Robert Richards
LightNews LightNews
rrichard09.bsky.social
Robert Richards
@rrichard09.bsky.social
2.9K followers 8.4K following 480 posts

I study how people talk about politics and law and participate in governing their communities. Opinions expressed here are mine alone, not those of my employers or institutions.
https://rcrjr.wordpress.com

Videos
Political science 19%
Environmental science 17%
Posts Replies Media Videos

rrichard09.bsky.social
Robert Richards @rrichard09.bsky.social · 1d
you are not alone

Reposted by Robert C. Richards

jztidecat.bsky.social
Justin Zimmerman @jztidecat.bsky.social · 1d
I’m not just saying this because they are my employer, but the SUNY system is one of the few university systems (shoutout Cal State) actually committed to educating Black and Brown students and getting them to the middle class. If you care about equality, that goal is moved through public schools.

Reposted by Kim L. Scheppele, Robert C. Richards

sifill.bsky.social
Sherrilyn Ifill @sifill.bsky.social · 1d
Honestly, it is always an honor to talk with @dahlialithwick.bsky.social on her show Amicus. She is so perceptive, brilliant, and curious all at once.

Here we are trying to g to make sense of another year, and ringing alarms early for the upcoming year.

podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a...

Reposted by Robert C. Richards

kidadaewilliams.com
KEW @kidadaewilliams.com · 1d
‘Natchez’ Documentarian on the Ghosts of the Civil War That Continue to Haunt the American South www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie... "How can a city move forward without acknowledging the past? That’s not just a question for Natchez, but one for America as a whole.”
‘Natchez’ Documentarian on the Ghosts of the Civil War That Continue to Haunt the American South
Suzannah Herbert discussed her film with The Hollywood Reporter at the recent SCAD Savannah Film Festival.
www.hollywoodreporter.com

Reposted by Rosemary A. Joyce, Robert C. Richards

adamserwer.bsky.social
Adam Serwer @adamserwer.bsky.social · 2d
If you’re not white make sure you carry your fucking freedom papers with you bsky.app/profile/radl...
radleybalko.bsky.social Radley Balko @radleybalko.bsky.social · 2d
Bovino, the man overseeing mass deportations, publicly declared that we must all have our papers on us, at all times, or we could be stopped, harassed, kidnapped, and detained, as they did with the man in this case, who is a US citizen.

Reposted by Robert B. Talisse, Robert C. Richards

alexgphilosophy.bsky.social
Alex Guerrero @alexgphilosophy.bsky.social · 2d
A very nice discussion of Lottocracy in @jacobinmag.bsky.social

jacobin.com/2025/12/lott...
A Lottocratic Political System Would Empower Ordinary People
American democracy seems to be falling into an ever greater crisis. A lottocratic system, in which citizens are randomly selected to serve as legislators, could empower ordinary people and stem politi...
jacobin.com

Reposted by Edward Witten, Kim L. Scheppele, Steve Peers , and 10 more

alisonkilling.bsky.social
Alison Killing @alisonkilling.bsky.social · 2d
In late 2020 a Chinese man called Guan Heng travelled to Xinjiang with our BuzzFeed map of detention facilities to provide ground truth for our work - he provided the first corroborating evidence for many sites.

He escaped to the US - then ICE detained him.

www.wsj.com/world/china/...
ICE Holding Chinese Man Who Documented Uyghur Camps
Heng Guan is awaiting an immigration hearing on Monday that could lead to his removal from the U.S. and ultimately land him back in China, according to his lawyer and a New York-based activist group.
www.wsj.com

Reposted by Kim L. Scheppele, Will Jennings, Scott L. Greer , and 13 more

radleybalko.bsky.social
Radley Balko @radleybalko.bsky.social · 2d
Bovino, the man overseeing mass deportations, publicly declared that we must all have our papers on us, at all times, or we could be stopped, harassed, kidnapped, and detained, as they did with the man in this case, who is a US citizen.

Reposted by Nicholas A. Christakis, Brendan Nyhan, Robert C. Richards , and 2 more

walterolson.bsky.social
Walter Olson @walterolson.bsky.social · 3d
Chavarria, a U.S. citizen, was held at the airport "for more than four hours and released only after he finally agreed to let the agents search his smartphone, tablet, and laptop computer. The agents...informed him that he had no Fourth Amendment right to resist." @pacificlegal.bsky.social is suing.
CBP agents held this U.S. citizen for hours until he agreed to let them search his electronic devices
A federal lawsuit argues that perusing travelers' personal data without a warrant or probable cause violates the Fourth Amendment.
reason.com

Reposted by Robert C. Richards

walterolson.bsky.social
Walter Olson @walterolson.bsky.social · 3d
Indiana Senate turns thumbs down on mid-decade redistricting, a federal berth for Stop the Steal activists, scholarship on ranked choice voting #RCV, Texas moves against voter registration group, and more in my new election policy roundup at Cato.
Election Policy Roundup
A roundup of items on voting and elections, including Indiana Senate’s thumbs down to mid-decade redistricting, a federal berth for Stop the Steal activists, scholarship on ranked choice voting (RCV),...
www.cato.org

Reposted by Anna O. Law, Elizabeth Saunders, Brendan Nyhan , and 14 more

reichlinmelnick.bsky.social
Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 3d
WOW. @haleaziz.bsky.social with a new scoop: ICE now gets a running list of every person who is going to be taking a domestic flight inside the United States from the TSA and runs it through their database looking for targets. This explains the Babson College student's arrest.
Immigration Agents Are Using Air Passenger Data for Deportation Effort
www.nytimes.com

Reposted by Kim L. Scheppele, Steven Heydemann, Robert C. Richards , and 1 more

kyledcheney.bsky.social
Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney.bsky.social · 3d
JUST IN: Judge Boasberg won’t back off his planned contempt hearings next week and says the crime-fraud exception would overcome potential privileges. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

Reposted by Richard Betts, Victor Asal, Robert C. Richards , and 2 more

nytimes.com
The New York Times @nytimes.com · 3d
More than 250 people who were exposed to measles, including dozens of unvaccinated school-aged children, are quarantining in South Carolina as the state wrestles to contain an outbreak that has sickened more than 110 people.
Hundreds Quarantined in South Carolina as Measles Outbreak Shows No Sign of Slowing
The outbreak shows no signs of slowing, likely because of the affected area’s “lower-than-hoped-for vaccination coverage,” a state health official said.
nyti.ms

Reposted by Robert C. Richards, Paul Goldsmith-Pinkham, Nathan P. Kalmoe

trevondlogan.bsky.social
Trevon Logan @trevondlogan.bsky.social · 3d
Black Americans navigated Jim Crow through guides like the Green Books by sharing their experiences. Know a Green Book establishment? Share your memories, and upload photos or documents. Your contribution makes the archive complete. greenbookproject.osu.edu #GreenBookProject #CommunityMap
#EconSky

Reposted by Robert C. Richards

debpearlstein.bsky.social
Deborah Pearlstein @debpearlstein.bsky.social · 3d
Bradley "affirmed having sought real-time legal advice" & got it. But per cong'l sources, Bradley "did not say whether his military lawyer considered the survivors shipwrecked & out of the fight." Leaves me deeply doubtful that the JAG ok'd it & Bradley just neglected to mention that.
How a U.S. admiral decided to kill two boat strike survivors
The controversial order given by Adm. Frank Bradley is under scrutiny from Congress. Inside the most consequential deliberation of his career.
wapo.st

Reposted by Robert C. Richards

lorak.bsky.social
Lora Kolodny @lorak.bsky.social · 4d
This is absolutely bonkers. Trump signed an EO to create a single, national framework for AI regulation. Which makes you wonder about things like, oh, state taxes, state's rights, etc. by Jennifer Elias @cnbc.com www.cnbc.com/2025/12/11/t...
Trump signs executive order for single national AI regulation standard, limiting power of states
President Trump's executive order, which limits the power of states in regulating AI, is a win for big tech companies that have lobbied for a federal standard.
www.cnbc.com

Reposted by Robert C. Richards

trevondlogan.bsky.social
Trevon Logan @trevondlogan.bsky.social · 4d
ABSOLUTE LAST CHANCE: The NBER Race and Stratification Working Group will have its annual meeting on Friday, March 27, 2026. @franciscaantman.bsky.social, Bocar Ba, Robynn Cox and I are organizing the program. Submit your paper by midnight tonight! @nber.org #Econsky www.nber.org/conferences/...
Economics of Race and Stratification, Spring 2026
www.nber.org

Reposted by Richard S.J. Tol, Brendan Nyhan, Michael A. Clemens , and 4 more

reichlinmelnick.bsky.social
Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 4d
One under-appreciated part of this: note the bit below about “and their dependents.”

Under the Trump admin’s new policy, dependent children of visa applicants are not allowed to have their social media set to private during the entire visa process. They MUST make their social media public.
lyns84.bsky.social Kenbehren @lyns84.bsky.social · 4d
From the US Embassy in London today.
Visa Services Update: As of December 15, the Department will expand the requirement that an online presence review be conducted for all H-1B applicants and their dependents, in addition to the students and exchange visitors already subject to this review. To facilitate this vetting, all applicants for H-1B and their dependents (H-4), F, M, and J nonimmigrant visas are instructed to adjust the privacy settings on all of their social media profiles to 'public' U.S. Embassy London

Reposted by Robert C. Richards

lyns84.bsky.social
Kenbehren @lyns84.bsky.social · 4d
From the US Embassy in London today.
Visa Services Update: As of December 15, the Department will expand the requirement that an online presence review be conducted for all H-1B applicants and their dependents, in addition to the students and exchange visitors already subject to this review. To facilitate this vetting, all applicants for H-1B and their dependents (H-4), F, M, and J nonimmigrant visas are instructed to adjust the privacy settings on all of their social media profiles to 'public' U.S. Embassy London

Reposted by Anna O. Law, Nicholas A. Christakis, Robert C. Richards , and 2 more

propublica.org
ProPublica @propublica.org · 4d
“What most struck me is the brutality and physical violence involved in every story,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal. “This is stuff that should be unrecognizable as America. It should make everyday Americans outraged.”

By @nicolefoy.bsky.social
Immigration Agents Have Often Grabbed and Mistreated Citizens, Congressional Investigators Find
Prompted by ProPublica’s reporting, an investigation by Senate Democrats documented the experiences of nearly two dozen citizens wrongly detained by immigration agents, contradicting the Trump adminis...
www.propublica.org

Reposted by Kim L. Scheppele, Nandita Sharma, Steve Peers , and 5 more

apnews.com
The Associated Press @apnews.com · 4d
BREAKING: Kilmar Abrego Garcia has been released from immigration detention after a federal judge's order Thursday, his attorney's office says.
Judge orders Kilmar Abrego Garcia to be immediately released from immigration detention
A federal judge in Maryland has ordered Kilmar Abrego Garcia freed from immigration detention while his legal challenge against his deportation moves forward. U.S.
bit.ly

Reposted by Steve Peers, Sanford F. Schram, Andreas Bieler , and 6 more

aflcio.org
AFL-CIO @aflcio.org · 4d
BREAKING: Democrats and Republicans in Congress just voted to pass the Protect America’s Workforce Act to restore federal workers’ union rights – the first time the House has voted to overturn a Trump executive order in this term. https://bit.ly/4oNyBQc

Reposted by Anna O. Law, Elizabeth Saunders, Richard S.J. Tol , and 7 more

taniel.bsky.social
Taniel @taniel.bsky.social · 4d
Indiana’s Senate has voted AGAINST the GOP gerrymander that’d have locked in a 9-0 map.

This keeps the 7-2 map in place, saving two Democratic seats heading into 2026.

The vote failed big, 19/31.

The MAJORITY of the GOP senators opposed it!

Reposted by Mark D. White, Robert C. Richards

kenwhite.bsky.social
37 Dolls For Your Popehat @kenwhite.bsky.social · 4d
“According to a source Ms. Halligan became enraged when a grand juror told her that the word ‘indict’ is pronounced ‘in-DITE,” not “in-DICKT.”
Justice Department again fails to indict New York Attorney General Letitia James
The Justice Department also tried and failed last week to secure a new indictment against James in Norfolk, Virginia.
www.nbcnews.com

Reposted by Kori Schake, Anna O. Law, Kim L. Scheppele , and 36 more

atrupar.com
Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 4d
MAGAZINER: How many veterans have you deported?

NOEM: We haven't deported veterans

MAGAZINER: We are now joined on Zoom by a combat veteran you deported to Korea

Reposted by Robert C. Richards

melissagiragrant.com
Melissa Gira Grant @melissagiragrant.com · 5d
so all year I have been saving nearly every story of ICE or CBP abuse I see on social media (from people's own reports to news stories to court filings) and am now going through them all to try to put them into story form and I don't think it's possible but

Reposted by Robert C. Richards

immcouncil.org
American Immigration Council @immcouncil.org · 5d
The Trump administration's mass deportation agenda isn't making our communities safer.

As @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social told @padilla.senate.gov, it's making our communities LESS safe.

Reposted by Robert C. Richards, Joshua L. Conver

richardscenter.bsky.social
Richards Center Penn State @richardscenter.bsky.social · 5d
Congratulations to Antwain K. Hunter, whose book A Precarious Balance: Firearms, Race, and Community in North Carolina, 1715–1865 was published by UNC Press last month!

uncpress.org/978146968989...

Reposted by Robert C. Richards

trevondlogan.bsky.social
Trevon Logan @trevondlogan.bsky.social · 5d
DEADLINE TOMORROW: The NBER Race and Stratification Working Group will have its annual meeting on Friday, March 27, 2026. @franciscaantman.bsky.social, Bocar Ba, Robynn Cox and I are organizing the program. Submit your paper by December 11, 2025! @nber.org #Econsky www.nber.org/conferences/...
Economics of Race and Stratification, Spring 2026
www.nber.org

Reposted by Robert C. Richards

debpearlstein.bsky.social
Deborah Pearlstein @debpearlstein.bsky.social · 5d
"Pentagon lawyers...asked whether the 2 survivors could be put into a notorious [CECOT] prison in El Salvador..." (1) EVERY natsec lawyer knows sending detainees to face torture violates US & int'l law. (2) By Oct, DOD had purged TJAGs & (per reports) many others. Which exact lawyers were these?
Inside the Pentagon’s Scramble to Deal With Boat Strike Survivors
www.nytimes.com