Andrew Burton
@burtonad.bsky.social
Sometime TennisWorld contributor, Sylvia’s husband, Cathleen’s dad. Known to cook. New here (joined July 2023).
Reposted by Andrew Burton
I think this is probably a new era of grand jury practice where there is communal awareness of abusive policing.
The GJ just doesn't believe the state.
I'm not an expert on the history of grand juries, but my sense is that this is the first time we are seeing that phenomenon at scale.
The GJ just doesn't believe the state.
I'm not an expert on the history of grand juries, but my sense is that this is the first time we are seeing that phenomenon at scale.
JUST IN: Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Snell just confirmed, at the prodding of U.S. Magistrate Judge Keri Holleb Hotaling, that this motion for dismissal followed a "no bill" from a grand jury.
That means the grand jury refused to indict.
That means the grand jury refused to indict.
U.S. prosecutors in Chicago are dropping another case tied to Operation Midway Blitz, "without prejudice."
It's USA v. Nathan Griffin. Below is the motion, followed by excerpts from the complaint.
The feds don't say why they're dropping it, but they had until today to secure an indictment.
It's USA v. Nathan Griffin. Below is the motion, followed by excerpts from the complaint.
The feds don't say why they're dropping it, but they had until today to secure an indictment.
December 10, 2025 at 4:49 PM
I think this is probably a new era of grand jury practice where there is communal awareness of abusive policing.
The GJ just doesn't believe the state.
I'm not an expert on the history of grand juries, but my sense is that this is the first time we are seeing that phenomenon at scale.
The GJ just doesn't believe the state.
I'm not an expert on the history of grand juries, but my sense is that this is the first time we are seeing that phenomenon at scale.
Reposted by Andrew Burton
I would like the phrase and concept of "common decency" to make a comeback
December 10, 2025 at 3:30 PM
I would like the phrase and concept of "common decency" to make a comeback
Reposted by Andrew Burton
Thinking back to how people were "hysterical" for calling trump white supremacist and now he's doing nordic theory on the campaign trail
December 10, 2025 at 3:32 PM
Thinking back to how people were "hysterical" for calling trump white supremacist and now he's doing nordic theory on the campaign trail
Reposted by Andrew Burton
No?!?
Today it was my honor to present oral argument in the 14th Court of Appeals in Houston, Texas, on behalf of my client.
The issue is whether a trial judge in a criminal case can tell the jury that "beyond a reasonable doubt" can be as low as "60 percent."
The issue is whether a trial judge in a criminal case can tell the jury that "beyond a reasonable doubt" can be as low as "60 percent."
December 10, 2025 at 3:11 AM
No?!?
Reposted by Andrew Burton
Great thread on the petty and stupid cruelty of the Trump admin, which makes their own lives more difficult for no reasons other than to hit vague goals of putting people into removal proceedings.
1/ One thing that I think is getting understandably overlooked in the coverage of immigration overenforcement is just how wasteful and inefficient ICE is being even when they aren't kidnapping and caging people who should be with their families.
Here's a quick example from my casefiles today:
Here's a quick example from my casefiles today:
December 10, 2025 at 3:26 AM
Great thread on the petty and stupid cruelty of the Trump admin, which makes their own lives more difficult for no reasons other than to hit vague goals of putting people into removal proceedings.
Reposted by Andrew Burton
Trump’s obsession with me is beyond weird. He needs serious help.
Since he has no economic policies to tout, he’s resorting to regurgitating bigoted lies instead.
He continues to be a national embarrassment.
Since he has no economic policies to tout, he’s resorting to regurgitating bigoted lies instead.
He continues to be a national embarrassment.
Trump: "Ilhan Omar, whatever the hell her name is. With her little turban. I love her. She comes in, does nothing but bitch ... we ought to get her the hell out ... she's here illegally."
The crowd in Pennsylvania then starts chanting "send her back!"
The crowd in Pennsylvania then starts chanting "send her back!"
December 10, 2025 at 2:40 AM
Trump’s obsession with me is beyond weird. He needs serious help.
Since he has no economic policies to tout, he’s resorting to regurgitating bigoted lies instead.
He continues to be a national embarrassment.
Since he has no economic policies to tout, he’s resorting to regurgitating bigoted lies instead.
He continues to be a national embarrassment.
Reposted by Andrew Burton
The lawyers still working at places like DoD OGC know exactly what they're doing and need to be disbarred after this
NEW: Pentagon lawyers asked State Dept. if US could send survivors of Trump's boat strikes to a notorious prison in El Salvador. Then Pentagon pushed to have survivors sent anywhere but the US — to prevent any US court cases. Gift link to our @nytimes.com story: www.nytimes.com/2025/12/09/u...
Inside the Pentagon’s Scramble to Deal With Boat Strike Survivors
www.nytimes.com
December 10, 2025 at 2:55 AM
The lawyers still working at places like DoD OGC know exactly what they're doing and need to be disbarred after this
Reposted by Andrew Burton
main economic message from
the president is that you will be poorer and you will like it
the president is that you will be poorer and you will like it
Trump: "You can give up certain products. You could give up pencils. Because under the China policy, every child can get 37 pencils. They only need 1 or 2. They don't need that many. You always need steel. You don't need 37 dolls for your daughter. 2 or 3 is nice. So we're doing things right."
December 10, 2025 at 2:43 AM
main economic message from
the president is that you will be poorer and you will like it
the president is that you will be poorer and you will like it
Reposted by Andrew Burton
It's vile to kill people with no actual legal justification and also vile to joke about killing those people.
Trump: "The problem is nobody wants to go fishing anymore. They don't want to get in boats. They don't want anything to do with boats. I think we've destroyed the boat market. Other than that it's been very effective."
December 10, 2025 at 1:45 AM
It's vile to kill people with no actual legal justification and also vile to joke about killing those people.
Reposted by Andrew Burton
We’re not a serious country
Mr. Rubio said switching back to Times New Roman would “restore decorum and professionalism to the department’s written work.” Calibri is “informal” when compared to serif typefaces like Times New Roman and “clashes” with the department’s official letterhead. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/09/u...
Rubio Deletes Calibri as the State Department’s Official Typeface
www.nytimes.com
December 10, 2025 at 1:28 AM
We’re not a serious country
Reposted by Andrew Burton
Code of Conduct for United States Judges, Canon 5: "A judge should not . . . attend or purchase a ticket for a dinner or other event sponsored by a political organization or candidate... A judge should not engage in any other political activity." (All judges receive training on this.)
Via MS NOW: Emil Bove is in attendance at Trump’s speech in Pennsylvania tonight.
December 10, 2025 at 12:20 AM
Code of Conduct for United States Judges, Canon 5: "A judge should not . . . attend or purchase a ticket for a dinner or other event sponsored by a political organization or candidate... A judge should not engage in any other political activity." (All judges receive training on this.)
Reposted by Andrew Burton
If your origins are Southern Italian, Irish, Polish etc. some version of this claim - the immigrant is a criminal underclass incompatible with the true Americans - has been around forever. They hate that the idea of America is more important than any group.
Stephen Miller: "If Somalia keeps failing, if these societies all over the world continue to fail, you have to ask yourself if you bring those societies into our country & then give them unlimited free welfare, what do we think is going to happen? You're going to replicate the conditions they left"
December 9, 2025 at 9:30 PM
If your origins are Southern Italian, Irish, Polish etc. some version of this claim - the immigrant is a criminal underclass incompatible with the true Americans - has been around forever. They hate that the idea of America is more important than any group.
Reposted by Andrew Burton
Huge props to Talarico for effectively telling his more, um, passionate supporters to stop acting like jerks about Rep. Crockett joining the primary.
They're both awesome for different reasons. Either one would be a great nominee.
They're both awesome for different reasons. Either one would be a great nominee.
@jamestalarico.bsky.social sent this video to his 10,000 volunteers:
“We will make the case for why we are best positioned to win this race — but we will always treat Congresswoman Crockett with the utmost respect. She is my colleague and she is a leader in our state. She deserves nothing less.”
“We will make the case for why we are best positioned to win this race — but we will always treat Congresswoman Crockett with the utmost respect. She is my colleague and she is a leader in our state. She deserves nothing less.”
December 9, 2025 at 7:34 PM
Huge props to Talarico for effectively telling his more, um, passionate supporters to stop acting like jerks about Rep. Crockett joining the primary.
They're both awesome for different reasons. Either one would be a great nominee.
They're both awesome for different reasons. Either one would be a great nominee.
Reposted by Andrew Burton
there is no available evidence that donald trump understands what a tariff is, what a trade deficit is, and what the national debt is.
The way Trump talks about the problems he caused by unilaterally imposing tariffs is fairly insane, even by his standards.
www.politico.com/news/2025/12...
www.politico.com/news/2025/12...
December 9, 2025 at 6:09 PM
there is no available evidence that donald trump understands what a tariff is, what a trade deficit is, and what the national debt is.
Reposted by Andrew Burton
The EDVA filing asking Judge Kollar-Kotelly to lift her TRO on unlawful searches of Dan Richman's data is signed by someone unlawfully impersonating the US Attorney.
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
December 9, 2025 at 2:31 PM
The EDVA filing asking Judge Kollar-Kotelly to lift her TRO on unlawful searches of Dan Richman's data is signed by someone unlawfully impersonating the US Attorney.
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
Reposted by Andrew Burton
folks, I’m handing it to him, come drag me
Rand Paul: "This is an insane policy. It's inconsistent. It's not war. It's not the way we've ever done this. If we can blow up a boat in the ocean, what about when they get to Miami & put it in a truck? Can you shoot a grenade launcher at the truck? No! We arrest people b/c sometimes we're wrong."
December 9, 2025 at 2:10 PM
folks, I’m handing it to him, come drag me
Reposted by Andrew Burton
Reposted by Andrew Burton
Trump 1 -> catch and kill tabloid stories
Trump 2 -> catch and kill entire media corporations
Trump 2 -> catch and kill entire media corporations
December 8, 2025 at 4:31 PM
Trump 1 -> catch and kill tabloid stories
Trump 2 -> catch and kill entire media corporations
Trump 2 -> catch and kill entire media corporations
The problem, you see, is all the lying.
December 9, 2025 at 1:50 PM
The problem, you see, is all the lying.
Reposted by Andrew Burton
Why are our ungrateful readers so dense that they can’t see that the transphobia and fascist sanewashing and whitewashing genocide is for their own good?
“My biggest fault? I’d say it’s that I work too hard and care too much” ass lede
December 9, 2025 at 6:37 AM
Why are our ungrateful readers so dense that they can’t see that the transphobia and fascist sanewashing and whitewashing genocide is for their own good?
Reposted by Andrew Burton
It is newsworthy that the president of the United States is increasingly verbally abusive of women reporters and he should be asked about it.
December 8, 2025 at 8:39 PM
It is newsworthy that the president of the United States is increasingly verbally abusive of women reporters and he should be asked about it.
Reposted by Andrew Burton
If during the Biden administration, masked feds had stormed the campus of a Christian college like Hillsdale to apprehend someone while pointing guns at students and administrators, Republicans would have filed impeachment articles immediately and taken to the streets.
ICE stormed a residence hall at Augsburg University, detained an undergrad, and aimed rifles at students and staff then admitted they had no warrant to be on campus.
This is state violence. This is terror. And this is exactly what Trump’s America unleashes on our communities.
This is state violence. This is terror. And this is exactly what Trump’s America unleashes on our communities.
December 8, 2025 at 9:30 PM
If during the Biden administration, masked feds had stormed the campus of a Christian college like Hillsdale to apprehend someone while pointing guns at students and administrators, Republicans would have filed impeachment articles immediately and taken to the streets.
Reposted by Andrew Burton
i am never again going to let a conservative get away with complaining about the liberal nanny state because these assholes actually *are* the nagging, inappropriately intrusive boogeymen conservatives have been bleating about for my entire adult life, mind your fucking business
NEW: Dr. Oz is quite literally telling his federal employees to eat less.
“You don't have to try every cookie on the holiday table,” wrote Mehmet Oz in an email to all Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services employees.
“You don't have to try every cookie on the holiday table,” wrote Mehmet Oz in an email to all Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services employees.
Dr. Oz Tells His Federal Employees to Eat Less
“You don't have to try every cookie on the holiday table,” wrote Mehmet Oz in an email to all Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services staffers.
www.wired.com
December 8, 2025 at 9:23 PM
i am never again going to let a conservative get away with complaining about the liberal nanny state because these assholes actually *are* the nagging, inappropriately intrusive boogeymen conservatives have been bleating about for my entire adult life, mind your fucking business
Reposted by Andrew Burton
Saying Trump is “transactional” is just a gentle way of saying he’s corrupt. Every power he has been trusted with, he treats as a way to extract favors and benefits from anyone he sees as situationally vulnerable.
December 8, 2025 at 7:44 PM
Saying Trump is “transactional” is just a gentle way of saying he’s corrupt. Every power he has been trusted with, he treats as a way to extract favors and benefits from anyone he sees as situationally vulnerable.
Reposted by Andrew Burton
"Individual liberty" is when conservatives decide everything. Their concept of liberty is just domination, not freedom to do what they want, but freedom to force everyone else to do what they want. bsky.app/profile/donm...
The only way to assure individual liberty is to hand unprecedented governmental power to the guy engaged in blatant democratic backsliding
Kavanaugh: Broad delegations to unaccountable agencies are dangerous for individual liberty! We have used the major questions doctrine to prevent agencies from overreaching.
Sauer: MQD not a substitute for the removal power for the president
Sauer: MQD not a substitute for the removal power for the president
December 8, 2025 at 4:30 PM
"Individual liberty" is when conservatives decide everything. Their concept of liberty is just domination, not freedom to do what they want, but freedom to force everyone else to do what they want. bsky.app/profile/donm...