitted to take advantage of it. Read more: michigan.law.umich.edu/news/5qs-her... Link for free download: press.lse.ac.uk/books/m/10.3...

MDefenders @umichlaw.bsky.social was proud to host Prof. Lucius Outlaw III from @howardlawschool.bsky.social to talk about how courts have criminalized hip hop by admitting irrelevant & prejudicial rap lyrics against accused people in criminal trials & what defense lawyers can do to fight back.

OUT TODAY: Reading Wars, a new book from Professor Don Herzog. Reading Wars explores heated, even murderous, political struggles over who gets to read and what they get to read. Link to free download: press.lse.ac.uk/books/m/10.3...

My @umichlaw.bsky.social colleague Don Herzog has a new book out today - Reading Wars - about the political fights over who gets to read & what people get to read. Check it out!! (You can read or download it for free.) press.lse.ac.uk/books/m/10.3...

“The Valiant” gave five students who are just weeks away from graduation the chance to speak about elements of their personal and professional journeys under the theme “resistance.” michigan.law.umich.edu/news/valiant...

In a recent article, @profschleich.bsky.social of Yale Law School and @nbagley.bsky.social of @umichlaw.bsky.social argue that scholars misdiagnose governance failure by fixating on Washington and call for attention to state and local institutions instead. buff.ly/IR4Og0P

On the Legal Theory Blog, @lsolum.bsky.social says Professor @richardprimus.bsky.social 's new paper is "Deep, fascinating, conceptually rich, and thought provoking" and gives it his "highest recommendation." Read it here: legaltheoryblog.com/2026/04/06/p...

MDefenders students @umichlaw.bsky.social are spending this week chatting about how to make the most of their summer internships in public defender offices. To our public defender followers: any advice on what to do or not do this summer?

Purge of experienced federal agents and prosecutors on pretextual grounds is not just lawless, it’s dangerous. My thoughts in ⁦‪@USATODAY.com.

Looking forward to visiting @umichlaw.bsky.social on Tuesday for a @shortcircuitij.bsky.social Live podcast with @chrisjwalker.bsky.social @nbagley.bsky.social & Zach Larsen! We'll discuss 3 recent opinions from (where else?) the federal courts of appeals. www.michiganlawfedsoc.com/events/live-...

America’s governance crisis is rooted in weak state and local capacity, so reformers should target state and local elections, procedures, and budgets, argue @profschleich.bsky.social of Yale Law School and @nbagley.bsky.social of @umichlaw.bsky.social. www.theregreview.org/2026/04/15/h...

“We really are at a moment when the power of the purse is in a crisis. If Congress doesn’t stand up, I don’t see why every executive in the future isn’t going to follow some playbook like this.” —Professor @sbagen.bsky.social on @npr.org www.npr.org/2026/04/13/n...

View the message from President-elect Kent Syverud: myumi.ch/5krmr

An update from University of Michigan Board of Regents Chair Mark J. Bernstein about the presidential transition. youtu.be/Qod4Nczs07s

ICYMI: I reviewed Prof Maybell Romero's @maybell.bsky.social forthcoming article, "Gossip," at Jotwell @jotwell.bsky.social : legalpro.jotwell.com/lady-whistle...

I talked to Alex Witt MSNow @msnowreports.bsky.social about how Todd Blanche should be unconfirmable as Attorney General: www.ms.now/weekends-wit...

Professor @nbagley.bsky.social joined Professor @kevintfrazier.bsky.social (Texas Law) to talk about the Abundance Agenda, its nexus with AI policy, and what this all means for the future of legal education and governance. Listen: www.lawfaremedia.org/article/scal...

Prediction markets permit people to bet on world events, and they also offer opportunities for corruption. My thoughts in Stay Tuned. substack.com/@barbmcquade...

New episode of #SistersSidebar is here. Now on video. You asked and we answered. And you can always listen the old way here. www.politicon.com/podcast-epis...

Filing a motion to exclude evidence of prior convictions? Use this pleading as a model to guide your analysis and prevent prejudicial evidence from being admitted against your client! datafordefenders.org/wp-content/u...

5Qs: Professor Jeffery Zhang Discusses Banking Regulation, Repeated Bailouts, and Mike Tyson michigan.law.umich.edu/news/5qs-zha...

The Law & Mobility Program at @umichlaw.bsky.social will now be livestreaming my talk with Jonathan Levine on transportation and abundance on Thursday 4/9 at 12pm ET: umich.zoom.us/j/94271664067

“...it is worth taking a moment to really think about where we are … if enough people create enough conspiracy blogs, and create enough doubt, such that they say, ‘Actually, I’m fine with this,’ then the American experiment will end.” —Professor Ekow Yankah concentratemedia.com/washtenaw-co...

We have launched an AI Advisory Council, a distinguished group of alumni and leaders from across the legal profession, the technology sector, and academia. Read more: michigan.law.umich.edu/news/michiga...

A Detroit man regained his freedom from prison Tuesday, thanks to the work of the Michigan Innocence Clinic (MIC)—27 years to the day after his wrongful conviction in a murder case. michigan.law.umich.edu/news/michiga...

“The government argument to a large extent relies on … people who are repeating what (these 19th century legal scholars) said uncritically. If you strip that out of the government’s brief, it looks really weak.” —Professor Sam Erman in @washingtonpost.com www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

Excited to be presenting my new work (with Jonathan Levine) on transportation and the abundance agenda at @umichlaw.bsky.social on Thursday, 4/9 and @nyulaw.bsky.social on Thursday, 4/16. Details: michigan.law.umich.edu/events/abund... www.law.nyu.edu/events/trans...

Advocacy + sustainability. Michigan Law’s Public Defender Training Institute explicitly builds skills to avoid burnout and sustain yourself in a public defense career. michigan.law.umich.edu/mdefenders

Síofra O’Leary, former president of the European Court of Human Rights, shared her experiences on the court and some of the wisdom she gained along the way during a recent lunchtime talk at Michigan Law. michigan.law.umich.edu/news/four-ta...

Innovation and policy challenges of AI–drug hybrids - @nicholson.bsky.social @umichlaw.bsky.social go.nature.com/41u0p2R