Jerry Edwards
@jerryedwards.bsky.social
Associate Professor of Law at West Virginia University College of Law. Formerly an ACLUFL Attorney. I nerd out over free expression, academic freedom, and American history.
All opinions are my own, not my employer's, and are correct, probably.
All opinions are my own, not my employer's, and are correct, probably.
Pinned
Jerry Edwards
@jerryedwards.bsky.social
· Aug 15
I am excited to announce that my article, Academic Freedom's Inflection Point, will be published in the Boston College Law Review in 2026. The SSRN link is below. I plan to make revisions to address feedback & new developments (ex. a terrible govt speech opinion). Comments are welcome & appreciated!
Reposted by Jerry Edwards
If the executive can unilaterally shift all functioning out of an congressionally established agency, then what is left of Congress’ lawmaking?
Why should Congress authorize executive agencies to do anything at all, ever?
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/25/u...
Why should Congress authorize executive agencies to do anything at all, ever?
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/25/u...
School Groups Sue to Stop Dismantling of the Education Department
www.nytimes.com
November 26, 2025 at 2:00 PM
If the executive can unilaterally shift all functioning out of an congressionally established agency, then what is left of Congress’ lawmaking?
Why should Congress authorize executive agencies to do anything at all, ever?
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/25/u...
Why should Congress authorize executive agencies to do anything at all, ever?
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/25/u...
Reposted by Jerry Edwards
Feels as though these questions require a real clear-eyed look at the relationship between Congress and the executive, and the implications of this moment for separation of powers
NGL I am not confident SCOTUS is up to the task
NGL I am not confident SCOTUS is up to the task
November 26, 2025 at 2:04 PM
Feels as though these questions require a real clear-eyed look at the relationship between Congress and the executive, and the implications of this moment for separation of powers
NGL I am not confident SCOTUS is up to the task
NGL I am not confident SCOTUS is up to the task
Reposted by Jerry Edwards
How do people end up writing responses to the Harv L Rev forward?
November 26, 2025 at 5:00 PM
How do people end up writing responses to the Harv L Rev forward?
Reposted by Jerry Edwards
The 2020 Georgia election case is going to be dismissed in its entirety, with the prosecutor offering less-than-persuasive reasoning. A miscarriage of justice that weakens our democracy.
November 26, 2025 at 3:54 PM
The 2020 Georgia election case is going to be dismissed in its entirety, with the prosecutor offering less-than-persuasive reasoning. A miscarriage of justice that weakens our democracy.
Reposted by Jerry Edwards
Whether it is from citations, top-tier placements, or arguing in court in front of like-minded justices, there is value and reward in taking positions that will make people's lives worse off.
newrepublic.com/article/2034...
newrepublic.com/article/2034...
The Lawyer Who Killed Roe Is About to Get a Promotion
Erin Hawley has devoted her career to rolling back the civil rights of vulnerable Americans. Now she is poised to become a circuit court judge.
newrepublic.com
November 26, 2025 at 4:20 PM
Whether it is from citations, top-tier placements, or arguing in court in front of like-minded justices, there is value and reward in taking positions that will make people's lives worse off.
newrepublic.com/article/2034...
newrepublic.com/article/2034...
Reposted by Jerry Edwards
Three GOP appeals judges swooped in last week to lift a lower court order which told the Trump admin to stop brutalizing protesters, priests, & press in Chicago
I played the connect-the-dots game to see how they justified their decision--it's a hot mess, tbqh!
ballsandstrikes.org/law-politics...
I played the connect-the-dots game to see how they justified their decision--it's a hot mess, tbqh!
ballsandstrikes.org/law-politics...
How Conservative Judges Turned a Throwaway Line Into a Free Pass For ICE Violence
For these judges, the White House not getting its way is a legal crisis that requires immediate intervention.
ballsandstrikes.org
November 25, 2025 at 3:02 PM
Three GOP appeals judges swooped in last week to lift a lower court order which told the Trump admin to stop brutalizing protesters, priests, & press in Chicago
I played the connect-the-dots game to see how they justified their decision--it's a hot mess, tbqh!
ballsandstrikes.org/law-politics...
I played the connect-the-dots game to see how they justified their decision--it's a hot mess, tbqh!
ballsandstrikes.org/law-politics...
Reposted by Jerry Edwards
For all the pie-haters out there:
You're absolutely right. I 100% agree. And I'm happy to dispose of your unwanted pie for you, so that you don't have to deal with it yourself.
Reasonable prices!
You're absolutely right. I 100% agree. And I'm happy to dispose of your unwanted pie for you, so that you don't have to deal with it yourself.
Reasonable prices!
The dirty secret of pies is that they have the lowest ceiling potential of all sweets. Your best pie is merely fine. Your median pie is bad.
November 25, 2025 at 9:19 PM
For all the pie-haters out there:
You're absolutely right. I 100% agree. And I'm happy to dispose of your unwanted pie for you, so that you don't have to deal with it yourself.
Reasonable prices!
You're absolutely right. I 100% agree. And I'm happy to dispose of your unwanted pie for you, so that you don't have to deal with it yourself.
Reasonable prices!
Reposted by Jerry Edwards
This is similar nonsense to how the Trump admin talks about addressing historic backlogs in the immigration courts.
The solution to backlogs are to hire more judges and staff, not to abolish due process. It’s not that hard!
The solution to backlogs are to hire more judges and staff, not to abolish due process. It’s not that hard!
November 25, 2025 at 7:15 PM
This is similar nonsense to how the Trump admin talks about addressing historic backlogs in the immigration courts.
The solution to backlogs are to hire more judges and staff, not to abolish due process. It’s not that hard!
The solution to backlogs are to hire more judges and staff, not to abolish due process. It’s not that hard!
Reposted by Jerry Edwards
this is a twofer. they're going to demand auto execs explain why their cars are so expensive, without saying "tariffs" - so they'll blame things like child alerts, in order to continue risking some of the more horrific deaths that can be experienced
Exclusive: Republicans plan to challenge vehicle-safety mandates, such as automatic emergency braking and alarms that remind drivers a child is in the back seat.
Senate Committee to Challenge Auto-Safety Mandates That Hurt ‘Affordability’
Republicans are questioning the value of some features, such as automatic braking and rear-seat reminders.
on.wsj.com
November 25, 2025 at 7:21 PM
this is a twofer. they're going to demand auto execs explain why their cars are so expensive, without saying "tariffs" - so they'll blame things like child alerts, in order to continue risking some of the more horrific deaths that can be experienced
Reposted by Jerry Edwards
This is called “chain refoulment” and it’s illegal under both U.S. and international law. And the State Department and ICE know very well what Ghana is doing and simply don’t care.
ICE deported a woman who owned a home in the US for 30 years. A judge banned ICE from deporting her to Sierra Leone where she had been tortured, so it deported her to Ghana, which kidnapped her and sent her back Sierra Leone anyway. ICE is part of this illegal conspiracy.
November 25, 2025 at 7:30 PM
This is called “chain refoulment” and it’s illegal under both U.S. and international law. And the State Department and ICE know very well what Ghana is doing and simply don’t care.
Reposted by Jerry Edwards
Hopefully most state health departments have a search tool to fill the void.
But I just gotta say, as someone who uses a lot of health data for my own scholarship, I hate having to seriously question the reliability of info on the CDC (and other gov) website & whether I should cite it.
But I just gotta say, as someone who uses a lot of health data for my own scholarship, I hate having to seriously question the reliability of info on the CDC (and other gov) website & whether I should cite it.
CDC Quietly Turned Off Its Vaccine Search Tool. It’s Not Clear When It’s Coming Back. — NOTUS
“I have heard that they are planning to ‘update it’ and shudder to think what that will mean,” Demetre Daskalakis, a former member of CDC leadership, told NOTUS.
apple.news
November 26, 2025 at 2:43 AM
Hopefully most state health departments have a search tool to fill the void.
But I just gotta say, as someone who uses a lot of health data for my own scholarship, I hate having to seriously question the reliability of info on the CDC (and other gov) website & whether I should cite it.
But I just gotta say, as someone who uses a lot of health data for my own scholarship, I hate having to seriously question the reliability of info on the CDC (and other gov) website & whether I should cite it.
Reposted by Jerry Edwards
The first official confirmation that Noem herself made the decision not to turn the planes around. A couple hundred men were tortured as a result — and soon after, the Supreme Court confirmed that the Trump admin’s Alien Enemies Act process was a total violation of due process.
BREAKING:
“After receiving that legal advice, Secretary Noem directed that the AEA detainees who had been removed from the United States before the Court’s order could be transferred to the custody of El Salvador. “
“After receiving that legal advice, Secretary Noem directed that the AEA detainees who had been removed from the United States before the Court’s order could be transferred to the custody of El Salvador. “
November 26, 2025 at 1:45 AM
The first official confirmation that Noem herself made the decision not to turn the planes around. A couple hundred men were tortured as a result — and soon after, the Supreme Court confirmed that the Trump admin’s Alien Enemies Act process was a total violation of due process.
Reposted by Jerry Edwards
NEW: The Wisconsin Supreme Court has appointed two different 3-judge panels to hear challenges to the state’s court-adopted congressional map - the decisions in both cases drawing strong dissents.
November 25, 2025 at 8:20 PM
NEW: The Wisconsin Supreme Court has appointed two different 3-judge panels to hear challenges to the state’s court-adopted congressional map - the decisions in both cases drawing strong dissents.
Reposted by Jerry Edwards
Four nonfiction books I really enjoyed reading this year:
@audrelawdamercy.bsky.social's The Originalism Trap
@leahlitman.bsky.social's Lawless
@caseyjohnston.bsky.social's A Physical Education
@hofrench.bsky.social's Born in Blackness
@audrelawdamercy.bsky.social's The Originalism Trap
@leahlitman.bsky.social's Lawless
@caseyjohnston.bsky.social's A Physical Education
@hofrench.bsky.social's Born in Blackness
November 21, 2025 at 4:25 PM
Four nonfiction books I really enjoyed reading this year:
@audrelawdamercy.bsky.social's The Originalism Trap
@leahlitman.bsky.social's Lawless
@caseyjohnston.bsky.social's A Physical Education
@hofrench.bsky.social's Born in Blackness
@audrelawdamercy.bsky.social's The Originalism Trap
@leahlitman.bsky.social's Lawless
@caseyjohnston.bsky.social's A Physical Education
@hofrench.bsky.social's Born in Blackness
Reposted by Jerry Edwards
NEW: In a new amicus brief, law enforcement officials argue that boundaries around how local police interact with federal immigration enforcement are indispensable to building public trust with local communities. Read their brief here:
www.brennancenter.org/media/14752/...
www.brennancenter.org/media/14752/...
November 25, 2025 at 6:27 PM
NEW: In a new amicus brief, law enforcement officials argue that boundaries around how local police interact with federal immigration enforcement are indispensable to building public trust with local communities. Read their brief here:
www.brennancenter.org/media/14752/...
www.brennancenter.org/media/14752/...
Reposted by Jerry Edwards
I have a new piece up at @msnownews.bsky.social, on the recent NJ supreme court case banning shaking baby syndrome evidence, using it to discuss both the generally shoddy nature of all forensic evidence but also the legal profession's on-going refusal to confront our current data-driven world.
Opinion | New Jersey's ban on 'shaken baby syndrome' claims in court points up a larger problem in the legal system
John Pfaff: The state Supreme Court ruling underscores how thin empirical support is for much of the forensic evidence used in criminal cases.
www.ms.now
November 25, 2025 at 2:38 PM
I have a new piece up at @msnownews.bsky.social, on the recent NJ supreme court case banning shaking baby syndrome evidence, using it to discuss both the generally shoddy nature of all forensic evidence but also the legal profession's on-going refusal to confront our current data-driven world.
Reposted by Jerry Edwards
As we all wait for Callais to come down, our piece showing that Shelby County increased the racial turnout gap in most of the covered parts of the country has cleared the replication check and is incoming at JOP.
Gutting the VRA was bad, actually.
Gutting the VRA was bad, actually.
November 24, 2025 at 12:47 AM
As we all wait for Callais to come down, our piece showing that Shelby County increased the racial turnout gap in most of the covered parts of the country has cleared the replication check and is incoming at JOP.
Gutting the VRA was bad, actually.
Gutting the VRA was bad, actually.
Reposted by Jerry Edwards
I am quite confident that to the sadistic sadists who are our current senior federal officials, this is a hoped-for feature, the exact opposite of a bug.
ADX is inhuman and inhumane. As the article notes, even former wardens call it “worse than death.”
ADX is inhuman and inhumane. As the article notes, even former wardens call it “worse than death.”
November 24, 2025 at 8:06 PM
I am quite confident that to the sadistic sadists who are our current senior federal officials, this is a hoped-for feature, the exact opposite of a bug.
ADX is inhuman and inhumane. As the article notes, even former wardens call it “worse than death.”
ADX is inhuman and inhumane. As the article notes, even former wardens call it “worse than death.”
Reposted by Jerry Edwards
What if Dems ran on sacrificing James Carville's human rights?
November 24, 2025 at 8:30 PM
What if Dems ran on sacrificing James Carville's human rights?
Reposted by Jerry Edwards
Sucks that Bari Weiss has to give Jewish controlled media such a bad rep.
November 25, 2025 at 4:41 AM
Sucks that Bari Weiss has to give Jewish controlled media such a bad rep.
Reposted by Jerry Edwards
The answer to Noah smiths first question is of course that everything the United States did against slavery was the result of a radical faction, which had spent the precious 20 years being attacked and killed, managing to seize federal power and win a war
November 25, 2025 at 3:07 AM
The answer to Noah smiths first question is of course that everything the United States did against slavery was the result of a radical faction, which had spent the precious 20 years being attacked and killed, managing to seize federal power and win a war
Reposted by Jerry Edwards
This is heartbreakingly cruel and hypocritical. The same admin that has redefined refugee status to cover white South Africans is now going to drown thousands of refugees already approved for their status in red tape, potentially even seeking to strip some of their status and deport them.
Trump Admin planning a rule to re-decide whether *every* refugee who entered under Biden meets their criteria for a refugee. That’s 230,000 people! And no appeals!
www.reuters.com/world/us/tru...
www.reuters.com/world/us/tru...
www.reuters.com
November 25, 2025 at 2:46 AM
This is heartbreakingly cruel and hypocritical. The same admin that has redefined refugee status to cover white South Africans is now going to drown thousands of refugees already approved for their status in red tape, potentially even seeking to strip some of their status and deport them.
Reposted by Jerry Edwards
After a decade of research and hundreds of billions of dollars spent, the genesis mission will still only talk about white genocide in South Africa.
"the president has directed the Department of Energy to launch an AI project called the genesis mission" sounds like something out of a technothriller
www.whitehouse.gov/presidential...
www.whitehouse.gov/presidential...
Launching the Genesis Mission
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered: Section 1. Purpose.
www.whitehouse.gov
November 25, 2025 at 12:57 AM
After a decade of research and hundreds of billions of dollars spent, the genesis mission will still only talk about white genocide in South Africa.
Reposted by Jerry Edwards
The publication date for my book on the history of policing American slavery has been moved up a month! Now available May 12, 2026! Thanks so much to those who have preordered! The Press is offering 30% off with the code, 01UNCP30
uncpress.org/978146969484...
uncpress.org/978146969484...
White Power
Beginning in the colonial era and growing through the American Revolution and the Southern plantation system, slaveholders’ violent police regime continued...
uncpress.org
November 20, 2025 at 11:55 AM
The publication date for my book on the history of policing American slavery has been moved up a month! Now available May 12, 2026! Thanks so much to those who have preordered! The Press is offering 30% off with the code, 01UNCP30
uncpress.org/978146969484...
uncpress.org/978146969484...
Reposted by Jerry Edwards
Y'all, we got a preview of this book at the @richardscenter.bsky.social and it is going to be *AMAZING*!! @gauthamrao.bsky.social is such a brilliant thinker & writer.
The publication date for my book on the history of policing American slavery has been moved up a month! Now available May 12, 2026! Thanks so much to those who have preordered! The Press is offering 30% off with the code, 01UNCP30
uncpress.org/978146969484...
uncpress.org/978146969484...
White Power
Beginning in the colonial era and growing through the American Revolution and the Southern plantation system, slaveholders’ violent police regime continued...
uncpress.org
November 20, 2025 at 2:36 PM
Y'all, we got a preview of this book at the @richardscenter.bsky.social and it is going to be *AMAZING*!! @gauthamrao.bsky.social is such a brilliant thinker & writer.