🚨NEWS: @knightcolumbia.org & @protectdemocracy.org just filed a lawsuit on behalf of @thecoalition.bsky.social challenging the Trump administration's policy targeting social media researchers and trust & safety workers for visa revocation and deportation. More: knightcolumbia.org/content/tech...

We @knightcolumbia.org have started to post short essays from some of the scholars and advocates participating in our "Reconstructing Free Expression" project. I'm going to post the essays in this thread, as we publish them. They're really good! knightcolumbia.org/research/rec...

For our Reconstructing Free Expression series, @akapczynski.bsky.social proposes a People’s College offering govt-funded 2-year degrees to all U.S. adults, with institutions required to agree to standards that would make #highered more democratically accountable. knightcolumbia.org/blog/the-peo...

In a new contribution to our Reconstructing Free Expression series, @rlevinsonwaldman.bsky.social writes about how courts and Congress can curtail the government’s use of social media to surveil people’s First Amendment-protected activities. knightcolumbia.org/blog/ending-...

Just published the first post for our Reconstructing Free Expression initiative, by @jamalgreene.bsky.social: Free Expression in the Shadow State, proposing the creation of alternative "shadow" govt institutions as mechanisms to express & fight for public values: knightcolumbia.org/blog/free-ex...

This is the single most effective pro-vaccine piece I've ever read. Especially if you are also active on other, bigger social media platforms, share the gift link below. You might save a life. (I am already extremely pro-vaccine and I suspect most others on this platform are too.)

My team at the Crowd Counting Consortium (@djpressman.bsky.social, Soha Hammam, & Chris Shay) has shared a big data update, covering all recorded US protests through Jan 2026. Some key takeaways 🧵:

Looking forward to working with a lot of smart, committed people on this. One of the things that keeps me motivated is the belief that the post-Trump period (and there will be one) may be a time when genuine rethinking/rebuilding of democratic institutions is possible. We should be ready for it.

The arrests of Lemon and Fort are intended to deter journalists from doing work we need them to do, and that the First Amendment was meant to protect. DOJ should drop these prosecutions or the courts should throw them out. knightcolumbia.org/content/knig...

No Kings is hosting what is shaping up to be the largest ICE Watch training in history tonight. Join here: www.mobilize.us/nokings/even...

Apropos of the TikTok news last week, I have a piece coming out abt how the Supreme Court's decision to uphold the ban-or-sale law belongs in the First Amendment anticanon. It's not just wrong, but so wrong we should hold it up as an exceptional symbol of wrongness. papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

www.mobilize.us?tag_ids=29132 Find your local ICE Out For Good event👇 and get out there this weekend. It is really important to peacefully demonstrate how angry we are right now. Make them feel it. I believe we will.

As someone who edits a lot of essays (including the one by Yoel that this book incorrectly quotes) - a good cite check process should have caught this. If I’d published a piece where an error of this magnitude somehow slipped past the checker, I would feel obligated to issue a correction.

NB: When I, a professor of law, profess that an act is unlawful, I am not doing it to inform the lawbreaker, but rather to inform you, the reader. So the question “what, like you think he cares?” is inapposite. The question is whether *you* care. I think you should, which is why I bother.

How can scientists make a difference when democratic norms, institutions, & rights are under threat? Weds @ 12:30 ET join me, Jon Penney, Sarah Brayne, & @katygb.bsky.social for a @knightcolumbia.org panel on science, the courts, & chilling effects. WE NEED YOU 🫵🏽 knightcolumbia.org/events/the-s...

Next Wednesday 12/10, 12:30 ET: Join our @knightcolumbia.org webinar to hear @natematias.bsky.social @penney.bsky.social @sarahbrayne.bsky.social talk about using social science to study chilling effects, and how courts use this kind of evidence: knightcolumbia.org/events/the-s...

Dec. 10: Join me online @knightcolumbia.org to talk with social scientists and legal experts about studying chilling effects: How can we use science to detect and measure chill? We'll get into study design, existing findings, & how courts look at social science: knightcolumbia.org/events/the-s...

Dec. 10: Join me online @knightcolumbia.org to talk with social scientists and legal experts about studying chilling effects: How can we use science to detect and measure chill? We'll get into study design, existing findings, & how courts look at social science: knightcolumbia.org/events/the-s...

The joy this man has doing his patriotic duty

Monday 12:30 ET: The chilling effects of the Trump administration's policies (and jawboning) are widespread - how are they being challenged in court, and what is the state of 1A doctrine on chilling effects? An expert panel will discuss, including current cases AAUP v. Rubio and UAW v. State Dept:

Call for proposals 👇 for our @knightcolumbia.org project on the legal profession in an age of authoritarianism: What is the role of lawyers in defending democracy? What factors contribute to lawyers’ role in either resisting authoritarianism or accommodating it? knightcolumbia.org/blog/call-fo...

We @knightcolumbia.org are doing two online events on chilling effects: First on 11/17 on the state of 1A doctrine and current cases involving chilling effects claims, and 2nd on 12/10 on using social science to study the chill caused by particular laws and policies. RSVP links below & in next post:

A striking feature of Trump 2.0 is that while elites capitulated immediately, ordinary citizens are using democratic institutions--e.g. the right to trial-by-jury--to the absolute hilt in defence of democracy. Robber barons and sincecured pundits gave in; the citizenry fights back harder than ever.

Thinking about how important the First Amendment right to record is to getting strong findings of fact like this from judges. The government will lie, so having footage - esp. from multiple views/angles - is crucial. And it's why journalists and those recording are targeted by law enforcement.

We @knightcolumbia.org are doing two online events on chilling effects: First on 11/17 on the state of 1A doctrine and current cases involving chilling effects claims, and 2nd on 12/10 on using social science to study the chill caused by particular laws and policies. RSVP links below & in next post:

Come have lunch and listen to a terrific group of experts discuss the future of press freedom on Wednesday Nov. 5 at @columbiajournalism.bsky.social, RSVP details below:

Appropriate moment for an info session on chilling effects and the First Amendment - details and RSVP here: knightcolumbia.org/events/litig...

Investigative reporting is so important! Charges dropped a day after @philinvestigates.com interview with the sheriff aired.

Want to learn more about chilling effects and why they matter to the First Amendment? Join our webinar with litigators and experts on Monday, Nov. 17, including @carriedecell.bsky.social @evelyndouek.bsky.social @penney.bsky.social @stacylivingston.bsky.social: knightcolumbia.org/events/litig...

Since moving to civil society, I've noticed a huge dearth of support for researchers working in the space - although there are tons of us! Come join this D&SxACLUxCDT event where we talk about the opportunities and challenges of research to support tech policy & advocacy!

Want to learn more about chilling effects and why they matter to the First Amendment? Join our webinar with litigators and experts on Monday, Nov. 17, including @carriedecell.bsky.social @evelyndouek.bsky.social @penney.bsky.social @stacylivingston.bsky.social: knightcolumbia.org/events/litig...

I will. I will also tell them about the courage of ordinary people that I see every day. I didn’t expect the elite cowardice, but I also didn’t expect the protests small and large, the tireless work to protect neighbors, the indie media outlets more than meeting the moment. That's what gives me hope

Join us next Wednesday at @columbiajournalism.bsky.social to talk about the future of press freedom as we slide towards authoritarianism. RSVP link below.

I like the “we’d rather compete for funding on merit” message of many of the schools turning them down; nice little extra thumbing of the nose

The teeny tiny No Kings things in very red areas are so huge Say like five or six people show up. None of them knew each other before. Suddenly they’re all friends. And maybe from that you get a group that does longer-term organizing that can punch *way* above its weight considering where it is

"The Department of Education’s proposed 'compact for higher education' is unconstitutional and should be unequivocally rejected by universities" -- new from Amanda Shanor & @serenamayeri.bsky.social at @knightcolumbia.org

Fantastic research by an incredible team, on the depth and breadth of current US protest activity - heartening to read, too.

New essay by Profs. @ashanor.bsky.social and @serenamayeri.bsky.social, counting the many ways Trump's proposed "compact" for higher ed violates the Constitution (inc. the First Am., separation of powers, spending power, equal protection, due process): knightcolumbia.org/blog/a-brief...

If you’ve never been to a big protest like No Kings before: It feels great to be part of a big gathering of people who want to change things. It sparks joy, and resolve for the long fight ahead. Sometimes there are dance parties. You could be the one who starts the dance party! Just show up!

If you’ve never been to a big protest like No Kings before: It feels great to be part of a big gathering of people who want to change things. It sparks joy, and resolve for the long fight ahead. Sometimes there are dance parties. You could be the one who starts the dance party! Just show up!

Things are happening at Portland's ICE facility tonight. Read more of our protest coverage here: www.oregonlive.com/crime/2025/1...

MIT's response to the Trump admin's proposed "compact" is excellent and should be a model for other universities. orgchart.mit.edu/letters/rega...

"The greatest weapon that the forces of regime change possess is the fear of inevitability. If everyone believes that Mr. Trump will succeed in reshaping America, he will." @himself.bsky.social on how civil society can win by sticking together (gift link) www.nytimes.com/2025/10/08/o...

From the complaint: “No legitimate purpose exists for this brutality or for these arrests. The officers are not physically threatened. No government property is threatened. Defendants are acting to intimidate and silence the press and civilians engaged in protected First Amendment activities.”

I am always proud to work with such brilliant, principled colleagues at @knightcolumbia.org. Today more than ever. Our litigators gave this case everything they had, and they won.

Well, it’s a fitting day to announce a new @knightcolumbia.org project: We’ll be working with Prof. Madhav Khosla, a comparative constitutional law scholar, for the next two years on the role of the legal profession in an era of rising authoritarianism: knightcolumbia.org/content/madh...

that's why you bring the US flag to protests, folks

In this post I explain why the suspension of Kimmel’s show looks like a blatant 1A violation, as all NINE members of SCOTUS last year made clear.... but also why courts may not be able to do much about it (and yet Kimmel should still sue!) blog.dividedargument.com/p/did-brenda...

The Court just ruled a year ago (in NRA v Vullo) that "government officials cannot attempt to coerce private parties in order to punish or suppress views that the government disfavors."

Read @daphnek.bsky.social on jawboning below - and more posts in the @knightcolumbia.org jawboning series she wrote for are available here: knightcolumbia.org/research/jaw...