A presumption that midcycle remaps are improperly motivated could be relevant here in Maryland should lawmakers try to restore some version of the state's old House gerrymander, which Judge Lynne Battaglia threw out as inconsistent with the Maryland constitution.

NEW for @washingtonmonthly.com: why state courts should strike down mid-decade redistricting under state constitutions: washingtonmonthly.com/2025/09/25/m... #UKLawProfResearch

UK Law Prof @jshaub.bsky.social, along with several other Con Law/federal courts profs, just filed this amicus brief at SCOTUS about the remedies available in the case involving the challenge to the firing of Fed Reserve Governor Lisa Cook. #UKLawProfResearch www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/25...

Thanks to whoever told me it would be a good idea to become an election law scholar. 🧟‍♂️

"The people, it turns out, are far more courageous than their leaders."

Good article on this issue.

NEW for @washingtonmonthly.com: why state courts should strike down mid-decade redistricting under state constitutions: washingtonmonthly.com/2025/09/25/m... #UKLawProfResearch

I'm quoted in this @lblackford.bsky.social story about voting registration--and she also discusses my scholarship! Yay for law review articles impacting public discourse! www.kentucky.com/opinion/lind...

Jimmy Kimmel nailed it.

Our Visiting Profs at UK Law are highly engaged in their areas. Kirk Sripinyo gave a talk to the MN CLE's 2025 Health Law Institute: "From Understanding to Action: Litigating AI Use in Healthcare Fraud and Abuse Regulation and Compliance." #UKLawProfResearch www.minncle.org/seminar/1050...

Certiorari "before judgment" is how #SCOTUS takes up a full appeal *before* the intermediate federal courts have heard it. It used to be exceedingly rare. For instance, there wasn't a *single* grant of such expedited review b/w August 2004 & February 2019. This is the *23rd* such grant since then.

Lexington friends: Does anyone have an outdoor dog ramp for three stairs that we can borrow? Rudy is...old! Thanks.

Read the whole piece: www.vox.com/politics/462...

In a Constitution Day talk this week I pointed to the prevalence of the Court's emergency/shadow docket as one of the three things most concerning to me right now (mid-decade redistricting and free speech attacks were the other two).

Just now, 11 state and city lawmakers were arrested by DHS police on the 10th floor of 26 Federal Plaza after a hour of demanding access to the ICE lock up on the same floor. @thecity.nyc

"If there is any fixed star in our constitutional constellation, it is that no official, high or petty, can prescribe what shall be orthodox in politics, nationalism, religion, or other matters of opinion or force citizens to confess by word or act their faith therein."

There's a new episode of the Democracy Optimist podcast out today with an interview with Minn Secretary of State Steve Simon. MN has a great tradition of high voter turnout and civic engagement. In our conversation we dive into why. Check it out! #UKLawProfResearch open.spotify.com/episode/3p4U...

Our Visiting Profs at UK Law are highly engaged in their areas of expertise. Cory Dodds has a current work in progress, "Snap Decision: Rural Bias in Food Stamp Trafficking Proceedings," which he is presenting at two conferences this year. #UKLawProfResearch

This is why I continue to call my radio show/podcast "Democracy Optimist," despite being asked to change it. Optimism doesn't mean I think everything is great. It means I have hope for the future--if we recognize the current risks and double down on our commitment to saving democracy.

This summer UK Law Prof Tiffany D. Atkins Atkins presented her work-in-progress, titled “The Racial Construct of Parental Fitness,” at the International Society of Family Law Conference held at Temple Law and at the Family Law Scholars and Teachers Conference at Drexel University. #UKLawProfResearch

The demand is for $15,000,000,000, plus punitive damages. They just kept adding zeros.

UK Law Legal Writing Prof Ally Sipes wrote an article titled “LEARNING AFTER LAW SCHOOL: HOW TO BE A BETTER WRITER” for the Kentucky Bench and Bar Magazine—and then learned that an employer told her former student to check it out! See page 44! #UKLawProfResearch digitaledition.pub/wc/kentucky-...

On Oct. 11 UK Law Prof Rick Underwood will be a featured speaker at Berea College’s annual Celebration of Traditional Music. Rick is the author of an interesting book about murder ballads and has a new book coming out in October! #UKLawProfResearch

NPR link to my interview on Democracy Optimist podcast series with @joshuaadouglas.bsky.social www.weku.org/podcast/demo...

For real, if you've ever been considering reviewing / interviewing / etc. someone but stopped yourself because the book was released months ago... do it! We love getting coverage after pub day.

Lawsuit filed under the state constitution to block the mid-decade redistricting in Missouri. The plaintiffs have a strong argument.

Yesterday at the airport someone tried to take my bag at baggage claim (by mistake). So my song--entirely made up--almost came true! open.spotify.com/track/79Pm82...

UK Law Prof Jonathan David Shaub’s article "White House Inspection," which details the current crisis in White House accountability and proposes a new mechanism for holding presidents and White House officials accountable, is now forthcoming in the Wash. U. L. Rev (2026). #UKLawProfResearch

Upcoming workshops! Representation, Our Federal Government and the Constitution September 17, 2025. 6:30-8 EST! 3:30-5 PST! Virtual. Register:https://tinyurl.com/dlcohen September 24, 2025. 5-6:30 PST. In-person. Ft Vancouver Regional Libraries-Cascade Park. 600 NE 136th Ave. Vancouver. WA.

UK Law Prof Michael Murray has recently placed two articles: Real-Time AI Advocacy—Deploying Multimodal Generative and Agentic AI in Litigation, 76 Syracuse L. Rev. ___ (forthcoming, 2026), ssrn.com/abstract=541... 1/ #UKLawProfResearch

Today seems like a good day to double down on civic education--exactly the mission of Donna Cohen and her Civics for Adults initiative. Check out the latest episode of the Democracy Optimist podcast that features an interview with Donna. open.spotify.com/episode/5bce... #UKLawProfResearch

Thinking about this column I wrote in July for @washingtonmonthly.com on political violence. washingtonmonthly.com/2025/07/13/n...

UK Law Prof @profatkins.bsky.social was quoted in this story for WEKU, a local NPR station, on Kim Davis's petition to the U.S. Supreme Court. #UKLawProfResearch www.weku.org/the-commonwe...

This summer, UK Law Prof Shweta Kumar presented "Preempting Drug Price Reform" (forthcoming in Wisc. L. Rev.) at the 2025 ASLME Health Law Profs Conference and revised an article on public production of pharmaceuticals, Formulating Public Pharma (forthcoming in Cornell L. Rev.), #UKLawProfResearch

“This isn’t about academic freedom; it’s about academic responsibility.” This is about what a professor may teach in class within the subject matter of her course. If that’s not about academic freedom than nothing is.

The Missouri mid-decade redistricting seems to clearly violate the state constitution, which ties the timing of redistricting to the census--as the Missouri Supreme Court held in 1955 in Preisler v. Doherty. (I'm writing a new article on state constitutions and mid-decade redistricting.)

In my experience, law review students are WAY too concerned about preemption when coming up with Note topics. Almost nothing is pre-empted if you come up with a different angle or solution.

SCOTUS: considering race as one factor in a college applicant's file is blatantly unconstitutional ALSO SCOTUS: considering race as one factor in targeting whom to detain and deport is cool cool cool

My book is on the list. SHOW ME THE MONEY! 🙃

Tonight!

This summer UK Law Library Professor Christie Lowry presented at the ThInC Forum at the University of Toledo on the Rare materials essential to AI. The title of the presentation was "Rare Earth, Rarely Discussed: The Hidden Materials Behind Generative AI." #UKLawProfResearch

Rules to improve voter accessibility in local elections represent a positive (and dare I say optimistic!) path for broader reforms.

The 2020 election will NEVER be over. www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

UK Law Prof. Shavonnie Carthens placed her new article, "Unwell Water: Regulatory Gaps, Public Health, and Contaminated Private Wells in the Rural Americas," in the Colorado Law Review (forthcoming February 2026). #UKLawProfResearch

"If major efforts are not made to address the situation, the judge said, 'somebody is going to die.'" @lawrencehurley.bsky.social www.nbcnews.com/politics/sup...

UK Law Prof Shweta Kumar has placed her new article in the Wisconsin Law Review! Check it out! papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.... #UKLawProfResearch

UK Law faculty were busy with research this summer! @ifriedman01.bsky.social worked on edits to her article, "The Paradox of Federal Oversight in Police Misconduct Investigations," forthcoming in the Denver Law Review. #UKLawProfResearch

McConnell once again refuses to stand up for democracy. When asked about the current mid-decade redistricting crisis and whether it’s good or bad, he said, “I don’t have any on-the-record comment.” Sad. www.kentucky.com/news/politic...

Lexington friends: I'm playing music at Old North Bar on Friday night. Come check it out!

Congrats to UK Law Prof D'lorah Hughes, who just published a new co-authored case book on Criminal Procedure with Carolina Academic Press! #UKLawProfResearch