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audrelawdamercy.bsky.social
Barred and Boujee aka Madiba Dennie
@audrelawdamercy.bsky.social
80K followers 1.5K following 9.7K posts
Words at ballsandstrikes.org, and even more words in The Originalism Trap: How Extremists Stole the Constitution and How We the People Can Take It Back
Out now at tinyurl.com/originalismtrap !
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Reposted by Barred and Boujee aka Madiba Dennie
halduncan.com
I can't read this string of questions without imagining them all being asked by Jonathan Frakes in a smashcut
December 4, 2025 at 4:19 AM
audrelawdamercy.bsky.social
I like the "is gay sex satisfying?" like, just curious, asking for a friend, bro haha unless
December 4, 2025 at 4:44 AM
Reposted by Barred and Boujee aka Madiba Dennie
bubbaprog.xyz
The President of the United States is trying to throw Mark Kelly in prison and Mark Kelly's response is to confirm judges who have committed to putting him in prison
jonathancohn.bsky.social Jonathan Cohn @jonathancohn.bsky.social · 4h
11 Senate Democrats just voted to advance the nomination of a Federal Society judge who used to defend banks and payday lenders:

Durbin
Gallego
Hassan
Hirono
Kaine
Kelly
King
Klobuchar
Reed
Rosen
Whitehouse
SUSAN RODRIGUEZ Susan Courtwright Rodriguez, nominated to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina, is a longtime conservative lawyer whose career reflects deep partisan ties, loyalty to corporate interests, and a record of rulings that hurt workers, employees, and consumers and puts profits over people. She held multiple roles in the George W. Bush administration, including as a political appointee for the then-newly formed Department of Homeland Security, as well as with the White House counsel’s office. After a second stint at the DHS, Rodriguez spent 12 years at McGuireWoods, where she co-led the Financial Institutions Industry Team and defended banks, payday lenders, and fintech companies against lawsuits and government investigations. She now serves as a magistrate judge for the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina. CORPORATE DEFENSE & FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS At McGuire Woods, Rodriguez devoted her practice to defending large financial institutions and high-cost lenders. She co-authored industry-facing publications framing the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s regulatory oversight as part of a “name-and-shame playbook,” and dismissed CFPB efforts to hold corporations accountable for consumer abuses. She defended Sprint against allegations brought by CFPB and the Federal Communications Commission related to unauthorized third-party charges and represented banks accused of violating anti–money laundering laws (Consumer Financial Protection Bureau v. Sprint Corp.). In one case, Rodriguez defended Truist Bank against claims brought by a whistleblower executive who alleged the bank failed to report suspicious wire transfers and allowed accounts linked to criminal activity to remain open (Denise WHITING, Plaintiff, v. TRUIST BANK f/k/a Branch Banking and Trust Company, Defendant). Rather than addressing systemic fraud, the bank allegedly retaliated against the executive, demoting and ultimately firing her. Rodr… Rodriguez’s leadership role on the board of Mira Via underscores her alignment with organizations that oppose reproductive rights. Mira Via explicitly affirms life “from the moment of conception,” situating Rodriguez firmly within the anti- abortion movement. Her long membership in the Federalist Society and Republican National Lawyers Association further underscores her alignment with conservative legal networks committed to rolling back reproductive freedom, LGBTQ+ rights, and other substantive constitutional protections. STAUNCH CONSERVATIVE ADVOCACY Since joining the bench, Rodriguez has issued rulings that repeatedly favor corporations, law enforcement, and institutions over individuals seeking relief. In Rodriguez v. Wipro Ltd., she ruled against a whistleblower who raised concerns about corporate conflicts of interest and later suffered retaliation that exacerbated serious health conditions, dismissing the case for failure to exhaust administrative remedies. In Puranda v. City of Charlotte, she dismissed a civil rights case brought by an 18-year-old subjected to an aggressive traffic stop, where officers allegedly drew weapons, forcibly removed him from his car, and detained him without cause. In Robey v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education, she rejected claims brought by parents whose child had repeatedly disclosed self-harm to a school counselor who failed to notify them, ultimately leading to a hospitalization. In each of these cases, Rodriguez prioritized institutional protection over the workers, children, and their families who simply wanted justice when they were hurt.
December 4, 2025 at 4:14 AM
Reposted by Barred and Boujee aka Madiba Dennie
akivamcohen.bsky.social
Folks, just going to use this as a jumping off point to say:

Hate is not bad. Hate, like any other emotion, is good when appropriately deployed and bad when inappropriately deployed.

In that one way, no different at all than love.

I know that's not a very Christian view. Thankfully ... Jewish.
gwensnyder.bsky.social Gwen Snyder is uncivil @gwensnyder.bsky.social · 4h
Yeah I don't know how to fully express that I feel like my soul is basically damaged by the way I feel about the regime & its agents at this point.

I don't know that I've ever really felt this level of visceral moral CONTEMPT for other humans. It veers into cold hate at times in ways I worry about.
tootru.bsky.social tru @tootru.bsky.social · 5h
y'know, i never hated a person until i was in my late 40's. ask anyone who knows me, i'm a squish. it still doesn't come naturally to me, but holy hell i *hate* every single person involved in making this DHS/ICE reign of terror possible.
December 4, 2025 at 3:26 AM
Reposted by Barred and Boujee aka Madiba Dennie
billbarnwell.com
I'm at the combination
a combination urgent care and taco bell
December 4, 2025 at 3:17 AM
Reposted by Barred and Boujee aka Madiba Dennie
audrelawdamercy.bsky.social
As of Monday, Trump has fired over 100 immigration judges, essentially on suspicion of them being judges, as opposed to sure-thing compliant cogs in the mass deportation machine

ballsandstrikes.org/law-politics...
Trump Has Never Been Clearer About What an Immigration Judge’s Real Job Is
The president doesn’t want immigration judges who handle cases by the book. He wants immigration judges who will rubber-stamp his mass deportations agenda.
ballsandstrikes.org
December 3, 2025 at 4:57 PM
Reposted by Barred and Boujee aka Madiba Dennie
propublica.org
Using his clemency power, Trump has undone prosecutions made by his own DOJ during his first term.

Experts say the actions show a broad contempt for the justice system: “He’s rejecting ... the work of people he appointed but didn’t fully control.”

By @jeremykohler.bsky.social
A Tale of Two Terms: How Powerful Figures Were Prosecuted in Trump’s First Term, Then Pardoned in His Second
We found that Donald Trump has granted clemency in at least a dozen criminal cases that originated during his first term. No other president has used clemency to erase his own appointees’ actions on s...
www.propublica.org
December 3, 2025 at 11:45 PM
Reposted by Barred and Boujee aka Madiba Dennie
banditelli.org
Gift link
gatomedianoche.bsky.social Helena @gatomedianoche.bsky.social · 8h
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth shocked official Washington in mid-October when he announced that the four-star head of U.S. military operations in the Caribbean was retiring less than a year into his tenure.

www.wsj.com/politics/nat...
Exclusive | Hegseth Asked Top Admiral to Resign After Months of Discord
The relationship between the Pentagon chief and military leader had been rocky since Trump’s inauguration.
www.wsj.com
December 4, 2025 at 12:28 AM
Reposted by Barred and Boujee aka Madiba Dennie
wsj.com
Exclusive: The four-star admiral in charge of Caribbean operations had concerns about the legality of the boat strikes. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth asked him to retire shortly after they started.
Hegseth Asked Top Admiral to Resign After Months of Discord
The relationship between the Pentagon chief and military leader had been rocky since Trump’s inauguration.
on.wsj.com
December 4, 2025 at 12:13 AM
Reposted by Barred and Boujee aka Madiba Dennie
ali-alkhatib.com
h/t @robertfreundlaw.bsky.social

holy shit, an accurate legal critique of LLMs. LLMs don't reason because they're just stitching together plausible-looking sentences indifferent to the content
What happens when ChatGPT cites to a real case but misstates what the case stands for? That doesn't fly for Judge Behm in Michigan. The court says that while a litigant could make the same error based on faulty reasoning, LLMs can't, because they can't reason. And while a litigant might get away with similar overstatements because they could, perhaps, reason their way to showing how a case's stated holding might extend to novel situations, an LLM does not reason in the way a litigant must. To put it in a slightly different way, LLMs do not perform the metacognitive processes that are necessary to comply with Rule 11. When an LLM overstates a holding of a case, it is just piecing together a plausible-looking sentence
December 3, 2025 at 7:51 PM
audrelawdamercy.bsky.social
‼️ I said this about the current Supreme Court and some people looked at me crazy but I stand by it

as I believe I said at the time they're doing antebellum shit well post-bellum
nikobowie.bsky.social Niko Bowie @nikobowie.bsky.social · 9h
This man may be the most racist president this country has ever had, and twelve presidents owned slaves
justinbaragona.bsky.social Justin Baragona @justinbaragona.bsky.social · 10h
Trump: "It’s a hellhole right now. And those Somalians should be out of here. They've destroyed our country. And all they do is complain, complain, complain. You have her. She’s always talking about the Constitution provides me with – go back to your own country and figure out your constitution."
December 3, 2025 at 10:38 PM
audrelawdamercy.bsky.social
"some I assume are good people" was ten years ago
justinbaragona.bsky.social Justin Baragona @justinbaragona.bsky.social · 10h
Fox News' Will Cain: "I’m sure there are very honorable law-abiding upstanding citizens and contributors from the Somali community here in the United States, BUT..."

He goes on to say "we aren’t going to pretend here that all cultures are of equal value or the same."
December 3, 2025 at 10:27 PM
Reposted by Barred and Boujee aka Madiba Dennie
amlibraryassoc.bsky.social
NEWS: The Institute of Museum & Library Services has restored ALL previously canceled federal grants to libraries, following a ruling by a federal judge in Rhode Island last month.

This is a massive win for libraries & communities in every state & territory!

Learn more: www.ala.org/news/2025/12...
ALL IMLS grants restored in every state & territory. In response to a ruling from a federal judge in Rhode Island, the Institute of Museum and Library Services reinstated all previously canceled grants in every state and territory. It's a huge win for libraries and our communities. "The reinstatement of all IMLS grants means that libraries across the country will be able to resume vital services for learning, imagination, and economic opportunity. We are breathing a sigh of relief, but the fight is not over." ALA President Sam Helmick. Show up for our libraries, American Library Association.
December 3, 2025 at 10:18 PM
Reposted by Barred and Boujee aka Madiba Dennie
stevevladeck.bsky.social
Looks like we've identified the conflict that led Senator Cruz to cancel this afternoon's Subcommittee hearing on "Impeachment: Holding Rogue Judges Accountable."

www.judiciary.senate.gov/committee-ac...
atrupar.com Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 11h
Trump: "I think affordability is the greatest con job."
December 3, 2025 at 9:12 PM
Reposted by Barred and Boujee aka Madiba Dennie
twirlingtofreedom.bsky.social
• Trump has fired 100+ immigration judges, ~1 in 7 nationwide
• DOJ posted a recruitment ad encouraging attorneys to apply to “become a DEPORTATION JUDGE” and “define America for generations” [= white]
• Immigration courts have a backlog of ~4 MILLION cases
December 3, 2025 at 9:20 PM
Reposted by Barred and Boujee aka Madiba Dennie
amierivers.bsky.social
One of the eight judges fired on Monday was Amiena A. Khan, the assistant chief judge at New York City’s immigration court and a former leader of the immigration judges’ union. Records show that between 2019 and 2024, Khan denied 10.3 percent of requests for asylum, while other New York City immigration judges in that time period denied 34.8 percent of asylum applications. Her work with the union and her relative compassion for noncitizens made her a target on a “DHS Bureaucrat Watchlist,” a project funded by the Heritage Foundation. One recently fired immigration judge in San Francisco, fellow union leader Jeremiah Johnson, told NBC Bay Area that the Department of Justice has issued a bevy of memos “giving judges the hint” that they should hear and decide cases a certain way: “Move faster. Less due process, essentially,” he said. Another former immigration judge, Emmett Soper in Virginia, similarly told PBS that the Trump administration “does not fundamentally see the immigration courts as neutral decision-makers,” but as “a tool for this administration to advance its policy objectives.” Still another former judge in San Francisco, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said, “Firing judges for doing their jobs is not about efficiency, it’s about control.”
December 3, 2025 at 8:58 PM
Reposted by Barred and Boujee aka Madiba Dennie
ballsandstrikes.org
The job of an immigration judge under Trump is just to deport as many people as possible
Trump Has Never Been Clearer About What an Immigration Judge’s Real Job Is
The president doesn’t want immigration judges who handle cases by the book. He wants immigration judges who will rubber-stamp his mass deportations agenda.
ballsandstrikes.org
December 3, 2025 at 7:26 PM
Reposted by Barred and Boujee aka Madiba Dennie
ruemcclammyhand.bsky.social
omg ty for tweeting this sick picture of me <3
irisembury.bsky.social Iris @irisembury.bsky.social · 12h
you do look like somebody who's unreasonably insecure about foreheads, missy
December 3, 2025 at 8:17 PM
Reposted by Barred and Boujee aka Madiba Dennie
impactofficer.bsky.social
“Firing judges for doing their jobs is not about efficiency, it’s about control.”
ballsandstrikes.org/law-politics...
Trump Has Never Been Clearer About What an Immigration Judge’s Real Job Is
The president doesn’t want immigration judges who handle cases by the book. He wants immigration judges who will rubber-stamp his mass deportations agenda.
ballsandstrikes.org
December 3, 2025 at 5:20 PM
audrelawdamercy.bsky.social
I just got an email from a 7th grader asking if I can talk with them about the Fifteenth Amendment for a school project 🥹😭 ima cry
December 3, 2025 at 7:10 PM
Reposted by Barred and Boujee aka Madiba Dennie
elliottyoung.bsky.social
Until immigration judges become independent Article III judges, the politicization of immigration courts is inevitable. The latest mass firings are only the latest and most extreme example of the administration putting its thumb on the scales of justice.

ballsandstrikes.org/law-politics...
Trump Has Never Been Clearer About What an Immigration Judge’s Real Job Is
The president doesn’t want immigration judges who handle cases by the book. He wants immigration judges who will rubber-stamp his mass deportations agenda.
ballsandstrikes.org
December 3, 2025 at 5:37 PM
Reposted by Barred and Boujee aka Madiba Dennie
elienyc.bsky.social
If we're not at war, Pete Hegseth is a murderer. If we are at war, Pete Hegseth is still a murderer. He's a murderer. And you don't need to go to The Hague to hold him accountable because there are perfectly good, American laws AGAINST MURDER.
My latest in @thenation.com
Pete Hegseth Should Be Charged With Murder
No matter how you look at the strikes on alleged “drug boats”—as acts of war or attacks on civilians—Hegseth has committed a crime and should be prosecuted.
www.thenation.com
December 3, 2025 at 5:18 PM
Reposted by Barred and Boujee aka Madiba Dennie
rincewind.run
I have many complaints about Dem leadership but near the top of the list is their continual and unending embrace of Henry Cuellar, a guy who sucks and has always sucked

Pelosi went to the mat for this guy in primaries! he's awful! cut him loose!
atrupar.com Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 15h
Jeffries claims the charges against Cueller were "very thin" and says Trump's pardon was "exactly the right outcome"
December 3, 2025 at 5:01 PM
audrelawdamercy.bsky.social
a lil cafe I like rotated my favorite sandwich from there off the menu and I'm this 🤏🏾 close to writing them and asking when they're gonna bring it back
December 3, 2025 at 5:19 PM
audrelawdamercy.bsky.social
As of Monday, Trump has fired over 100 immigration judges, essentially on suspicion of them being judges, as opposed to sure-thing compliant cogs in the mass deportation machine

ballsandstrikes.org/law-politics...
Trump Has Never Been Clearer About What an Immigration Judge’s Real Job Is
The president doesn’t want immigration judges who handle cases by the book. He wants immigration judges who will rubber-stamp his mass deportations agenda.
ballsandstrikes.org
December 3, 2025 at 4:57 PM