Jacob T. Levy

@jacobtlevy.bsky.social

62K followers 1.1K following 14K posts

Tomlinson Professor of Political Theory, Associate member of Philosophy, Coordinator of Research Group on Constitutional Studies, McGill.
Posts here speak only for myself.
Americo-Canadian; liberaltarian; aging geek.
http://jacobtlevy.com .. more

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Jacob T. Levy is an American political theorist and Tomlinson Professor of Political Theory at McGill University. Levy is the Chair of the Department of Political Science at McGill, as well as the coordinator of McGill's Research Group on Constitutional Studies and the founding director of McGill's Yan P. Lin Centre for the Study of Freedom and Global Orders in the Ancient and Modern Worlds. Levy is also a Senior Fellow at the Niskanen Center and the Institute for Humane Studies. He is known for his expertise on multiculturalism, liberalism, and pluralism. .. more

Political science 68%

Law 8%

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Jacob T. Levy @jacobtlevy.bsky.social · 4h

Men with permits to carry handguns are this week's annoying lesbian wine moms

by Bret Stephens and Ross Douthat

Reposted by David R. Miller, Jacob T. Levy

Anthony Michael Kreis @anthonymkreis.bsky.social · 4h

He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

Reposted by Rosemary A. Joyce, Michael Kevane, Jacob T. Levy

Anna Bower @annabower.bsky.social · 4h

“The government has also argued that I must accept this as true because they said it, and they are the government…I respectfully suggest that the petition is frivolous.”

The Honorable Steven M. Colloton
January 23, 2026
Page 3
Unfortunately, we had to postpone our bench meeting at the request of the United States Marshal because of security concerns created by the presence of both the Vice President of the United States and the Attorney General of the United States in Minneapolis yesterday and by the initial appearances of two of the leaders of the invasion of Cities Church (who had been arrested pursuant to arrest warrants signed by Judge Micko) in St. Paul. We are scheduled to meet over lunch on Tuesday, January 27.
I have informed the U.S. Attorney that I will make a decision about the warrant application immediately after that meeting.
This, however, was not satisfactory to the Department of Justice. It has claimed that there is a national-security emergency. As the Department sees it, if I do not issue warrants for the five additional suspects, "copycats" will invade churches and synagogues this weekend and disrupt religious services. Apparently, the government believes that the arrests of the leaders of the Cities Church invasion- whose arrests have received widespread international attention - will not deter copycats, but arresting five additional suspects will. The government has also argued that I must accept this as true because they said it, and they are the government.
And that is where things stand. The five people whom the government seeks to
arrest are accused of entering a church, and the worst behavior alleged about any of them is yelling horrible things at the members of the church. None committed any acts of violence. The leaders of the group have been arrested, and their arrests have received widespread publicity. There is absolutely no emergency. The government could have sought indictments from a grand jury on Tuesday, January 20, Wednesday, January 21, or Thursday, January 22, but chose not to do so. The government can still take its case to a grand jury any time it wishes. Instead, the government is insisting…

The Honorable Steven M. Colloton
January 23, 2026
Page 4
petition filed by the government seeks an order from the Eighth Circuit forcing me to decide today -instead of Tuesday —whether to issue arrests warrants for the five protestors, I respectfully suggest that the petition is frivolous.
Sincerely,
Patrick J. Schiltz
Chief Judge

Jacob T. Levy @jacobtlevy.bsky.social · 5h

It's Vance's script, now backed by the power of Trump and Miller's secret police.

6/6

Jacob T. Levy @jacobtlevy.bsky.social · 5h

Even if there were a widespread welfare fraud problem among Somali migrants lawfully present in Minnesota, you wouldn't send ICE in to deal with it.

You send ICE in to terrorize a population, to portray a handful of allegations as a foreign invading force, to carry out a pogrom.
5/

Jacob T. Levy @jacobtlevy.bsky.social · 5h

But Obama was just one guy. The ability to demonize a *whole Black population* of foreign ancestry or birth as uncivilized, criminal, and primitive— "did Ilhan Omar marry her brother?"— is pretty much the white nationalist sweet spot. And Vance stood up on live national TV and said: let's do it.
4/

Jacob T. Levy @jacobtlevy.bsky.social · 5h

The attack on Haitians confirmed: the only thing white nationalists like more than demagoguery against Black people or against immigrants is demagoguery vs Black immigrants. Trump figured this out a decade and a half ago: what was birtherism if not demagoguery about being Black *and* foreign?
3/

Jacob T. Levy @jacobtlevy.bsky.social · 5h

The ICE invasion of Minnesota wasn't premised on some huge number of undocumented workers. It was premised on the lies Trump peddled in December about Somalis and a five-year-old welfare fraud scandal.

ICE has nothing to do with policing welfare fraud.

2/

Reposted by Elizabeth Saunders, Smith, Alan Richardson

Jacob T. Levy @jacobtlevy.bsky.social · 5h

As JD Vance starts trying to play "nice Gestapo" to Steven Miller's "mean Gestapo," it's worth emphasizing that what's happening in Minnesota is a direct descendant of Vance's knowingly false racist demagoguery during the campaign. "Somalis are low-IQ thieves" is "Haitians are eating your pets."
1/

Reposted by David H. Kaye, Rosemary A. Joyce, Rebecca Tushnet , and 1 more David H. Kaye, Rosemary A. Joyce, Rebecca Tushnet, Jacob T. Levy

Anna Bower @annabower.bsky.social · 5h

Apologies, wrong link in the first post (there are two letters).

Correct link here: storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

I suggest reading in full…it’s really something. The judge, by the way, is a Bush appointee and two-time Scalia clerk.

bsky.app/profile/anna...

Reposted by Jacob T. Levy, Samantha Brennan

Asha Rangappa @asharangappa.bsky.social · 6h

My latest Substack on what we as Americans can learn about courage and resistance from Prime Minister Carney’s speech at Davos open.substack.com/pub/asharang...

We're All the Greengrocer Now

What world leaders can teach us about refusing the rituals of obedience.

open.substack.com

Jacob T. Levy @jacobtlevy.bsky.social · 6h

(1900-1920 is the peak, I believe— but, yes, not as authentic continuous historical marking, rather as “Birth of a Nation”- type propaganda for the Jim Crow regime.)

Jacob T. Levy @jacobtlevy.bsky.social · 7h

A beginning, maybe.

bsky.app/profile/apne...

The Associated Press @apnews.com · 1d

A German soccer federation executive committee member says it's time to consider a World Cup boycott because of the actions of U.S. President Donald Trump.

German soccer federation official wants World Cup boycott considered because of Trump

A German soccer federation executive committee member says it’s time to consider a World Cup boycott because of the actions of U.S. President Donald Trump.

bit.ly

Jacob T. Levy @jacobtlevy.bsky.social · 7h

The convention that "contemporary" begins in 1971, while convenient for those of us who were born then, is showing some strain.

Jacob T. Levy @jacobtlevy.bsky.social · 7h

And still casts as heavy a shadow to us as Sidgwick did to Rawls' era.

Jacob T. Levy @jacobtlevy.bsky.social · 7h

yeah, the problem for me is that Riseling is my single least favorite varietal and I consider dessert wines a "fun once every couple of years" kind of thing.

Jacob T. Levy @jacobtlevy.bsky.social · 7h

(The Quebec sparklings are OK.)

Jacob T. Levy @jacobtlevy.bsky.social · 7h

that depends heavily on a grape that was literally invented in a University of Minnesota lab for maximum cold survivability. I have been to several of the vineyards and tried a bunch of the wines. That is a thing I have done in my life.

Jacob T. Levy @jacobtlevy.bsky.social · 7h

BC wines can be very good; similar climate to the wine-growing regions of Washington and Oregon.

Niagara peninsula wines are a substantial industry that people who are more patriotic than I am insist are worth drinking.

Quebec has a wine sector— I'm sitting squarely in the middle of the region—

Jacob T. Levy @jacobtlevy.bsky.social · 7h

Trump is going to get out his sharpie, scribble over the word "ice," and scribble in "cold water thingie," then fire some more NWS and NOAA staff.

Acyn @acyn.bsky.social · 22h

CNN: DHS officials have come to FEMA staff and told them to limit the use of the word ice…they are worried that by posting something like, watch out for the ice, that it's going to become a meme….

Reposted by Jonathan Portes, Jonathan Hopkin, Jacob T. Levy , and 3 more Jonathan Portes, Jonathan Hopkin, Jacob T. Levy, Tom Griffin, Stephen Ryan, Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò

Will Stancil @whstancil.bsky.social · 7h

Initial report is that two observers got into a shoving match with eight agents, one observer was wrestled to the ground, and then an ICE agent pulled out a sidearm and shot the man on the ground five times.

Jacob T. Levy @jacobtlevy.bsky.social · 7h

And mind you, in 2026, I think we can all sympathize with the mood.

Jacob T. Levy @jacobtlevy.bsky.social · 7h

right.

Jacob T. Levy @jacobtlevy.bsky.social · 8h

Northern New Englandahs scoff at the amateur massholes and their little-league version of holding a grudge.

Jacob T. Levy @jacobtlevy.bsky.social · 8h

I kind of love this ad because it ends with "wine boxes" and she looks like she's in a "drink one glass from the glass, chug the rest from the bottle, and then open the wine box" kind of mood.

"Wine boxes" is really a phrase that some ad person should have found a way to rework.