Mark Joseph Stern
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mjsdc.bsky.social
Mark Joseph Stern
@mjsdc.bsky.social
160K followers 760 following 2.3K posts
Senior writer at Slate covering courts and the law. Co-host of the Amicus podcast. Dad.
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Reposted by Mark Joseph Stern
chrisgeidner.bsky.social
So, I am not quite sure what this is, but it’s hard to believe Pirro is talking with Main Justice here.

DOJ’s Civil Rights Division is suing over DC’s semiautomatic gun ban and the head of the Civil Rights Division, Harmeet Dhillon, backs a national reciprocity law.
atrupar.com Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 15h
Pirro: "You bring a gun into the District, you mark my words, you're going to jail. I don't care if you have a license in another district and I don't care if you're a law abiding law owner somewhere else. You bring a gun into this District, count on going to jail. And that makes all the difference"
February 2, 2026 at 9:01 PM
mjsdc.bsky.social
Republicans love adding seats to state Supreme Courts! They've done it three times in recent years. This latest court-packing plan will shift Utah's high court far to the right and possibly flip rulings on abortion and gerrymandering.

Democrats should take note that Rs have deemed this acceptable!
stephenwolf.bsky.social Stephen Wolf @stephenwolf.bsky.social · 20h
This hasn’t received nearly enough attention:

Republicans just passed a law to pack Utah’s Supreme Court after it ruled against their congressional gerrymander.

Cox could appoint two more justices before the court hears the GOP’s latest appeal to preserve their gerrymander
Utah governor signs bill adding justices to state Supreme Court as redistricting appeal looms
Once the new seats are filled, Gov. Spencer Cox will have appointed five of the seven justices.
www.nbcnews.com
February 2, 2026 at 7:34 PM
mjsdc.bsky.social
The rumors are true: Constitution Garden’s pond is completely frozen over! Ice skaters and hockey players are frolicking. Had to go down with Lucy to see for myself.
A hound on the iced over pond in front of the Washington monument
February 1, 2026 at 11:39 PM
mjsdc.bsky.social
The trauma of a child is of no concern when there are fragile white male egos to protect
January 30, 2026 at 9:34 PM
mjsdc.bsky.social
I heard they both ate modest lunches! Put em on Mt. Rushmore
January 30, 2026 at 9:31 PM
mjsdc.bsky.social
It’s about damn time somebody stood up for the little guy—the real hero, the humble foe of bullies and bigots, the voice for the voiceless: Justice Samuel Alito. Glad to see this meek, powerless man finally receive the defense he deserves.
alexanderwinn.bsky.social Alexander Winn @alexanderwinn.bsky.social · 3d
Because we've been flooded with Mark Joseph Stern and Ian Millhiser garbage about how Alito is the spawn of satan.
January 30, 2026 at 9:28 PM
mjsdc.bsky.social
That's a good note, thank you! I will try to think of a clear shorthand way to include it.
January 30, 2026 at 4:29 PM
mjsdc.bsky.social
I continue to think the Supreme Court is *more likely than not* to (1) rule against Trump's attack on birthright citizenship and (2) uphold state laws that count late-arriving mail ballots.

But it will also likely gut the Voting Rights Act in Callais. So still not a great outcome for democracy!
January 30, 2026 at 4:15 PM
mjsdc.bsky.social
And on March 23, the Supreme Court will hear Watson v. RNC, which asks whether states may count ballots that were mailed by Election Day but arrive shortly thereafter. (About half the states have such laws today.)
January 30, 2026 at 4:10 PM
mjsdc.bsky.social
Nope, they haven't scheduled the April session yet.
January 30, 2026 at 4:05 PM
mjsdc.bsky.social
New: The Supreme Court will hear arguments in the birthright citizenship case on April 1. www.supremecourt.gov/oral_argumen...
Monday, March 23 (1) 24-1260 WATSON V. RNC Monday, March 30 (1) 25-5146 ABOUAMMO V. UNITED STATES (2) 25-83 JULES V. ANDRE BALAZS PROPERTIES Tuesday, March 24 (2) 25-6 KEATHLEY V. BUDDY AYERS CONSTRUCTION, INC. (3) 25-5 NOEM, SEC. OF HOMELAND SECURITY V. AL OTRO LADO Tuesday, March 31 (3) 24-7351 PITCHFORD V. CAIN Wednesday, March 25 (4) 24-935 FLOWER FOODS, INC. V. BROCK Wednesday, April 1 (4) 25-365 TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF UNITED STATES V. BARBARA
January 30, 2026 at 4:02 PM
Reposted by Mark Joseph Stern
mattgertz.bsky.social
The Trump administration recognized that Tulsi Gabbard was wildly unqualified/too much of a nutjob for her post running U.S. intelligence, so they've given her some busy work (the busy work is trying to unravel American democracy). www.wsj.com/politics/ele...
January 29, 2026 at 8:42 PM
Reposted by Mark Joseph Stern
rickhasen.bsky.social
My New One @slate.com: "Trump’s Continued Obsession With 2020 Is a Joke. His Raid on a Georgia Election Site Is Not."
slate.com/news-and-pol...
Given the deep investigations of the 2020 elections generally and Fulton County, Georgia, in particular, it is highly unlikely that the new FBI investigation (whose warrant was curiously sought by a U.S. attorney in Missouri, not Georgia or even Washington, D.C.) will amount to anything. So what was it really about? One tipoff is the curious appearance during the FBI raid of Fulton County’s election offices of Tulsi Gabbard, director of national intelligence, who is known to peddle conspiracy theories herself. Portraying this raid as part of a national security effort is in line with the musings of Cleta Mitchell, a Trump conspiracy-theory ally who had been on Trump’s call with Raffensperger. Back in September, Mitchell, on a call with fellow election deniers, suggested that Trump could declare a “national sovereignty crisis” in a bid to take over the midterm elections. Trump has no power over the conduct of federal elections, which are left in the hands of the states, a point numerous courts have made recently in striking down parts of an August Trump executive order purporting to make voting harder. But that doesn’t mean he won’t try. Trump has expressed regret that he did not seize voting machines in 2020. So this threat for 2026 (and 2028) is real.
January 29, 2026 at 7:47 PM
mjsdc.bsky.social
Talked about the many scams of modern originalism on @legaldefensefund.bsky.social's Justice Above All podcast! I thought it was a great conversation. Listen here: tminstituteldf.org/what-is-orig...
What Is Originalism and Who Does It Leave Out?
The United States is at a tipping point, as the anti-truth movement attempts to erase the history of pivotal moments that advanced racial justice. Related to this movement, the legal theory of origina...
tminstituteldf.org
January 29, 2026 at 4:23 PM
Reposted by Mark Joseph Stern
rickhasen.bsky.social
My New One at @slate.com on the 50th Anniversary of the Buckley v. Valeo Decision: “One Supreme Court Case Is Most Responsible for Our Oligarchy. It’s Not the One You Think.” slate.com/news-and-pol...
The Buckley court was right that threats to free speech and association, and the dangers of incumbency-protecting laws, mean that courts should closely scrutinize campaign money laws. But that should not doom all attempts to level the playing field or limit the risk of corruption from nine-figure campaign contributions, mostly to ostensibly independent groups. If Congress passed a law with generous contribution and spending limits, and strong disclosure rules, we could have ample breathing room for vigorous and competitive campaigns without the danger of the wealthy swamping our democracy. Because Buckley was a constitutional decision, there are only two paths to overturn it. One is to get a court majority to rethink the case’s fundamental mistakes. With the current makeup of the court, that seems unlikely. An even harder road is to amend the Constitution to allow for a better balance between the rights of free speech and the risks of corruption and oligarchy. We should not give up the struggle over our money-in-politics rules. But we must recognize that there will be fierce resistance from the moneyed interests who benefit from a system giving them outsize influence over who is elected and what politicians do once they are in office. A real democracy deserves better than Buckley.
January 28, 2026 at 4:07 PM
Reposted by Mark Joseph Stern
resnikoff.bsky.social
The groups and individuals in California that are fighting to block more housing production—many of whom claim to be fighting for progressive values—seem intent on delivering the White House to JD Vance.
redistrictnet.bluesky.bot The Redistrict Network (mirror 🤖) @redistrictnet.bluesky.bot · 6d
#NEW: 2030 Apportionment Forecast based on 2025 Census Bureau Population Estimates (January 27, 2026).

Forecast prepared by Dr. Jonathan Cervas (CMIST) at Carnegie Mellon University
January 27, 2026 at 4:48 PM
Reposted by Mark Joseph Stern
leahlitman.bsky.social
A truly beautiful and moving piece by Adam Serwer in The Atlantic describing the everyday heroism of people in MN @adamserwer.bsky.social @theatlantic.com :

www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
Instead, what they discovered in the frozen North was something different: a real resistance, broad and organized and overwhelmingly nonviolent, the kind of movement that emerges only under sustained attacks by an oppressive state. Tens of thousands of volunteers—at the very least—are risking their safety to defend their neighbors and their freedom. They aren’t looking for attention or likes on social media. Unless they are killed by federal agents, as Pretti and Renee Good were, other activists do not even necessarily know their names. Many use a handle or code name out of fear of government retaliation. Their concerns are justified: A number of people working as volunteers or observers told me that they had been trailed home by ICE agents, and some of their communications have already been infiltrated, screenshotted, and posted online, forcing them to use new text chains and code names. One urgent question among observers, as the videos of Pretti’s killing spread, was what his handle might have been. No matter how many more armed men Trump sends to impose his will on the people of Minnesota, all he can do is accentuate their valor. No application of armed violence can make the men with guns as heroic as the people who choose to stand in their path with empty hands in defense of their neighbors. These agents, and the president who sent them, are no one’s heroes, no one’s saviors—just men with guns who have to hide their faces to shoot a mom in the face, and a nurse in the back.
January 27, 2026 at 2:46 PM
mjsdc.bsky.social
Much more so than is widely known
January 27, 2026 at 3:08 PM
mjsdc.bsky.social
To put it another way: Courageous jurists on the lower courts have held back Trump from inflicting even more damage on civil rights and liberties. This timeline sucks, but the one in which the judiciary doesn't even try to push back is FAR worse. We insult these judges when we dismiss their impact.
chrisgeidner.bsky.social Chris Geidner @chrisgeidner.bsky.social · 6d
I’m done with this shit. This isn’t a game. And if you don’t realize that the work of Judges Xinis and Boasberg and Ellis has been an essential part of forcing this administration to account for its actions, you’re not a serious person.
January 27, 2026 at 2:49 PM
Reposted by Mark Joseph Stern
adamserwer.bsky.social
One thing I found deeply moving about resistance in the Twin Cities was the universalism of loving your neighbor, the philosophy driving the opposition to the ICE/BP invasion. I couldn't help but notice the contrast with the blood and soil-ism of Miller and Vance. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
Trump-administration officials and MAGA influencers have repeatedly called these activists “violent” and said they are involved in “riots.” But the resistance in Minnesota is largely characterized by a conscious, strategic absence of physical confrontation. Activists have made the decision to emphasize protection, aid, and observation. When matters escalate, it is usually the choice of the federal agents. Of the three homicides in Minneapolis this year, two were committed by federal agents. “There’s been an incredible, incredible response from the community. I’ve seen our neighbors go straight from allies to family—more than family—checking in on each other, offering food and rides for kids and all kinds of support, alerting each other if there’s ICE or any kind of danger,” Malika Dahir, a local activist of Somali descent, told me. If the Minnesota resistance has an overarching ideology, you could call it “neighborism”—a commitment to protecting the people around you, no matter who they are or where they came from. The contrast with the philosophy guiding the Trump administration couldn’t be more extreme. Vice President Vance has said that “it is totally reasonable and acceptable for American citizens to look at their next-door neighbors and say, ‘I want to live next to people who I have something in common with. I don’t want to live next to four families of strangers.’” Minnesotans are insisting that their neighbors are their neighbors whether they were born in Minneapolis or Mogadishu. That is, arguably, a deeply Christian philosophy, one apparently loathed by some of the most powerful Christians in America.
January 27, 2026 at 2:38 PM
Reposted by Mark Joseph Stern
joelhs.bsky.social
The US Holocaust Museum being more outraged by Tim Walz saying that, like Anne Frank, children today are in hiding from armed agents of the state, than they are about the fact that children are in hiding from armed agents of the state, is why Holocaust remembrance culture is in crisis.
Tweet from the US Holocaust Memorial Museum: "Anne Frank was targeted and murdered solely because she was Jewish. Leaders making false equivalencies to her experience for political purposes is never acceptable. Despite tensions in Minneapolis, exploiting the Holocaust is deeply offensive, especially as antisemitism surges."
January 26, 2026 at 11:30 PM
mjsdc.bsky.social
The testing ground for Bovino’s Operation At Large was Los Angeles. A California judge initially prohibited ICE/CBP’s most flagrant constitutional violations. SCOTUS overruled her 6–3, handing Bovino a blank check to inflict unspeakable brutality on Chicago and Minneapolis. The 6 bear so much blame.
nickmiroff.bsky.social Nick Miroff @nickmiroff.bsky.social · 7d
BREAKING Greg Bovino has been removed as Border Patrol "commander at large" and will return to El Centro Calif, where he is expected to retire soon. A stunning turnaround after Pretti killing. Bovino's traveling blue city crackdown is over www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...
Gregory Bovino Gets Demoted
The Border Patrol chief was the public face of a traveling immigration crackdown on cities governed by Democrats.
www.theatlantic.com
January 27, 2026 at 1:18 AM
mjsdc.bsky.social
DOJ told a federal judge that it contained and investigated the scene of Pretti's murder. But from this report, it looks like all federal agents left the scene completely unattended within a few hours—a major breach of protocol that contaminated potential evidence. slate.com/news-and-pol...
Outside, Minneapolitans were cleaning up the gas canisters ICE had left behind and hugging each other. A man was trying to put up some trash bins that had been knocked over and restring police tape to form a perimeter. I started to help him, only then realizing that we were blocking off the site of Pretti’s shooting. He told me ICE had knocked over the police tape during one of their advances and no police or first responders remained. I wasn’t sure if it was a crime scene. We did our best to cordon off the area so no one would walk through.
January 26, 2026 at 9:59 PM
mjsdc.bsky.social
Life on the ground in St. Paul right now, from Council Member @mollycoleman.bsky.social—including a dispatch from "day care patrol," now a feature of everyday life, when parents try to stop ICE agents from kidnapping toddlers and teachers.
slate.com/news-and-pol...
In Minnesota, the Fight Against ICE Is Also the Fight Against Authoritarianism
The community is pulling together. It has been eye-opening.
slate.com
January 26, 2026 at 9:50 PM
mjsdc.bsky.social
The terror that ICE and CBP have inflicted on the children of the Twin Cities is, by itself, a crime of scandalous proportions that will forever stain this country's moral fabric, and all those responsible should never know another day of peace. www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...
Bauer, who is 49, struggled to maintain her composure as she described the day early this month when ICE showed up in force outside her school. Agents had been circling the school since December, seemingly learning its routines, and they arrested some parents just before the winter break. But this time, agents leapt out in riot gear and began entering the apartments just across from the school, where many students live. “We had to lock down and keep the kids inside, and parents linked arms to block the school entrance,” Bauer said. “We had a student who was looking out the window and saw them break into his apartment and just sobbed, ‘That’s my house. That’s my home.’ And we shut the blinds, but it was too late.”
January 26, 2026 at 9:43 PM