This week’s @openargs.bsky.social I cover how states can ensure access to vaccines, despite the CDC & FDA bs. Vaccines save lives, especially for people w/ disabilities. Overcast (below) Apple podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/o... Browser directory.libsyn.com/episode/inde... Or any podcast player

Today’s @openargs.bsky.social redistricting in TX, why NY probably won’t join that fight, Trump’s on his bs again about absentee ballots, changes to immigration standards, & a trademarks case Check it out on Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/o... Or Overcast (not a sponsor, just my fav player):

The EO on homelessness is cruel, not evidence-based, and will hit major legal challenges. Learn more on episode 1180 of @openargs.bsky.social Browser link: directory.libsyn.com/episode/inde...

Harm-reduction is evidence-based. Housing-first is evidence-based. Involuntary commitment is supposed to be a temporary last resort to save lives, not a back door to imprison people indefinitely without trial or representation. The new ugly laws: So rich people don’t have to see what they’ve done

AJT v Osseo just a solid good decision. Thomas concurrence predictably awful, invites new challenger to dismantle the ADA. Kavanaugh signing on to it is concerning. Sotomayor concurrence was exceptional. Hear me explain the case and discuss how the oral arguments got spicy on @openargs.bsky.social

Lawsuit in Rockland County NY is all over social media, but the claims of voter fraud just don’t add up… literally. In Part 1 @seriouspod.bsky.social and I cover the legal/sociopolitical problems with the case… after venting about why election fraud claims just suck in general 😂. Part 2 is math!

New York: Today’s the day! Primary elections are happening in most jurisdictions, 6am - 9pm. It is hot hot hot out there, so bring water, sunscreen, umbrella, etc. It is legal to hand out water to those on line, just no campaign logos! If you experience an accessibility barrier, document it!

NY: Today is the LAST DAY TO REGISTER for primaries & 1st day of early voting! Outside NYC you can vote at any polling place in your County. In the 5 boroughs your polling place is assigned. Look-up polling places at this link.

David Geier, chosen to study autism at HHS, isn’t just an unqualified pseudoscience promoter, uncommitted to truth. He’s a monster. & no, these facts from Board of Physicians weren’t overturned, per RFK Jrs contortions Hear me rage about it w/ @seriouspod.bsky.social @seriouslydiaonly.bsky.social

NY get ready for the primaries! Local elections only (odd year). Local politics impact your life every day. Roads, sidewalks, utilities, parks, policing, budgets… and then the coroner for some reason. Election Day: June 24 Early Voting: June 14-22 Last day to register: June 14

NC election case ended about as well as it could have. The obvious winner won, and a federal court (eventually) held that “no you cannot in fact change the voter eligibility rules for an election after the election, can’t believe I have to say this”. That this was ever up for debate should worry you

NY today 05/20 Most school districts vote for school board seats & budget. May also have library board & budget on same ballot. The contingency budget (if you vote no) saves you like $100 for the entire year, but adds up to huge cuts for the district, so yes on the budget is pretty obvious to me

New York: Most school districts and libraries will have their board and budget elections May 20. Make sure you’re registered, and request an absentee or early mail ballot ASAP if desired. You will need to work with your board of *education* not the board of elections for this one.

The horror of the NC Supreme Court case cannot be overstated. Don’t be deceived by headlines focused on all the votes that won’t be challenged b/c Supreme Court ruled less terribly than Appeals Court. They’re still changing the rules for eligibility & proving ID *retroactively* without oral argument

Impossible to do full fact check in 300 characters but debate today full of lies. Claims of “non-citizen voting” almost always *possible* non-citizens who have *never* voted registered b/c of others’ mistakes. Real votes by confirmed non-citizens? The thousands cited falls to tens over entire States

SAVE Act passes House. B/c it was introduced as a “closed rule” w/ other bills & resolutions, amendments to reduced the harm couldn’t be voted on, saving R’s embarrassment of going on record voting no. Senate could end filibuster at any time, & this would likely pass if only 50 votes were required.

04/07 Congressional Black Caucus spoke on education. GA-7 Rep McBath on the discontinuation of a disability education program affecting multiple States. 8:25:52. Clyburn, CS-6, also gave a moving speech on diversity and education, including his experience with integration in the South. 8:00:35.

04/01 the weirdest House debate: H. Res. 228. A motion to consider multiple motions, resolutions, and bills, including the SAVE Act, and a motion to somehow prevent the proxy voting rule for new parents in the House ever being voted on. Proxy voting had wide bipartisan support and cosponsors. /1

Please don’t let this rain on your well-deserved Wisconsin victory parade, but the drastic ticket splitting in favor of voter-ID is so disappointing. Possible messaging to those convinced we need voter-ID: A push for free *automatically issued* ID. Lessens the harm and demonstrates the problem?

Biden admin: Lets fund addiction treatment, and crack down on shipments at border crossings. Trump: It would be cheaper if you were dead We made so much progress on substance use disorders. The last thing we need when people are losing jobs, resources, and hope, is nowhere to turn for help.

New EO basically the SAVE Act. Not legal, but I worry States will take excuse to use their real authority to administer elections to engage in severe voter ID crack downs. Never hurts to bring ID to polls. If you can help others get ID, it’s time. League of Women Voters 1 option to spread awareness

Check out my appearance on @openargs.bsky.social about Section 504. Call your State AG and ask them why they signed on to a lawsuit that explicitly calls the most important disability rights protections unconstitutional. TX, AK, AL, AR, FL, GA, IN, IA, KS, LA, MO, MT, NE, SC, SD, UT, WV. No excuses.

Decision out of NY’s highest court in Fossella v Adams: non-citizens cannot vote in municipal elections (a small but growing practice in other states). This is based solely on the text of the NYS Constitution and does not affect other States.

Check out my appearance on @openargs.bsky.social to hear more about the SAVE Act. Ultimately Democrats don’t have the votes to stop it on their own, but peeling off 2 Republicans in the House should not be out of reach if Dems hold the line. Call your Representatives!!

SAVE Act is a 5 alarm fire. Many cannot produce a birth certificate or passport to register, including married women who have changed their names. Voter registration drives would be impossible. I hope it is controversial enough to stop Republicans nuking the filibuster but Trump is pushing it hard

Why halt Stefanik? House is at 218-215, slimmest majority since 1931, w/ 2 FL vacancies to be filled in Apr 1 elections. Both went 66% to R’s in 2024, so hard for D’s but maybe not impossible. Stefanik has yet to resign (won by 58%). If her seat flips, 217-218 in D’s favor is unlikely but possible.

The legal consequences of the North Carolina election lawsuit *may* be confined to NC, but attempting to retroactively throw out voters who did everything they were told was necessary by the Board of Elections undermines the very concept of democracy. The NC Supreme Court must do the right thing.

Whatever happens with Adams, he’s up in primary. Too late to change party if already registered. June deadlines: -9: Change of address* -14: Registration, absentee app online or by mail -14-22: Early voting -23: Apply for absentee in-person -24: Election Day, postmark or hand-deliver absentee

Day 1 Trump revoked a Biden order that required federal agencies to assist in voter registration and provide voting rights info to those seeking services (e.g.: VA), and helped states and the fed share info for ease of registration. It will be hard to measure the impact of this lost cooperation

3 cases could show the power of NY's new Voting Rights Act to prevent discrimination, or lead SCOTUS to hold state protection against racial discrimination is "reverse racism" (broadening SFA v Harvard). Big money is betting on the 2nd. Clarke v Newburgh Serratto v Mount Pleasant Young v Cheektowaga

Keep an eye on the latest Texas v Becerra (yes there are many). If you make it to page 37 of the complaint, they’re arguing all of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act is unconstitutional, not just Becerra’s order about gender. Section 504 is the lynchpin of disability rights in federal law.

Fossella v Adams heard 2/11 at the NY Court of Appeals (our highest court). NYC law allows greencard holders & Dreamers to vote in municipal elections. NYC is not the first city to do so. At issue: Can the city allow people to vote in city-only elections who are ineligible at state & federal levels