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Sam Bagenstos

@sbagen.bsky.social

33K followers 2.2K following 2.4K posts

Personal account. Personal views. Frank G. Millard Professor of Law, University of Michigan Law School & Arlene Susan Kohn Professor of Social Policy, University of Michigan Ford School of Public Policy. Former General Counsel, HHS and OMB.

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Sam Bagenstos @sbagen.bsky.social · 5h

Exactly right.

Harry Litman @harrylitman.bsky.social · 6h

There isn’t another side to the argument. Every actor in the system—from defense attorneys to Justices on the Supreme Court—recognizes what is happening. The only question is how the criminal justice system should respond.”

open.substack.com/pub/harrylit...

The Irredeemable DOJ

Why James has an even stronger case of selective prosecution than Comey.

open.substack.com

Sam Bagenstos @sbagen.bsky.social · 6h

This was a lot of fun. But I think we could do a caption contest with this photo.

Michael Sinha @drsinhaesq.bsky.social · 6h

Thought-provoking talk today by @umichlaw.bsky.social Professor @sbagen.bsky.social on his experiences in public service and his ideas for "Reconstructing the Public Health State"

On behalf of @slulaw.bsky.social and @sluhealthlaw.bsky.social, thank you for joining us!

Sam Bagenstos @sbagen.bsky.social · 9h

I think they're simultaneous. But you're more than entitled to think that's wrong!

Sam Bagenstos @sbagen.bsky.social · 9h

Yup. Exactly why I said you need to think about design.

Sam Bagenstos @sbagen.bsky.social · 9h

If you had been at my lecture at @slulaw.bsky.social a couple of hours ago, you would have heard me make the case that the only way we can rebuild the public health state is to create new independent institutions and then fight to overturn the UET through litigation, appointments, & court reform.

Sam Bagenstos @sbagen.bsky.social · 9h

We need to challenge this Supreme Court by passing good legislation, and we have to at the same time push judicial reform. It's not one or the other. And we have to assume the Court will fight back and be ready to use that to build the case for reform.

Sam Bagenstos @sbagen.bsky.social · 9h

We need to do both.

Sam Bagenstos @sbagen.bsky.social · 9h

I'd want to think more about the best way to design it to promote and not threaten democracy, but this is exactly the kind of thinking we need.

Darin Self @darinself.com · 13h

I am curious what would happen if Dems ran on a plank of creating an anti-corruption agency with stronger independence than the Fed.

I think it would be highly successful because it would show "we will tie our own hands on this".

Darin Self @darinself.com · 13h

One lesson for pro-democracy advocates currently sitting in opposition around the world -- hammer incumbents on corruption and link strengthening liberal democracy (aka accountability) to anti-corruption efforts.

Reposted by Sam Bagenstos

Andrew Rudalevige @rudalev.bsky.social · 12h

Indeed so. The only major effort was to repair the Electoral Count Act. Important - but reforms to the National Emergencies Act, the Civil Service Reform Act (to bar Schedule F), the Insurrection Act, etc., should not have been out of reach.

Quinta Jurecic @qjurecic.bsky.social · 13h

Congressional Dems and the Biden admin should have put more effort into passing post-Trump reforms. We need more aggressive reform than what was on offer then, but it could really have helped

Sam Bagenstos @sbagen.bsky.social · 12h

Yes.

Sam Bagenstos @sbagen.bsky.social · 12h

What in the actual hell? Literally atrocious.

Nick Kristof @nickkristof.bsky.social · 14h

In Portland, an ambulance was summoned to the ICE office to treat an injured protester (not clear how he was injured). But when the patient was loaded inside, ICE officers refused to let the ambulance leave and threatened to shoot the ambulance driver: www.wweek.com/news/2025/10...

Documents Allege a Federal Agent at Portland ICE Threatened to Shoot an Ambulance Driver

Feds delayed medics who had come to pick up an injured protester. Then, according to confidential incident reports, the agents became aggressive.

Sam Bagenstos @sbagen.bsky.social · 12h

Well, that means you probably can't read this. But I'm sorry!

Sam Bagenstos @sbagen.bsky.social · 12h

This, from @hamiltonnolan.bsky.social , highlights a consistent aspect of the second Trump Administration that should scare us all -- across a variety of areas (economy, health, climate, etc.), Trump is weakening our protections against the greatest risks. open.substack.com/pub/howthing...

Fragility Is Getting Scary

The opposite of risk management.

open.substack.com

Reposted by Sam Bagenstos

Eric Michael Garcia @ericmgarcia.bsky.social · 14h

Special education isn't a "nice thing to have." It isn't "charity" or doing something to make us feel better. It is a right. The right to a Free Appropriate Public Education is codified in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, signed by a Republican president.

Catherine Rampell @crampell.bsky.social · 20h

U.S. Department of Education fired nearly everyone in the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services in a wave of new layoffs that began Friday, according to the union representing the agency's employees. www.usatoday.com/story/news/e...

Education Department wipes out special ed office in shutdown layoffs, union says

The Education Department laid off nearly everyone at the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.

www.usatoday.com

Reposted by Sam Bagenstos

Brian Soucek @brsoucek.bsky.social · 14h

Leading universities are closing departments, freezing graduate admissions, and shutting down museum shows for being “political”, but yes @nytimes.com please tell us about how Ilya Shapiro was almost forced to give his talk on a Wednesday rather than a Tuesday at NYU.
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/13/o...

Opinion | I Resigned as Manhattan’s U.S. Attorney. Law Schools Are Missing the Point of My Story.

www.nytimes.com

Reposted by Sam Bagenstos

Dean Baker @deanbaker13.bsky.social · 15h

Paying for healthcare might be a problem for people here, but folks will be happy to know that Argentina's right-wing nutjob president says he has an unlimited supply of dollars from Donald Trump www.bloomberg.com/news/article... (The government pays for healthcare in Argentina.)

Argentina’s Economy Chief Says US Willing to Keep Buying Pesos

President Javier Milei’s finance chief said the US Treasury’s backstop of Argentina’s peso is unflinching as the libertarian leader prepares to travel to Washington ahead of a crucial midterm vote.

www.bloomberg.com

Sam Bagenstos @sbagen.bsky.social · 16h

Yep. open.substack.com/pub/musgrave...

Gender-Affirming Flair

Pete Hegseth and the Gender Politics of the War Department

open.substack.com

Sam Bagenstos @sbagen.bsky.social · 16h

Thank you to the University of Michigan's Senate Advisory Committee on University Affairs for this strong statement. Our University administration has issued too many key diktats lately that directly affect faculty research while keeping faculty in the dark: record.umich.edu/articles/fac...

Faculty Perspective: Open Letter Regarding Consultative Decision-Making | The University Record

record.umich.edu

Sam Bagenstos @sbagen.bsky.social · 1d

youtu.be/SlPhMPnQ58k?...

Maroon 5 - Memories (Official Video)

YouTube video by Maroon5VEVO

Sam Bagenstos @sbagen.bsky.social · 1d

Always loved that one. But I did go to high school with all those guys.

Sam Bagenstos @sbagen.bsky.social · 1d

Yeah, that one I had already heard. I didn't mind it as much.

Sam Bagenstos @sbagen.bsky.social · 1d

Until this moment, I had never heard that Maroon 5 song that's basically just Pachelbel's Canon. Feels a little uncanny valley to me. (Lots of pop songs are kind of inspired by Pachelbel, but this is much more just a reworking.)

Reposted by Sam Bagenstos

Michael🎃🎃🎃🎃👻👻👻👻 @ballstonbakfiets.bsky.social · 1d

Someone needs to ask, "how does it save money to lay off people who aren't receiving paychecks?"

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 1d

BRENNAN: CBS confirmed the Trump administration rescinded the layoffs of CDC scientists. Some were involved with the federal measles response. How does a mistake like this happen?

VANCE: The govt shutdown inevitably leads to some chaos. It happened because of Schumer

B: But this was a WH decision

Reposted by Sam Bagenstos

bmaz @bmaz.bsky.social · 1d

Everything is a grift with these dirtbags:

Chris Morran @themorrancave.bsky.social · 1d

At least half a dozen companies vying for some of the $45B allocated for immigration detention work hired a friend of border czar Tom Homan because that friend (who previously had Homan on his payroll) led them to believe his connections to Homan would help their chances of scoring a contract.

Trading on Tom Homan: Inside the Push to Cash in on the Trump Administration’s Deportation Campaign

A Pennsylvania businessman who had Tom Homan on his payroll led companies to believe his connections to the future border czar could help advance their bids for government work, industry executives sa...

www.propublica.org

Reposted by Sam Bagenstos

jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 1d

a key thing about vought — and all of these guys — is that they have a totally top down and hierarchical vision of the world. they believe that the cultural changes they hate can be turned off by destroying the federal government because they can’t imagine that they emerged bottom-up in society

Thomas Zimmer @thomaszimmer.bsky.social · 1d

What he’s railing against is a profound shift in culture, status… He’s obsessed with the idea that America is controlled by a leftist “ruling elite” - but “elite” isn’t defined socio-economically or by political power, it means something like: Getting to define “real America” and who gets to belong.