Alex Abdo
@alexabdo.bsky.social
📤 12154
📥 333
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Litigation Director, Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University (he/him)
reposted by
Alex Abdo
Katy Glenn Bass
2 days ago
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.
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Excellent op-ed on the Supreme Court's terrible decision in the TikTok case.
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12 days ago
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JUST FILED: Our opposition—on behalf of the National Association of Immigration Judges—to the government's motion asking the Supreme Court to put on hold our challenge to a sweeping prior restraint on the speech of the nation's immigration judges.
www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/25...
17 days ago
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Well worth the time to read this piece by the ACLU's Brett Max Kaufman on the Trump administration's boat strikes. Here's the kicker:
about 1 month ago
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reposted by
Alex Abdo
Knight First Amendment Institute
about 1 month ago
NEW: Fourth Circuit denies the government’s request for a rehearing in our challenge to a DOJ policy silencing immigration judges. We look forward to continuing the fight for the right of immigration judges to speak on matters of urgent public interest.Â
knightcolumbia.org/documents/sn...
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Great to finally see some collective action in rejecting a (likely unconstitutional) demand made by the Trump administration.
www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
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Media including Fox News overwhelmingly reject Pentagon press policy
Fox News, along with ABC, CBS, NBC and CNN, said that the Pentagon policy violates their “core journalistic protections.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/10/14/fox-news-among-broadcasters-refusing-sign-pentagon-press-pledge/
2 months ago
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reposted by
Alex Abdo
Jameel Jaffer
3 months ago
This is a perilous moment for democracy in the United States, but I couldn’t be prouder of the Knight Institute’s work right now, and I don’t take for granted that we have the freedom and resources to do it.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
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This free speech group at Columbia is taking on Trump when the university won’t – and winning
The Knight Institute is defending free speech at a school now synonymous with compromising on it
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/oct/10/knight-institute-columbia-university
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reposted by
Alex Abdo
Jameel Jaffer
3 months ago
Very proud of my colleagues right now--especially
@ramyakrishnan.bsky.social
and
@alexabdo.bsky.social
. But we could not have got this far without the superb trial lawyers at Sher Tremonte. Grateful to them for all of the time and energy they put into this case.
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/30/u...
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Judge Rules Trump Unlawfully Targeted Noncitizens Over Pro-Palestinian Speech
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/30/us/politics/student-speech-palestinians-ruling.html?unlocked_article_code=1.p08.F691.Ug46samUti5M&smid=bs-share
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reposted by
Alex Abdo
Mike Masnick
3 months ago
Tomorrow night, for folks not planning to watch the Yankees/Red Sox game, the 92nd St Y has four different talks. Thomas Friedman, Malcolm Gladwell, Kate McKinnon/Penn Badgley... or *me* with Lee Rowland &
@alexabdo.bsky.social
! (Ours is streaming only, not in person).
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reposted by
Alex Abdo
Bobby Allyn
3 months ago
Took a look at Kimmel's ouster in light of the longstanding Republican attacks on social media over jawboning, which, the Supreme Court has found, requires a direct causal line. The Kimmel case "is as direct a line as you could dream up,"
@alexabdo.bsky.social
told me
www.npr.org/2025/09/18/n...
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Legal experts say pulling Jimmy Kimmel from air may amount to illegal 'jawboning'
Free speech scholars say ABC's decision to suspend Jimmy Kimmel's late-night show indefinitely represents "jawboning," when government officials pressure private companies to suppress speech.
https://www.npr.org/2025/09/18/nx-s1-5545720/kimmel-abc-carr-fcc-jawboning
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reposted by
Alex Abdo
Rep. Jamie Raskin
4 months ago
Condemning another absolutely disgraceful act of gun violence. My thoughts & prayers are w/ Charlie Kirk & his family in this terrible moment & we are all grateful for first responders who immediately jumped into action. We must categorically reject all violence in our society.
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Chief Justice Roberts (2007): “The way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to stop discriminating on the basis of race.” Justice Kavanaugh (2025): ethnicity “can be a 'relevant factor' when considered along with other salient factors” in immigration stops.
4 months ago
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reposted by
Alex Abdo
Jameel Jaffer
5 months ago
The Columbia settlement is an “astonishing transfer of autonomy and authority to . . . an administration whose disdain for the values of the academy is demonstrated anew every day.” New
@knightcolumbia.org
analysis of the Columbia settlement, just published.
knightcolumbia.org/blog/what-th...
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What the Columbia Settlement Really Means
https://knightcolumbia.org/blog/what-the-columbia-settlement-really-means
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Recent law grads — we're now hiring for legal fellows to begin in Fall 2025. Our First Amendment rights are under daily assault. I hope you'll consider applying to work with us at
@knightcolumbia.org
to push back.
knightcolumbia.org/page/legal-f...
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| Knight First Amendment Institute
https://knightcolumbia.org/page/legal-fellow
5 months ago
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reposted by
Alex Abdo
Jameel Jaffer
6 months ago
JUST IN: the Ninth Circuit has revived the
@elfaroenglish.bsky.social
case against NSO Group. Congrats to my
@knightcolumbia.org
colleague
@carriedecell.bsky.social
, who argued the appeal, and to our co-counsel at Selendy Gay. Statement coming shortly.
knightcolumbia.org/documents/1x...
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Enjoyed this conversation with
@cristianfarias.com
about our upcoming trial — starting July 7 — in our suit challenging the Trump administration's policy of deporting students and scholars based on their pro-Palestinian expression.
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6 months ago
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This amicus brief by
@ccrjustice.org
and Palestine Legal rightly points out that Title VI does not—and could not constitutionally—require universities to suppress criticism of Israel's policies.
static1.squarespace.com/static/54874...
7 months ago
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In response to a lawsuit filed by
@knightcolumbia.org
and
@earthjustice.org
, the USDA is restoring climate-related webpages that it had purged. Great news for the farmers and advocates we represent.
apnews.com/article/usda...
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Facing lawsuit, USDA says it will restore climate change-related webpages
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has agreed to restore webpages related to climate change after it was sued earlier this year over the deletions.
https://apnews.com/article/usda-webpages-deleted-lawsuit-climate-change-3f86c33616b09cf8f3e02aa1c0ed5f3d
8 months ago
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reposted by
Alex Abdo
Patrick Toomey
8 months ago
We're hiring! If you're eager to work at the ACLU on issues where civil liberties and national security meet, we're hiring for an attorney position. And help us spread the word!
www.aclu.org/careers/appl...
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Careers at ACLU
Join our team! We’re looking for committed, passionate people for open roles at the ACLU.
https://www.aclu.org/careers/apply/?job=7979810002&type=national
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NEW JOB: The Knight Institute (
@knightcolumbia.org
) is looking for a staff attorney to join us for a two-year position. It's an extremely busy time for the First Amendment, and we could use some more hands on deck!
knightcolumbia.org/page/staff_a...
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| Knight First Amendment Institute
https://knightcolumbia.org/page/staff_attorney
8 months ago
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reposted by
Alex Abdo
Genevieve Lakier
8 months ago
In a really important passage, the judge rejects the relevance of the Second Red Scare precedents that the govt is relying upon, and affirms the significance of the 1A interests at stake here. The opinion makes clear how egregious the govt's actions have been.
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reposted by
Alex Abdo
Jameel Jaffer
8 months ago
Federal court says First Amendment bars government from arresting, deporting foreign students on basis of pro-Palestine advocacy. Important ruling from Judge Young just now in case brought by
@aaup.bsky.social
@mesa1966.bsky.social
@knightcolumbia.org
.
knightcolumbia.org/content/fede...
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Free speech is under grave assault, and it’s not obvious how to push back in a way that will be effective. Looking forward to discussing that question at tomorrow’s panel.
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8 months ago
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reposted by
Alex Abdo
Julian Sanchez
8 months ago
I feel like we need to keep saying this because it’s so insane: This is a legal U.S. resident who has been detained for over a month now for his political opinions.
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Excellent piece by
@mashagessen.bsky.social
on how universities should fight Trump’s attack on higher education.
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/14/o...
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Opinion | This Is How Universities Can Escape Trump’s Trap, If They Dare
It’s been tried in other countries facing authoritarian crackdowns. It works.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/14/opinion/trump-higher-education.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare
9 months ago
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reposted by
Alex Abdo
Jameel Jaffer
9 months ago
100 years of First Amendment law is worth very little if it doesn’t foreclose the government from arresting, imprisoning, and expelling legal permanent residents on the basis of their lawful political speech.
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At 9:30 ET, I’ll be arguing in the D.C. Circuit on behalf of
@accountableorg.bsky.social
in its challenge to the secrecy of OLC opinions. OLC opinions set the law of the executive branch, but they’re usually kept secret. Hoping we can change that today.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dzft...
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dzft7WXhDbY
9 months ago
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reposted by
Alex Abdo
Knight First Amendment Institute
9 months ago
📍TODAY at 9:30am ET:
@alexabdo.bsky.social
will appear before the D.C. Circuit in a lawsuit alleging the DOJ’s Office of Legal Counsel is violating
#FOIA
by failing to disclose certain categories of legal opinions that are binding on the executive branch. Livestream:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dzft...
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dzft7WXhDbY
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reposted by
Alex Abdo
Evelyn Douek
9 months ago
As the First Amendment cases proudly proclaim, "the best test of truth is the power of the thought to get itself accepted by customs and border protection"
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ICE appears to have deleted its X post making clear (if we needed more proof) that it believes its mission is to stop certain "IDEAS" from crossing the border. Here's a
perma.cc
link to the post:
perma.cc/2FLY-4S6J
9 months ago
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reposted by
Alex Abdo
Evelyn Douek
9 months ago
Can't be emphasized enough that the image of the US deporting people for things they said is so much more damaging to its foreign policy interests than anything a student might have said on the quad
add a skeleton here at some point
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This amicus brief — from the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration — is a tour de force in explaining just how damaging the administration’s targeting of international students will be for U.S. innovation and education.
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
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https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mad.282460/gov.uscourts.mad.282460.50.0.pdf
9 months ago
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Knight Institute (
@knightcolumbia.org
) lawyers will be in court arguing two cases this week. If you're interested in tuning in, here are the details. 1/4
9 months ago
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reposted by
Alex Abdo
Jameel Jaffer
9 months ago
It's a careful, well-reasoned opinion that rightly describes the exclusion of AP as retaliatory, viewpoint-based, and unconstitutional. And it reaffirms that viewpoint discrimination is off-limits even in nonpublic forums. An important opinion, especially right now.
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reposted by
Alex Abdo
Jameel Jaffer
9 months ago
We asked the Office of Legal Counsel whether it reviewed Trump's executive orders for form and legality. This is the letter we received in response. cc:
@charliesavage.bsky.social
@martylederman.bsky.social
@jacklgoldsmith.bsky.social
.
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/04/u...
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The Knight Institute (
@knightcolumbia.org
) joined a cross-ideological amicus brief led by the
@aclu.org
, in arguing that President Trump's executive order targeting Perkins Coie LLP is unconstitutional.
knightcolumbia.org/cases/perkin...
9 months ago
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reposted by
Alex Abdo
Xiangnong (George) Wang
9 months ago
Powerful op-ed from Profs. Maya Jasanoff and
@kirstenweld.bsky.social
. They are members of AAUP-Harvard, one of the groups challenging the Trump admin's policy of targeting noncitizen students and faculty for deportation based on their pro-Palestinian advocacy.
www.thecrimson.com/article/2025...
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We’re Harvard Professors Suing the Trump Administration. Here’s Why. | Opinion | The Harvard Crimson
Universities are currently on the front lines of a battle for basic civil liberties. We must fight for the values — and the people — that define us. This lawsuit is a start.
https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2025/3/28/jasanoff-weld-harvard-aaup-lawsuit-trump/
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The strategy is to divide and conquer. Refusing to stand together—staying divided—just makes each successive attack more likely and more successful than the last.
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/02/b...
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In Trump’s Fight With Perkins Coie, the Richest Law Firms Are Staying Quiet
None of the nation’s top-10 firms by revenue have signed a legal brief demonstrating support for the law firm that is resisting an executive order.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/02/business/trump-perkins-coie-amicus-brief.html
9 months ago
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reposted by
Alex Abdo
Evelyn Douek
9 months ago
Re-reading Abrams v. United States for the gazillionth time to prep for class tomorrow and I had overlooked this before, or forgotten it: perhaps the most famous free speech opinion ever, the birth of the "marketplace of ideas" metaphor was... written about non-citizens.
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We've asked a federal court to enter a preliminary injunction against the Trump administration's policy of rounding up and attempting to deport students and faculty for expressing pro-Palestinian views. Brief here:
knightcolumbia.org/documents/dc...
And here's the main First Amendment argument:
9 months ago
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In a sensible system, those ultimately in charge of our universities—the boards of trustees—would be selected for their commitment to academic freedom. That's not currently the case, unfortunately, and the results are unsurprising.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
9 months ago
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There's more courage and moral clarity in this letter from a law-school student group than in the leadership of some of the richest law firms on the planet.
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9 months ago
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Ben Franklin’s words remain prescient nearly 300 years later.
9 months ago
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Federal officials shouldn't be using "disappearing messages" unless they're separately preserving these texts as required by federal records laws.
9 months ago
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reposted by
Alex Abdo
Chris Geidner
9 months ago
BREAKING: The American Association of University Professors and other groups sue over what they call the Trump administration's “ideological-deportation policy" — which has already led to the arrest of Mahmoud Kahlil and targeting of others. Complaint:
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
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reposted by
Alex Abdo
The New York Times
9 months ago
Groups representing university professors sued the Trump administration on Tuesday. The lawsuit says the detention of noncitizen students and faculty members deprives U.S. citizens of their right to engage with foreign-born peers and to hear their perspectives.
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Professors Sue Trump Administration Over Arrests of Campus Protesters
The lawsuit says the detention of noncitizen students and faculty members deprives U.S. citizens of their right to engage with foreign-born peers.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/25/nyregion/professors-sue-trump.html?smtyp=cur&smid=bsky-nytimes
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reposted by
Alex Abdo
Derek Miller
9 months ago
Harvard's AAUP chapter (of which I am a proud member) is suing the Trump administration (along with other organizations) over the "policy of arresting, detaining, and deporting noncitizen students and faculty who participate in pro-Palestinian activism."
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American Association of University Professors v. Rubio
https://knightcolumbia.org/cases/aaup-v-rubio?link_id=5&can_id=895a0063efdb5c44b436920207f7a5a0&source=email-press-release-325-professors-sue-trump-administration-on-first-amendment-grounds&email_referrer=email_2669737&email_subject=press-release-325-professors-sue-trump-administration-on-first-amendment-grounds&&
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Courts often give near-total deference to the gov't in making decisions about national security, on the premise that it can be trusted to wield that power responsibly — even without judicial review. That premise was always wrong, but we're now getting daily reminders.
9 months ago
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reposted by
Alex Abdo
Knight First Amendment Institute
9 months ago
This morning, the Knight Institute filed a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s policy of arresting, detaining, and deporting noncitizen students and faculty who participate in pro-Palestinian activism.
knightcolumbia.org/content/aaup...
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AAUP, Middle East Studies Association, Knight Institute Sue Over Trump Policy of Arresting and Threatening to Deport Students and Faculty for Lawful Speech
https://knightcolumbia.org/content/aaup-middle-east-studies-association-knight-institute-sue-over-trump-policy-of-arresting-and-threatening-to-deport-students-and-faculty-for-lawful-speech
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JUST FILED: our new suit challenging the Trump administration's policy of deporting faculty and students for engaging in pro-Palestinian speech. Filed on behalf of
@aaup.bsky.social
,
@mesa1966.bsky.social
, and AAUP's NYU, Harvard, and Mass. chapters.
knightcolumbia.org/content/aaup...
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AAUP, Middle East Studies Association, Knight Institute Sue Over Trump Policy of Arresting and Threatening to Deport Students and Faculty for Lawful Speech
https://knightcolumbia.org/content/aaup-middle-east-studies-association-knight-institute-sue-over-trump-policy-of-arresting-and-threatening-to-deport-students-and-faculty-for-lawful-speech
9 months ago
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