Gemma Donofrio
@gemmadonofrio.bsky.social
she/her, Climenko Fellow and Lecturer in Law at Harvard Law School, writing on reproductive rights/justice and violence
Reposted by Gemma Donofrio
WASHINGTON SPIRIT ADVANCE TO THE SEMIS🔥
Presented by Google Pixel
Presented by Google Pixel
November 8, 2025 at 8:15 PM
WASHINGTON SPIRIT ADVANCE TO THE SEMIS🔥
Presented by Google Pixel
Presented by Google Pixel
About 1 in 8 Americans receive SNAP--including 141,000 D.C. residents--and while food banks are very important, they cannot fill the enormous need starting November 1. Allowing people to go hungry is unacceptable. USDA could use its $5 billion contingency fund to continue to fund SNAP, & they must
I just spoke with Capital Area Food Bank CEO Radha Muthiah about how they are preparing for a possible lapse in SNAP funding. She told me that for every meal they provide, SNAP provides *nine*.
"The magnitude of the SNAP program is significant," she says.
"The magnitude of the SNAP program is significant," she says.
Today @mayorbowser.dc.gov says no final decision has been made yet on whether D.C. will cover the cost of SNAP benefits should federal funding lapse this weekend as expected. She's waiting for the outcome of a court hearing on a lawsuit filed by 25 states (including D.C.) on it.
October 29, 2025 at 10:20 PM
About 1 in 8 Americans receive SNAP--including 141,000 D.C. residents--and while food banks are very important, they cannot fill the enormous need starting November 1. Allowing people to go hungry is unacceptable. USDA could use its $5 billion contingency fund to continue to fund SNAP, & they must
I use to work in anti-hunger policy. These SNAP cuts are incredibly grim, and will dramatically increase hunger nationwide if states are not able to make up the difference. This is also deeply inefficient--$1 in SNAP generates $1.50 in economic activity.
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/20/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/20/u...
States Grapple With Fundamental Change in Food Stamps
www.nytimes.com
September 20, 2025 at 4:02 PM
I use to work in anti-hunger policy. These SNAP cuts are incredibly grim, and will dramatically increase hunger nationwide if states are not able to make up the difference. This is also deeply inefficient--$1 in SNAP generates $1.50 in economic activity.
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/20/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/20/u...
The majority opinion in Mahmoud uses this example to allege that the school board's curriculum burdens free exercise:
June 27, 2025 at 3:24 PM
The majority opinion in Mahmoud uses this example to allege that the school board's curriculum burdens free exercise:
Reposted by Gemma Donofrio
If the Supreme Court thinks universal injunctions are unconstitutional, to wait until *now* to say that, in this of all cases, with this of all presidents, is a devastating indictment of both its impartiality and its prudence.
June 27, 2025 at 2:29 PM
If the Supreme Court thinks universal injunctions are unconstitutional, to wait until *now* to say that, in this of all cases, with this of all presidents, is a devastating indictment of both its impartiality and its prudence.
Reposted by Gemma Donofrio
Today's Skrmetti opinion is devastating to transgender children and families who live in states with cruel laws barring gender affirming care. But it is very important to recognize this opinion does not give private entities, legislatures, or the President carte blanche to discriminate! 1/x
June 18, 2025 at 6:59 PM
Today's Skrmetti opinion is devastating to transgender children and families who live in states with cruel laws barring gender affirming care. But it is very important to recognize this opinion does not give private entities, legislatures, or the President carte blanche to discriminate! 1/x
Reposted by Gemma Donofrio
This reasoning suggests that overt gender stereotyping is almost always permissible under sex equality law. It is shocking and inconsistent with precedent.
June 18, 2025 at 4:08 PM
This reasoning suggests that overt gender stereotyping is almost always permissible under sex equality law. It is shocking and inconsistent with precedent.
I'm still reading Skrmetti, but what a horrifying opinion. And to use Geduldig--an opinion that Melissa Murray, Reva Siegel, Serena Mayeri, and others have shown was superseded by Virginia, Hibbs, etc.--is just awful and wrong. This is devastating for trans kids.
June 18, 2025 at 2:38 PM
I'm still reading Skrmetti, but what a horrifying opinion. And to use Geduldig--an opinion that Melissa Murray, Reva Siegel, Serena Mayeri, and others have shown was superseded by Virginia, Hibbs, etc.--is just awful and wrong. This is devastating for trans kids.
Reposted by Gemma Donofrio
JUST IN: ProPublica’s “Life of the Mother” series, which exposes the fatal consequences of abortion bans, has won the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service.
This is the second consecutive year we’ve been awarded this distinction and our eighth Pulitzer: www.propublica.org/series/life-...
This is the second consecutive year we’ve been awarded this distinction and our eighth Pulitzer: www.propublica.org/series/life-...
May 5, 2025 at 7:37 PM
JUST IN: ProPublica’s “Life of the Mother” series, which exposes the fatal consequences of abortion bans, has won the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service.
This is the second consecutive year we’ve been awarded this distinction and our eighth Pulitzer: www.propublica.org/series/life-...
This is the second consecutive year we’ve been awarded this distinction and our eighth Pulitzer: www.propublica.org/series/life-...
Trump's nominee for OLC is extremely concerning for anyone worried that OLC will rescind and reissue its memo regarding the Comstock Act...
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/02/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/02/u...
Trump to Pick Ohio’s Solicitor General for Top Justice Department Legal Post
T. Elliot Gaiser will be nominated to lead the influential Office of Legal Counsel, a department official said.
www.nytimes.com
April 2, 2025 at 1:28 PM
Trump's nominee for OLC is extremely concerning for anyone worried that OLC will rescind and reissue its memo regarding the Comstock Act...
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/02/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/02/u...
Amidst so many alarming developments, please also remember that the Trump administration has been deeply restricting reproductive autonomy both in the United States and throughout the world. Two important, awful updates to pay attention to in reproductive justice and reproductive rights
April 1, 2025 at 3:33 PM
Amidst so many alarming developments, please also remember that the Trump administration has been deeply restricting reproductive autonomy both in the United States and throughout the world. Two important, awful updates to pay attention to in reproductive justice and reproductive rights
Reposted by Gemma Donofrio
NWSL season is the best season 😌
March 14, 2025 at 11:17 PM
NWSL season is the best season 😌
These cuts would be pretty devastating for D.C. residents.
“A federal spending bill from House Republicans could have a drastic impact on DC’s budget, potentially leading to about $1 billion in overnight cuts impacting everything from the city’s law enforcement to schools, according to DC officials.”
www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/202...
www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/202...
GOP spending bill would lead to $1 billion in D.C. cuts, city officials say
The bill aimed at preventing a government shutdown would make D.C. revert to its 2024 spending. City officials fear cuts to police, schools and other services.
www.washingtonpost.com
March 10, 2025 at 4:44 PM
These cuts would be pretty devastating for D.C. residents.
Reposted by Gemma Donofrio
Submit comments on the government's horrific policies about trans people and passports. Deadline is in 8 days!
It's easy - can be as short or as long as you want. Online form. Do it now!
It's easy - can be as short or as long as you want. Online form. Do it now!
30-Day Notice of Proposed Information Collection: Application for a U.S. Passport
The Department of State has submitted the information collection described below to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for approval. In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we a...
www.federalregister.gov
March 10, 2025 at 1:49 AM
Submit comments on the government's horrific policies about trans people and passports. Deadline is in 8 days!
It's easy - can be as short or as long as you want. Online form. Do it now!
It's easy - can be as short or as long as you want. Online form. Do it now!
Jocelyn Samuels is a dedicated civil rights attorney and public servant, with more than three decades of experience. Trump appointed her to the EEOC in 2020. Her current term was set to expire in 2026, but Trump unceremoniously fired her last night. This is unprecedented and horrifying.
Trump Fires EEOC Democratic Commissioner Jocelyn Samuels
Democratic EEOC Commissioner Jocelyn Samuels was fired by President Donald Trump in an unprecedented move that undercuts the Democrats’ voting majority on the board, she confirmed in a statement Tuesd...
news.bloomberglaw.com
January 28, 2025 at 9:42 PM
Jocelyn Samuels is a dedicated civil rights attorney and public servant, with more than three decades of experience. Trump appointed her to the EEOC in 2020. Her current term was set to expire in 2026, but Trump unceremoniously fired her last night. This is unprecedented and horrifying.
I cannot express enough gratitude to Cecile Richards for her incredible leadership. Rest in power.
19thnews.org/2025/01/ceci...
19thnews.org/2025/01/ceci...
Cecile Richards, former Planned Parenthood president and feminist activist, has died
Richards died Monday of an aggressive brain cancer. She was 67.
19thnews.org
January 20, 2025 at 7:28 PM
I cannot express enough gratitude to Cecile Richards for her incredible leadership. Rest in power.
19thnews.org/2025/01/ceci...
19thnews.org/2025/01/ceci...
Homicide is a leading cause of death for pregnant women in the United States. Access to abortion is a critical safety valve for pregnant women who are facing violence and death from an intimate partner.
In @nytopinion.nytimes.com
When American women under 25 get pregnant, their odds of death by homicide more than double.
This is just one of their stories.
When American women under 25 get pregnant, their odds of death by homicide more than double.
This is just one of their stories.
Opinion | The Tragic Link Between Pregnancy and Homicide
For women under 25, getting pregnant more than doubles their risk of homicide.
www.nytimes.com
December 18, 2024 at 5:15 PM
Homicide is a leading cause of death for pregnant women in the United States. Access to abortion is a critical safety valve for pregnant women who are facing violence and death from an intimate partner.
This is horrifyingly common.
End pregnancy criminalization! Hospitals reported women for positive drug tests after giving them drugs for childbirth: medications used routinely for pain or in epidurals, to reduce anxiety or to manage blood pressure during cesarean sections. #lawsky www.themarshallproject.org/2024/12/11/p...
Hospitals Gave Them Meds During Childbirth. Why Did Patients Get In Trouble?
Mothers were reported after they were given medications used routinely for pain or in epidurals, to reduce anxiety or to manage blood pressure during cesarean sections.
www.themarshallproject.org
December 11, 2024 at 6:28 PM
This is horrifyingly common.
Justice Kagan: "The whole thing is imbued with sex [classification]. You may think there are reasons here for this law, and courts can consider those reasons. But it's a dodge to say this is based on medical purpose, when the entire medical purpose is based on sex."
December 4, 2024 at 5:03 PM
Justice Kagan: "The whole thing is imbued with sex [classification]. You may think there are reasons here for this law, and courts can consider those reasons. But it's a dodge to say this is based on medical purpose, when the entire medical purpose is based on sex."
Justice Jackson is really excellent here--she points out that boys and girls will receive different treatment for the same exact medical conditions.
December 4, 2024 at 5:01 PM
Justice Jackson is really excellent here--she points out that boys and girls will receive different treatment for the same exact medical conditions.
Justice Jackson notes that the state in Loving argued that there are lots of scientific arguments and the Court should not make a judgment and just trust the legislature. As she notes "I'm worried that we are undermining the foundations of one of our bedrock equal protection cases."
December 4, 2024 at 4:53 PM
Justice Jackson notes that the state in Loving argued that there are lots of scientific arguments and the Court should not make a judgment and just trust the legislature. As she notes "I'm worried that we are undermining the foundations of one of our bedrock equal protection cases."
Justice Jackson points out that the "concerns" in this case by opponents of gender-affirming care sound very familiar to those supporting antimiscegenation laws like the one the Court struck down in Loving v. Virginia to ensure that states could not prohibit interracial marriage.
December 4, 2024 at 4:11 PM
Justice Jackson points out that the "concerns" in this case by opponents of gender-affirming care sound very familiar to those supporting antimiscegenation laws like the one the Court struck down in Loving v. Virginia to ensure that states could not prohibit interracial marriage.
Justice Kavanaugh suggests that this case could "constitutionalize the whole area." That strikes me as very, very disingenuous, considering that Prelogar is just asking the Court to hold that the TN law is a sex-based classification--because the law classifies on the basis of sex.
December 4, 2024 at 3:55 PM
Justice Kavanaugh suggests that this case could "constitutionalize the whole area." That strikes me as very, very disingenuous, considering that Prelogar is just asking the Court to hold that the TN law is a sex-based classification--because the law classifies on the basis of sex.
In Skrmetti, Prelogar expertly pointed out that "part of what the State here was trying to do is make sure that adolescents conform their bodies to what male and females are 'supposed' to look like," highlighting the impermissibility of discriminating based on nonconformance with sex stereotypes.
December 4, 2024 at 3:39 PM
In Skrmetti, Prelogar expertly pointed out that "part of what the State here was trying to do is make sure that adolescents conform their bodies to what male and females are 'supposed' to look like," highlighting the impermissibility of discriminating based on nonconformance with sex stereotypes.
Abortion bans kill women. Texas is killing women. Porsha Ngumezi’s death was preventable, and the lack of medical care she received is unconscionable.
www.propublica.org/article/pors...
www.propublica.org/article/pors...
A Third Woman Died Under Texas’ Abortion Ban. Doctors Are Avoiding D&Cs and Reaching for Riskier Miscarriage Treatments.
Thirty-five-year-old Porsha Ngumezi’s case raises questions about how abortion bans are pressuring doctors to avoid standard care even in straightforward miscarriages.
www.propublica.org
November 25, 2024 at 6:44 PM
Abortion bans kill women. Texas is killing women. Porsha Ngumezi’s death was preventable, and the lack of medical care she received is unconscionable.
www.propublica.org/article/pors...
www.propublica.org/article/pors...