US supreme court rejects call to overturn decision legalizing same-sex marriage buff.ly/dTF7Btw One less nightmare on the horizon

More Christian nationalism from the US Supreme Court Dissent has it right: "[The government] provides no evidence of harmful confusion or other problems caused by transgender Americans who are using passports with sex markers corresponding to their current gender identity."

Can’t stop won’t stop

Why is the Onion more trenchant than the actual newspapers?

That large numbers of people believe it isn’t possible to know what is actually happening in the world = a crisis for democracy

h/t @prof-kari-hong.bsky.social This is America

Welcome to America, the land that traumatizes little children

"It is not a violation of these canons for a judge to publicly refrain from performing a wedding ceremony based upon a sincerely held religious belief." Language does not preclude refusing to perform mixed race weddings either. Just wow, Texas. I am embarrassed for you.

They’ll fight to force women to give birth, then shrug when 16 million children lose food. This is what “pro-life” really looks like.

Protest frog learning Latin dance

Portuguese artist Joana Vasconcelos, installation with Azores crocheted lace #WomensArt

Change one letter, ruin a candy Pounds

Blessing your timeline with the rotund rodent champ 💜

The Walton family (who own Walmart) are worth over $400 billion, yet many of their employees are on SNAP. Bezos is worth over $400 billion, many Amazon employees require SNAP. The people who need help are not the problem. It’s corporate greed. It’s an unwillingness to pay a living wage.

How Politics Is Changing the Way History Is Taught "teachers are shying away from lessons that were once uncontroversial, on topics as basic as constitutional limits on executive power" THE WHOLE POINT OF OUR CONSTITUTIONAL STRUCTURE OF GOVT IS TO PREVENT TRYANNY BY DIVIDING & LIMITING POWER

Some good news!

Nine months ago I put most of my hope in major institutions continuing to hold fascism in check, but had little expectation that regular people with little to no power would step up and put themselves at risk. I had it exactly backward.

A good decision by 4th Circuit

“I didn’t expect people to cave so easily,” said a transgender Texas Tech University alumna.

Notably, "Almost all state legislators who voted for the Idaho Medical Freedom Act also voted to ban abortion, if they were in office at both times." So much for bodily autonomy. No autonomy to protext embryos But autonomy is suddenly king even if it kills actual children

Obviously millions of people turned out yesterday for the #NoKings protest so why isn’t that the headline on all the American papers? www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

The largest protest I have seen in Miami

Go UVA! U.Va. rejects Trump Compact buff.ly/7BmNv5F “A contractual arrangement predicating assessment on anything other than merit will undermine the integrity of vital, sometimes lifesaving, research and further erode confidence in American higher education.”

Our Constitution was designed to prevent a monarchy. Find your nearest #NoKings event happening tomorrow!

Penn, USC join growing list of universities declining Trump’s federal funding deal buff.ly/SNURZoe MIT was the trailblazer Then Brown Yesterday Penn & USC rejected Trump's "Compact"--an attempt to undermine the independence of universities. Hopefully the rest will soon follow

Good news! Penn rejects White House proposal for special funding treatment buff.ly/2PpOPL3 University of Penn follows in the footsteps in MIT & Brown to reject pernicious "compact."

LOVE! (Also, where can I get one?)

That is a lot of people falling prey to misinformation and disinformation Their ignorance is going to end up killing their kids and others

Brown rejects compact "A fundamental part of academic excellence is awarding research funding on the merits . . .The compact contemplates funding research on criteria other than the soundness and likely impact of research, which would ultimately damage the health and prosperity of America"

NY Times Pitchbot with the perfect false equivalency

FAFO

I urge everyone to show up to a local No Kings protest. Bring an American flag. After all, we are the true patriots.

Perfect for Saturday! #NoKings #FrogPower

Universities! Take note. Unite and say #NoCompact

Do you know what you are doing on Saturday, October 18? If the answer is no, you are deserving of nonlethal, but firm slap. #NoKings

Oh please Alito would happily argue that same-sex marriage is not deeply rooted in our nation's history & tradition so no substantive due process right. Then he will gleefully declare sexual orientation triggers no heightened scrutiny bc no one from reconstruction generation would think it should

Evil in America

It is important to celebrate the wins

Supreme Court granted cert

MIT rejects Compact "The premise of the document is inconsistent with our core belief that scientific funding should be based on scientific merit alone...America’s leadership in science & innovation depends on independent thinking....Therefore, with respect, we cannot support the proposed approach"

This is an egregious abuse of power, and only one of many. This alone should justify impeaching and removing Trump from power I mean, if even the mealy-mouthed NYT is willing to baldly state Trump is using the nation's DOJ for his own petty, personal, vindictive ends....

Absolutely astounding that Trump has not been impeached for his abuses of power.

"Any university leader who signs on to this compact would betray everything good and solid about the university and would do deep and permanent harm to the United States and the world." @sivav.bsky.social newrepublic.com/article/2013...

Hello! I am your friendly neighborhood First Amendment professor here to provide some background on Chiles v. Salazar, to be argued in Supreme Court this morning. At issue is whether Colorado can ban licensed therapists from inflicting the discredited practice of “conversion therapy” on minors

"ADF cited several scholars to support its arg that conversion practices should once again be permitted. Two, however, [said] that ADF had “profoundly” misrepresented their research, which discussed the “psychological damage” of conversion therapy." & SCOTUS will no doubt accept ADF's distortions

Toad: I just listened to Supreme Court oral arguments

I guess I will live blog the argument. Unless I get too disgusted and stop.