Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Deborah Pearlstein @debpearlstein.bsky.social · 49m

Stop. Intervening. At. All. The SCt’s longtime, pre-Roberts practice was to grant emergency relief from a lower ct order only if necessary to preserve the status quo on the ground. The lower cts are open and operating. Opt. Back. Out.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 2h

Amy Coney Barrett defends heavy use of the shadow docket: "If we wrote a long opinion, it might give the impression that we have finally resolved the issue, and in none of these cases have we finally resolved the issue."

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Reposted by Deborah Pearlstein

Timothy Snyder @timothysnyder.bsky.social · 1d

Make your plans for #NoKings. October 18th. Free speech is action. Please join in. You'll see me at one of the events.
www.nokings.org

No Kings

As the president escalates his authoritarian power grab, the NO KINGS non-violent movement continues to rise stronger. We are united once again to remind the world: America has No Kings and the power ...

www.nokings.org

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Deborah Pearlstein @debpearlstein.bsky.social · 1d

Of all the news in this NYT survey of sitting federal judges - incl 47 of them think the SCt is mishandling its emergency docket - maybe the biggest is that 65 sitting fed judges (37D, 28R), folks circumspect for a living, responded to a NYT survey. Stunning. And a sign that something is very wrong.

Federal Judges, Warning of ‘Judicial Crisis,’ Fault Supreme Court’s Emergency Orders

www.nytimes.com

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Deborah Pearlstein @debpearlstein.bsky.social · 1d

Of all the news in this NYT survey of sitting federal judges - incl 47 of them think the SCt is mishandling its emergency docket - maybe the biggest is that 65 sitting fed judges (37D, 28R), folks circumspect for a living, responded to a NYT survey. Stunning. And a sign that something is very wrong.

Federal Judges, Warning of ‘Judicial Crisis,’ Fault Supreme Court’s Emergency Orders

www.nytimes.com

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Reposted by Deborah Pearlstein

Mollie Katzen @molliekatzen.bsky.social · 1d

"President Trump continued to describe Portland as a city on fire Friday even as residents enjoyed the first fall rain and the lone demonstrator at the city’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement building was dressed as a pink Care Bear."

Sometimes there is a good sentence or two in the NYT.

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Deborah Pearlstein @debpearlstein.bsky.social · 1d

"M.I.T. became the first university to reject an agreement that would trade support for the Trump administration’s higher education agenda in exchange for favorable treatment." Bravo.

M.I.T. Rejects a White House Offer for Special Funding Treatment

www.nytimes.com

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Deborah Pearlstein @debpearlstein.bsky.social · 2d

When Comey was indicted by the insurance atty he found willing to do it (after career prosecutor resigned), even the NYT reported it as it was: an effort “to harry, punish and humiliate a former official the president identified as an enemy.” This story should be covered exactly the same way.

Acyn @acyn.bsky.social · 2d

CNN: We have just learned that Letitia James has just been indicted by the DOJ

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Reposted by Deborah Pearlstein

Larry Ferlazzo @larryferlazzo.bsky.social · 3d

Oklahoma’s Republican governor criticizes guard deployment. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/09/u...

Gov. Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma, a Republican and the chairman of the National Governors Association, on Thursday criticized the deployment of Texas National Guard troops to Illinois as a violation of his beliefs in federalism and “states’ rights.”

His comments, in an interview with The New York Times, marked the first time a Republican governor has questioned the interstate deployment of National Guard troops over a governor’s objections. Gov. JB Pritzker of Illinois and other Democratic elected officials have been strongly critical of the move and have implored Republican governors to join the opposition.

Mr. Stitt on Thursday said, “We believe in the federalist system — that’s states’ rights,” adding, “Oklahomans would lose their mind if Pritzker in Illinois sent troops down to Oklahoma during the Biden administration.”

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Deborah Pearlstein @debpearlstein.bsky.social · 3d

Once again, so wish Bloomberg Law wasn't behind such an expensive paywall. Reporter credited for the story is Bloomberg's Seth Stern in DC, [email protected]. /end

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Deborah Pearlstein @debpearlstein.bsky.social · 3d

Bloomberg quotes judge: “I trust and rely upon the men and women of the US Marshals Service and the Court Security Officers to provide security... At no point did I, nor did the Building Security Committee, authorize or request the National Guard’s assistance to secure the Dirksen Courthouse.” /2

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Deborah Pearlstein @debpearlstein.bsky.social · 3d

Remarkable stmt from Chicago’s chief federal trial court judge (a GWBush appointee) making clear troops aren’t needed to secure the city’s US courthouse. This, in response to DHS's request for nat'l guard troops to help protect the courthouse during cases involving ICE "activities and personnel.” /1

Bloomberg Law

news.bloomberglaw.com

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Reposted by Deborah Pearlstein

Jacob Soboroff @jacobsoboroff.bsky.social · 3d

Michigan Avenue right now.

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Count Every Hero @counteveryhero.org · 3d

Nine former service secretaries + retired four-star admirals and generals filed a brief in federal court in Illinois today challenging the administration’s deployment of National Guard troops to Chicago as a dangerous trend of politicizing the military, and militarizing society. 🔗 bit.ly/48gA25b

“Over the short period of only the past several months, the Administration has abandoned the American tradition against domestic deployment of the military, embracing instead what the District Court of Oregon described as ‘martial law,’” they wrote. “The Administration has suggested it plans to use United States cities as ‘training grounds’ for the military, turning our troops on the ‘enemy within’ – the very people they have proudly sworn to protect, with their own lives if necessary. Thousands of troops have been deployed in at least five such communities over the objection of local leaders, with the promise of more.”

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Deborah Pearlstein @debpearlstein.bsky.social · 3d

O good, Trump prefers to leave the Q whether to suspend habeas corpus not to Congress - the only institution the Const gives the suspension power - but to the DHS Sec'y who thinks habeas is about a president's authority "to remove people from this country." www.npr.org/2025/05/20/n...

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Reposted by Deborah Pearlstein

Heather Cox Richardson (TDPR) @hcrichardson.bsky.social · 4d

People ask what they can do in this moment: here's a crucially important election. There are 52,000 elections taking place next month, many of which will be determined by turnout.

Alex Burness @burness.bsky.social · 5d

Dispatch from Pennsylvania on a highly unusual state Supreme Court election—one of the few most consequential matters on the ballot anywhere in the country next month. New from me in @boltsmag.org: boltsmag.org/pennsylvania...

Inside the Clunky Elections to Control Pennsylvania's Supreme Court - Bolts

The GOP is making an expensive push to end Democrats’ majority on a court at the center of election lawsuits, sparking a fledging campaign season with little precedent or template.

boltsmag.org

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Reposted by Deborah Pearlstein

Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 3d

AP: “.. the administration has only pointed to unclassified video clips of the strikes posted on social media by President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and has yet to produce ‘hard evidence’ that the vessels were carrying drugs.”

@apnews.com
apnews.com/article/trum...

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Brian Finucane @bcfinucane.bsky.social · 3d

“Independent Sen. Angus King of Maine said Wednesday that he and other members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, in a classified briefing this week, were denied access to the Pentagon’s legal opinion about whether the boat strikes adhered to U.S. law.”

apnews.com/article/trum...

Trump has yet to provide Congress hard evidence that targeted boats carried drugs, officials say

The Trump administration hasn't provided evidence to lawmakers that recent U.S. military strikes on alleged drug-smuggling boats were justified.

apnews.com

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Reposted by Deborah Pearlstein

Princeton PLAW @plawpu.bsky.social · 4d

P•LAW is now accepting applications for visiting law fellows for the academic year 2026-27. This full-time visiting program is open to legal scholars engaged in research and writing on contemporary issues in law and public policy. @debpearlstein.bsky.social plaw.law.princeton.edu/faculty/cran...

Crane Fellowship in Law and Public Policy

plaw.law.princeton.edu

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Deborah Pearlstein @debpearlstein.bsky.social · 4d

Yup, the only possible solution for this is the 82nd Airborne.

Courtney Vaughn @courtneyvaughn.bsky.social · 4d

Streets are still closed off in front of the Portland ICE facility at 8:30pm. Protesters have gathered on a side street. Dance party in progress.

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Deborah Pearlstein @debpearlstein.bsky.social · 4d

Yup, the only possible solution for this is the 82nd Airborne.

Courtney Vaughn @courtneyvaughn.bsky.social · 4d

Streets are still closed off in front of the Portland ICE facility at 8:30pm. Protesters have gathered on a side street. Dance party in progress.

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Reposted by Deborah Pearlstein

Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 5d

Less than a year into the Trump admin and the National Governors Association, founded over 115 years ago, is on the brink of collapse.

Heather Cherone @heathercherone.bsky.social · 5d

Pritzker is also furious: “Should National Governors Association leadership choose to remain silent, Illinois will have no choice but to withdraw from the organization.”

Gov. JB Pritzker’s letter to the National Governors Association

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Brian Finucane @bcfinucane.bsky.social · 5d

The Senate Judiciary Committee needs to get a copy of this OLC memo publicly released.

www.cnn.com/2025/10/06/p...

Exclusive: Classified Justice Department opinion authorizes strikes on secret list of cartels, sources say | CNN Politics

The Trump administration has produced a classified legal opinion that justifies lethal strikes against a secret and expansive list of cartels and suspected drug traffickers, according to multiple peop...

www.cnn.com

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Deborah Pearlstein @debpearlstein.bsky.social · 6d

Need an antidote to doomerism? @johnfabianwitt.bsky.social has a terrific piece based on his book arguing the best parallel to current circumstances isn't comparative but US success avoiding fascism c.1920 where Europe failed. Optimistic & cautionary both; a new progressive infrastructure is req'd.

John Fabian Witt @johnfabianwitt.bsky.social · 6d

Political violence, post-pandemic one-party rule, vast economic inequality, and immigration backlash? The 2020s are the 1920s all over again--and that may show us a way out. Adapted from my book, to be published next week. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/06/o...

Opinion | How to Save the American Experiment

www.nytimes.com

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Reposted by Deborah Pearlstein

Cristian Farias @cristianfarias.com · 6d

While we were sleeping:

A federal judge in Oregon has blocked the Trump administration from deploying any federalized National Guard—Texas, California, the state’s own—in Oregon.

That’s big news. Even bigger: She’s decided to hold a trial on the merits. That is: She’s putting people under oath.

Screenshot of court order, which reads in part:

“A combined hearing on the preliminary injunction motion land a trial on the meries
under Rule 65(al(2) is set for October 29, 2025l before the Honorable Judge Karin J. Immergut, in Courtroom 13A, beginning at 9:00 a.m.”

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James Fallows @jfallows.bsky.social · 7d

"Headlines Matter" part six million

-Every part of this very good story is about MAGA/Doge/Vought *imposing* politics on civil servants

-Not what headline implies www.nytimes.com/2025/10/04/u...

-What could it have said?
Same line length:
In Shutdown
Civil Service Is
Turned Political

NYT Headline:
In Shutdown
A Civil Service
Turns Political

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