Genuinely funny that Sonia Sotomayor issued a public apology today for her mild criticism of a conservative colleague on a specific, substantive issue, and then a few hours later Clarence Thomas picked up a mic and was like ALL LIBERALS ARE AMERICA-HATING COWARDS

She was granted withholding of removal from India *decades* ago, and had been living and working legally (including for the U.S. government!) ever since. But with third country removals now a real option, TSA shared her data with ICE and they arrested her at the airport on her way to a job.

Today, these Dems likely to hand Trump-Kash Patel FISA Section 702 power to access Americans' emails, texts, calls without a warrant @meeks.house.gov @jahimes.bsky.social @adamsmith.house.gov "undecided" While Trump admin appears poised to abuse such powers against bogus "antifa" affiliates.

This morning at 10 ET, the Senate Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee is holding a hearing on … the Second Amendment: www.hsgac.senate.gov/hearings/the... I’m the minority witness. My written testimony offers some thoughts about what the Committee ought to be talking about instead:

Always read Barb... congrats and looking forward

For me, a big “aha” moment in law school was when I realized that every year, the handful of normal, median-ish guys (they were all guys) who would land huge clerkships seemingly out of nowhere were all officers in the student FedSoc chapter

The pending ruling in Trump v. Cook (on his highly dubious justification for firing Lisa Cook from the Fed) will very likely undercut this vow

Breaking NYT: Trump is now threatening to fire Jerome Powell if he does not resign from the Federal Reserve. Powell's term as Fed chair officially ends on May 15, but he can stay on as a governor until 2028 and has said he would not leave until the criminal investigation is over.

Honored to Share That I have Been Named a 2026 Guggenheim Fellow, for Work on My Book, Unbent Arc: The Rise and Decline of American Democracy 1964-2024 electionlawblog.org?p=155421 #guggfellows2026

of course it will fail. the point is to say "he is a danger to the country. he thinks he's jesus and he has the nukes. but republicans think he should endanger us and the troops. they should be removed from office too." and then repeat.

this is called "doing something"

Pamela Jo should be testifying under oath today before House Oversight about the Epstein Files, but she is intentionally ignoring her subpoena. I mean, as far back as Feb. 2025, Pamela Jo was hellbent on getting justice per the below Facebook post. Let’s get the contempt process started, shall we?

The writing life, courtesy of Franz Kafka.

Peter Magyar’s election is an earthquake for MAGA. He says Orban’s regime paid for CPAC events in Hungary, that is a “crime,” and he’s ending the practice. CPAC conferences in the U.S. & Hungary are key ideological events for the far-right. Now they’ll have to pay for it on their own in Hungary.

Trump wanted to kill off PBS & NPR by defunding them. It hasn't worked as intended—viewers came to their aid & now a fed'l judge has held Trump's executive order unconstitutional. We also look at why Trump might dislike public media & a Muppet named Donald Grump. open.substack.com/pub/joycevan...

“This has never happened before,” one government employee tells WIRED. “I have never gotten a message like this from anyone.” www.wired.com/story/govern...

Holy jeez. If you’re a Canadian living in the US.... maybe don't. Tania Warner, a Canadian mother who was detained by ICE in Texas, describes the conditions she faced and shares why she was apprehended. #Pinks www.ctvnews.ca/video/2026/0...

A deep dive: When Trump tried to overturn the 2020 election, the institutional guardrails of American democracy held. But if faced with the same tests today, those barriers — and people who held the line — would largely be missing. @dougbockclark.bsky.social @jenafifield.bsky.social

One way that Orbán sought to entrench power was adopting a new Hungarian constitution in 2011 that classified many policy areas as 'cardinal laws' that require a two-thirds majority vote to change. With almost 100% of votes counted, the Hungarian opposition has just achieved what seemed impossible.

I’m not sure it has broken through to the general public that the president is a megalomaniac crazy person. Hopefully posts like this help.

With two experts on impeachment and the 25th Amendment, about the real costs of ceding the field: @raskin.house.gov, and Professor Michael Gerhardt shows.acast.com/amicus-with-...

My New One at MS Now: “Three ways the Supreme Court could upend the midterm elections” — A Call for Court To Take Timing into Account in Callais, NRSC, and Watson @msnownews.bsky.social www.ms.now/opinion/supr...

Donald Trump’s Department of Justice found a new and disturbing way to try to consolidate power exclusively in the hands of Trump. slate.trib.al/ZeyVx1v

NEW: Pam Bondi is backing out of her scheduled deposition on the Epstein files. DOJ claims she can just ignore a House committee's subpoena because she's not AG anymore. www.huffpost.com/entry/pam-bo... w/ @delaneyrules.bsky.social

Moms for Liberty: being associated with this white Evangelical group is now a death knell for school board candidates.

Hegseth: "God deserves all the glory. Tens of thousands of sorties, refuelings, and strikes, carried out under the protection of divine providence. A massive effort with miraculous protection."

It was not that long ago when conservatives had a chokehold on every branch of Wisconsin government, piles of Koch and Uline money, and seemed unstoppable. People worked FUCKING HARD to change that shit and now look at em. Change is always possible and never ever easy.

I only learned this term “third place” 15 years into my 25 year career…I plan live events for a large city, and placemaking has been creeping into my orbit for some time now. The term made a gigantic light turn on for me. As citizens we are owed healthy third places. Our leaders need to prioritize.

The 25th amendment Sec. 4, just as a remedy for presidential incapacitation, seems really, really flawed unless the circumstances are super-clear. This is it:

Even if you don’t normally stop what you’re doing to watch video, you’ll want to see Professor Scheppele explain what we can learn about protecting our own upcoming elections by watching Orbán’s machinations ahead of the Sunday election there. Essential viewing! open.substack.com/pub/joycevan...

With @mjsdc.bsky.social on Bondi and Birthright and roadblocks to authoritarian creep

Exit of Trump officials including FBI director Patel under discussion, Atlantic reports reut.rs/3OebPEZ

So Bondi's fully out of the administration Trump: "We love Pam, and she will be transitioning to a much needed and important new job in the private sector, to be announced at a date in the near future..."

I do think it is noteworthy that the first two cabinet-level firings were both 1) women 2) doing everything possible to do what he wanted. I mean, Trump’s a misogynist, news at 11, but still.

FOX CONFIRMS PAM BONDI OUT AS AG TODD BLANCHE TO BE INTERIM AG

Breaking: We've sued the Trump administration over the mail voting executive order. It's illegal. Unworkable. And anti-democratic. It would block eligible voters from casting ballots. We're representing civic groups in this challenge, with other voting groups as co-counsel.

A day after Mike Johnson and John Thune put out a joint statement declaring a "deal" to fund DHS, the Senate voted early today to pass its bill to reopen DHS and House Republicans... chose not to vote on it. DHS shutdown continues! www.huffpost.com/entry/news-l...

“Trump privately asked cabinet officials in recent wks whether he should replace his director of nat intel, Tulsi Gabbard, venting frustration that she shielded former deputy who undercut his rationale for war w Iran… It is not clear that Trump will actually fire Gabbard”

🎙️ @ianbassin.bsky.social joined @dahlialithwick.bsky.social to discuss threats to the 2026 elections —“deceive, disrupt, deny” — and our collective power to protect the 2026 elections. Listen to Amicus ⬇️

If you did not attend the live arguments in Trump v. Barbara, you could only hear the arguments. Jerry Goldman and I (and @spoolerfm.bsky.social & Idib) created clips of the audio with AI video. Here is the first clip: @umnpolisci.bsky.social @dahlialithwick.bsky.social @ninatotenberg.bsky.social

Powerful words from J. Jackson in today's #SCOTUS conversion therapy case: "Before now, licensed medical professionals had to adhere to standards when treating patients ... Today, the Court turns its back on that tradition. And, to be completely frank, no one knows what will happen now."

SMASHING THAT PREORDER BUTTON! This is SO important-& SO necessary to incorporate into legal/political left thinking about the courts. Read it; use it in your book club; etc. & excited to talk about it on Strict Scrutiny! @strictscrutiny.bsky.social Preorder button: wwnorton.com/books/978132...

Ugh; it's Chiles. Gorsuch writes the majority opinion concluding CO's conversion therapy ban (really a restriction on licensing therapists) is unconstitutional when applied to a therapist who wants to do conversion talk therapy www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25p...

The Supreme Court's only opinion is Chiles v. Salazar. By an 8–1 vote, the court holds that Colorado's ban on LGBTQ "conversion therapy" for minors is viewpoint discrimination and therefore triggers strict scrutiny under the First Amendment. Jackson dissents. www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25p...

Only SCOTUS decision today is in the conversion therapy case. Justice Gorsuch writing. The case is from the same sitting as Callais, which means now that only Justice Alito has not written for that sitting.

Hello.

This week @ianbassin.bsky.social is absolutely looking around corners to the midterms and then beyond. Nobody as clear-eyed about the challenges and the path as the team at Protect Democracy.

ABC reports that Mike Flynn’s reward for committing crimes for Trump will be $1.2M. abcnews.com/US/doj-pay-t...