Matthew Clair
@mathuclair.bsky.social
Sociologist @stanfordsoc.bsky.social and author of PRIVILEGE & PUNISHMENT www.matthewclair.org
Pinned
Matthew Clair
@mathuclair.bsky.social
· Aug 13
Law is central to today’s social crises—from democratic backsliding to immigrant exclusion. This paper shows how cultural sociology offers rigorous explanations of, and insights into how to tackle, law-related crises. Hope it’s useful to law and society scholars and others
osf.io/preprints/so...
osf.io/preprints/so...
Reposted by Matthew Clair
2-yr postdoc opportunity in @ndsociology.bsky.social at the Center for Research on Educational Opportunity (CREO). iei.nd.edu/initiatives/...
CREO Postdoc Promotion | Institute for Educational Initiatives
iei.nd.edu
November 13, 2025 at 2:24 PM
2-yr postdoc opportunity in @ndsociology.bsky.social at the Center for Research on Educational Opportunity (CREO). iei.nd.edu/initiatives/...
Reposted by Matthew Clair
A Republican sheriff in a swing county that Trump won by 0.1% signed a contract to help ICE, then lost last week by 11.
New by me in @boltsmag.org: boltsmag.org/sheriff-of-b...
New by me in @boltsmag.org: boltsmag.org/sheriff-of-b...
Voters Ousted This Pennsylvania Sheriff After He Signed Up to Collaborate With ICE - Bolts
A populous, swing county replaced its GOP sheriff on Tuesday after months of controversy over his joining ICE’s 287(g) program. The Democratic winner promises he’ll end the contract.
boltsmag.org
November 10, 2025 at 7:20 PM
A Republican sheriff in a swing county that Trump won by 0.1% signed a contract to help ICE, then lost last week by 11.
New by me in @boltsmag.org: boltsmag.org/sheriff-of-b...
New by me in @boltsmag.org: boltsmag.org/sheriff-of-b...
Reposted by Matthew Clair
⚡️Coming soon: a special symposium on Du Bois’s Black Reconstruction at 90 organized by @alimeghji.bsky.social & Jose Itzigsohn! Early look at my piece here:
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
November 6, 2025 at 4:09 PM
⚡️Coming soon: a special symposium on Du Bois’s Black Reconstruction at 90 organized by @alimeghji.bsky.social & Jose Itzigsohn! Early look at my piece here:
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Reposted by Matthew Clair
Paid summer research opportunity for undergraduates at MIT. Applicants must be undergraduates at a USA institution. Deadline: Jan 20. Info sessions: 11/6 and 12/10 - mit.zoom.us/meeting/regi...
**Please Share**
**Please Share**
November 3, 2025 at 6:49 PM
Paid summer research opportunity for undergraduates at MIT. Applicants must be undergraduates at a USA institution. Deadline: Jan 20. Info sessions: 11/6 and 12/10 - mit.zoom.us/meeting/regi...
**Please Share**
**Please Share**
Reposted by Matthew Clair
“I’m sure you’re aware of our connections with the Trump Administration and I’m sure they would be interested in this matter. I would strongly suggest dropping this story.”
Declining a press request is one thing
Trying to silence the press entirely is another
ballsandstrikes.org/legal-cultur...
Declining a press request is one thing
Trying to silence the press entirely is another
ballsandstrikes.org/legal-cultur...
Republicans Really Don’t Want Journalists Talking About How They’ve Captured the Courts
Conservative judges love talking to friendly media outlets. They don’t like talking to anyone who might actually try and hold them accountable.
ballsandstrikes.org
November 3, 2025 at 2:58 PM
“I’m sure you’re aware of our connections with the Trump Administration and I’m sure they would be interested in this matter. I would strongly suggest dropping this story.”
Declining a press request is one thing
Trying to silence the press entirely is another
ballsandstrikes.org/legal-cultur...
Declining a press request is one thing
Trying to silence the press entirely is another
ballsandstrikes.org/legal-cultur...
Reposted by Matthew Clair
🚨NEW: The FCC has voted to raise calling rates for incarcerated people – a move that bends to the will of telecomm companies, jails and prisons, while saddling poor families with higher costs.
Now, prices could hike as much as 83% 🧵
Now, prices could hike as much as 83% 🧵
October 30, 2025 at 6:14 PM
🚨NEW: The FCC has voted to raise calling rates for incarcerated people – a move that bends to the will of telecomm companies, jails and prisons, while saddling poor families with higher costs.
Now, prices could hike as much as 83% 🧵
Now, prices could hike as much as 83% 🧵
Reposted by Matthew Clair
This is a great interview with my coauthor @cbrandtner.bsky.social about our recent @sfjournal.bsky.social paper: poetsandquants.com/2025/10/28/a... (the paper can be found here: doi.org/10.1093/sf/s...)
Are Business Schools Accidentally Turning Away Working-Class Talent?
MBA programs risk 'institutional exclusion' when their brands signal elitism, making first-gen & low-income students feel they don’t belong.
poetsandquants.com
October 30, 2025 at 7:05 PM
This is a great interview with my coauthor @cbrandtner.bsky.social about our recent @sfjournal.bsky.social paper: poetsandquants.com/2025/10/28/a... (the paper can be found here: doi.org/10.1093/sf/s...)
Reposted by Matthew Clair
Join Professor Joe Soss on Friday morning to hear about the legal plunder of the justice system. Soss will discuss the origins, operations, and consequences of revenue shifts from communities to governments and corporations.
Join us by registering here → zurl.co/LbUc5
Join us by registering here → zurl.co/LbUc5
October 22, 2025 at 10:00 PM
Join Professor Joe Soss on Friday morning to hear about the legal plunder of the justice system. Soss will discuss the origins, operations, and consequences of revenue shifts from communities to governments and corporations.
Join us by registering here → zurl.co/LbUc5
Join us by registering here → zurl.co/LbUc5
Reposted by Matthew Clair
New op-ed in the LA Times by myself & Dave Stovall. We wrote this because are watching in horror the ways this administration is terrorizing Children of Color. Black & Brown children deserve better than this. We all deserve better than this. www.latimes.com/opinion/stor...
Contributor: The Trump administration is targeting children of color
Instead of policies that reduce crime, we get rhetoric of locking up 'bad children.' It's counterproductive and expensive, and it distracts from real solutions that were working before Trump cut their...
www.latimes.com
October 22, 2025 at 1:25 PM
New op-ed in the LA Times by myself & Dave Stovall. We wrote this because are watching in horror the ways this administration is terrorizing Children of Color. Black & Brown children deserve better than this. We all deserve better than this. www.latimes.com/opinion/stor...
Reposted by Matthew Clair
Q: “Most hospitals + people who will lose insurance are in rural areas. If Trump & Republicans are so intent on sticking it to their own voters, why not let them?”
@aoc.bsky.social : “That’s the difference between us & Trump. I don’t care if you voted for me, I want you to have health care.”
@aoc.bsky.social : “That’s the difference between us & Trump. I don’t care if you voted for me, I want you to have health care.”
October 16, 2025 at 2:42 AM
Q: “Most hospitals + people who will lose insurance are in rural areas. If Trump & Republicans are so intent on sticking it to their own voters, why not let them?”
@aoc.bsky.social : “That’s the difference between us & Trump. I don’t care if you voted for me, I want you to have health care.”
@aoc.bsky.social : “That’s the difference between us & Trump. I don’t care if you voted for me, I want you to have health care.”
Reposted by Matthew Clair
Today I wrote in @lpeblog.bsky.social with Amna Akbar & @sameer-ashar.bsky.social about how legal scholars & teachers might act in solidarity with movements in this moment, in the face of fascism: lpeproject.org/blog/movemen...
Movement Law Under Fascism
As fascist tendencies intensify across the United States, social movements continue to organize against the forces of state repression. Legal scholars must stand with these movements…
lpeproject.org
October 15, 2025 at 2:50 PM
Today I wrote in @lpeblog.bsky.social with Amna Akbar & @sameer-ashar.bsky.social about how legal scholars & teachers might act in solidarity with movements in this moment, in the face of fascism: lpeproject.org/blog/movemen...
Reposted by Matthew Clair
I just learned, Thomas Alter, tenured professor, has been terminated effective immediately. Shame on Texas State! We mst build support for Tom. spectrumlocalnews.com/tx/south-tex...
Texas State upholds the firing of associate history professor Thomas Alter
Alter’s termination occurred on Sept. 10, stemming from his remarks at the Revolutionary Socialism Conference on Sept. 7.
spectrumlocalnews.com
October 13, 2025 at 9:49 PM
I just learned, Thomas Alter, tenured professor, has been terminated effective immediately. Shame on Texas State! We mst build support for Tom. spectrumlocalnews.com/tx/south-tex...
Reposted by Matthew Clair
Attacks on the federal workforce are also attacks on Black workers, who are overrepresented in the public sector.
Black unemployment is 7.5%. I'm reminded of Coates' observation that Black Americans regularly experience conditions that would be considered a crisis if whites faced them.
Black unemployment is 7.5%. I'm reminded of Coates' observation that Black Americans regularly experience conditions that would be considered a crisis if whites faced them.
Black Unemployment Is Surging Again. This Time Is Different.
www.nytimes.com
October 12, 2025 at 12:51 PM
Attacks on the federal workforce are also attacks on Black workers, who are overrepresented in the public sector.
Black unemployment is 7.5%. I'm reminded of Coates' observation that Black Americans regularly experience conditions that would be considered a crisis if whites faced them.
Black unemployment is 7.5%. I'm reminded of Coates' observation that Black Americans regularly experience conditions that would be considered a crisis if whites faced them.
Reposted by Matthew Clair
worth revisiting this piece on the value of prosecuting killer cops (or lack thereof)
www.essence.com/feature/breo...
www.essence.com/feature/breo...
October 11, 2025 at 4:56 PM
worth revisiting this piece on the value of prosecuting killer cops (or lack thereof)
www.essence.com/feature/breo...
www.essence.com/feature/breo...
Reposted by Matthew Clair
🚨Fresh #sociology alert! In "Good Lawyer, Bad Lawyer," @elenavanstee.bsky.social summarizes
@mathuclair.bsky.social and Sophia Hunt's research into the decision-making processes of young progressives entering professions they see as perpetuating #inequality
contexts.org/articles/goo...
@mathuclair.bsky.social and Sophia Hunt's research into the decision-making processes of young progressives entering professions they see as perpetuating #inequality
contexts.org/articles/goo...
October 10, 2025 at 6:13 PM
🚨Fresh #sociology alert! In "Good Lawyer, Bad Lawyer," @elenavanstee.bsky.social summarizes
@mathuclair.bsky.social and Sophia Hunt's research into the decision-making processes of young progressives entering professions they see as perpetuating #inequality
contexts.org/articles/goo...
@mathuclair.bsky.social and Sophia Hunt's research into the decision-making processes of young progressives entering professions they see as perpetuating #inequality
contexts.org/articles/goo...
Reposted by Matthew Clair
Working on a dissertation in American political behavior and need money for survey research? Apply for a grant worth up to $15,000 from the Rapoport Family Foundation. They’re planning on awarding up to 15 grants this cycle.
Deadline Oct. 22.
www.rapoportfamilyfoundation.com/phdgrant
Deadline Oct. 22.
www.rapoportfamilyfoundation.com/phdgrant
Rapoport Doctoral Dissertation Grants
Supporting projects for PhD students doing political science research, democracy and social justice.
www.rapoportfamilyfoundation.com
October 9, 2025 at 8:39 PM
Working on a dissertation in American political behavior and need money for survey research? Apply for a grant worth up to $15,000 from the Rapoport Family Foundation. They’re planning on awarding up to 15 grants this cycle.
Deadline Oct. 22.
www.rapoportfamilyfoundation.com/phdgrant
Deadline Oct. 22.
www.rapoportfamilyfoundation.com/phdgrant
Reposted by Matthew Clair
congrats to my friend Maisha Winn of @stanfordeducation.bsky.social and fellow from @casbsstanford.bsky.social on her latest book, Futuring Black Lives: Independent Black Institutions and the Literary Imagination
A MUST READ!!
A MUST READ!!
October 9, 2025 at 3:16 AM
congrats to my friend Maisha Winn of @stanfordeducation.bsky.social and fellow from @casbsstanford.bsky.social on her latest book, Futuring Black Lives: Independent Black Institutions and the Literary Imagination
A MUST READ!!
A MUST READ!!
Reposted by Matthew Clair
Justin J. Pearson — the 30-year-old Memphis representative and member of the “Tennessee Three” who protested gun violence — has announced a bid to primary 76-year-old Democrat Steve Cohen for a seat in the U.S. House.
Justin J. Pearson of the 'Tennessee Three' Has Had It With 'Mediocrity' -- So He's Running for Congress
bit.ly
October 8, 2025 at 1:49 PM
Justin J. Pearson — the 30-year-old Memphis representative and member of the “Tennessee Three” who protested gun violence — has announced a bid to primary 76-year-old Democrat Steve Cohen for a seat in the U.S. House.
A thoughtful series of essays on the present crisis, and possible future, of higher education in @publicbooks.bsky.social
www.publicbooks.org/toward-the-n...
www.publicbooks.org/toward-the-n...
Toward the Next American University: A Roundtable Discussion on the Future of Higher Ed - Public Books
The path higher education was on before Trump’s reelection was neither certain nor stable. There is not much to go back to now.
www.publicbooks.org
October 7, 2025 at 3:17 PM
A thoughtful series of essays on the present crisis, and possible future, of higher education in @publicbooks.bsky.social
www.publicbooks.org/toward-the-n...
www.publicbooks.org/toward-the-n...
Reposted by Matthew Clair
"Treatment providers are asked to exercise . . . coercive control over their court-mandated clients, warping the therapeutic relationship." Mary Ellen Stitt w/
@uchicagopress.bsky.social on how treatment ends up feeling a lot like punishment when courts get involved:
@uchicagopress.bsky.social on how treatment ends up feeling a lot like punishment when courts get involved:
Punishment in All but Name - Mary Ellen Stitt - Inquest
Drug diversion programs are hyped by reformists as alternatives to prison—but they function just like punishment and people often end up incarcerated anyway.
inquest.org
October 3, 2025 at 12:00 PM
"Treatment providers are asked to exercise . . . coercive control over their court-mandated clients, warping the therapeutic relationship." Mary Ellen Stitt w/
@uchicagopress.bsky.social on how treatment ends up feeling a lot like punishment when courts get involved:
@uchicagopress.bsky.social on how treatment ends up feeling a lot like punishment when courts get involved:
Reposted by Matthew Clair
Thanks to @victorerikray.bsky.social and @hakeemjefferson.bsky.social for a great conversation. You can watch or download via Apple Podcasts and listen. newrepublic.substack.com/p/race-and-r...
Race and Racism in Trump 2.0 With Victor Ray and Hakeem Jefferson
Right Now With Perry Bacon
newrepublic.substack.com
October 2, 2025 at 9:32 PM
Thanks to @victorerikray.bsky.social and @hakeemjefferson.bsky.social for a great conversation. You can watch or download via Apple Podcasts and listen. newrepublic.substack.com/p/race-and-r...
Reposted by Matthew Clair
Pls share w/ your students -- Univ. of Minnesota's Sociology department is hosting a "how to apply" event for PhD applicants. Visit cla.umn.edu/sociology/gr... for more info. The world of higher ed (and beyond) is in crisis, but sociology can help us better understand the problems + solutions.
September 29, 2025 at 5:30 PM
Pls share w/ your students -- Univ. of Minnesota's Sociology department is hosting a "how to apply" event for PhD applicants. Visit cla.umn.edu/sociology/gr... for more info. The world of higher ed (and beyond) is in crisis, but sociology can help us better understand the problems + solutions.
Reposted by Matthew Clair
New article ahead of print!
Read Matthew Clair and colleagues' latest article -- Spatial Burdens of State Institutions: The Case of Criminal Courthouses
How does space shape access to state institutions and deepen inequality?
www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...
Read Matthew Clair and colleagues' latest article -- Spatial Burdens of State Institutions: The Case of Criminal Courthouses
How does space shape access to state institutions and deepen inequality?
www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...
University of Chicago Press Journals: Cookie absent
www.journals.uchicago.edu
May 1, 2025 at 9:53 PM
New article ahead of print!
Read Matthew Clair and colleagues' latest article -- Spatial Burdens of State Institutions: The Case of Criminal Courthouses
How does space shape access to state institutions and deepen inequality?
www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...
Read Matthew Clair and colleagues' latest article -- Spatial Burdens of State Institutions: The Case of Criminal Courthouses
How does space shape access to state institutions and deepen inequality?
www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...