Maya Sen
@mayasen.bsky.social
Professor, Harvard Kennedy School | Speaking in a personal capacity | https://msen.scholars.harvard.edu/
An administration that for months claimed unilateral & absolute authority to shutter entire executive agencies suddenly finds without any agency to move money from one internal pot of money to another
November 8, 2025 at 12:55 PM
An administration that for months claimed unilateral & absolute authority to shutter entire executive agencies suddenly finds without any agency to move money from one internal pot of money to another
Reposted by Maya Sen
But basically this agreement reads to me like one where the administration recognizes they are losing and are desperate to sign any deal to notch a win.
Many of the most dangerous elements from the Columbia and Brown deals (and the proposed deals with Harvard and UCLA) are missing from this one.
Many of the most dangerous elements from the Columbia and Brown deals (and the proposed deals with Harvard and UCLA) are missing from this one.
November 7, 2025 at 5:35 PM
But basically this agreement reads to me like one where the administration recognizes they are losing and are desperate to sign any deal to notch a win.
Many of the most dangerous elements from the Columbia and Brown deals (and the proposed deals with Harvard and UCLA) are missing from this one.
Many of the most dangerous elements from the Columbia and Brown deals (and the proposed deals with Harvard and UCLA) are missing from this one.
Why would they give up?
Republicans control 28 state legislatures, both chambers of Congress, and the White House
They have a 6-3 supermajority on the Supreme Court and a R appointments outnumber D appointments to other fed courts
www.politico.com/news/2025/11...
Republicans control 28 state legislatures, both chambers of Congress, and the White House
They have a 6-3 supermajority on the Supreme Court and a R appointments outnumber D appointments to other fed courts
www.politico.com/news/2025/11...
Amy Coney Barrett and Brett Kavanaugh to conservative law students: Don’t give up
The Trump appointees’ remarks came at a Federalist Society event in Washington.
www.politico.com
November 7, 2025 at 12:29 PM
Why would they give up?
Republicans control 28 state legislatures, both chambers of Congress, and the White House
They have a 6-3 supermajority on the Supreme Court and a R appointments outnumber D appointments to other fed courts
www.politico.com/news/2025/11...
Republicans control 28 state legislatures, both chambers of Congress, and the White House
They have a 6-3 supermajority on the Supreme Court and a R appointments outnumber D appointments to other fed courts
www.politico.com/news/2025/11...
Excellent & clear explainer on the oral arguments in the tariffs case
Supreme Court Seems Skeptical of Trump’s Tariffs www.nytimes.com/2025/11/06/p...
Supreme Court Seems Skeptical of Trump’s Tariffs www.nytimes.com/2025/11/06/p...
Supreme Court Seems Skeptical of Trump’s Tariffs
www.nytimes.com
November 6, 2025 at 9:58 PM
Excellent & clear explainer on the oral arguments in the tariffs case
Supreme Court Seems Skeptical of Trump’s Tariffs www.nytimes.com/2025/11/06/p...
Supreme Court Seems Skeptical of Trump’s Tariffs www.nytimes.com/2025/11/06/p...
Shout out to Neal Katyal's repeated pleas to common sense in this morning's oral arguments, because really it does feel like gaslighting sometimes
Economists, thinking rationally: “There is clearly no national emergency. He’s obviously just making shit up.”
Lawyers, thinking like lawyers: “But the foreign policy exception to the major questions doctrine…”
Lawyers, thinking like lawyers: “But the foreign policy exception to the major questions doctrine…”
a man in a blue shirt and tie is pointing at a bulletin board with a lot of papers on it .
ALT: a man in a blue shirt and tie is pointing at a bulletin board with a lot of papers on it .
media.tenor.com
November 5, 2025 at 5:56 PM
Shout out to Neal Katyal's repeated pleas to common sense in this morning's oral arguments, because really it does feel like gaslighting sometimes
Reposted by Maya Sen
Not every justice has yet spoken, but Roberts and Barrett have and they are clearly against Trump's tariffs. That's five votes.
November 5, 2025 at 3:31 PM
Not every justice has yet spoken, but Roberts and Barrett have and they are clearly against Trump's tariffs. That's five votes.
My hot take is that Mamdani is a very effective communicator and campaigner
And he’s funny too
Democrats should not just learn from him, but they should use him strategically - send him to Fox News etc, & let him make his policy pitches
No more of this weird “let’s ignore him” nonsense
And he’s funny too
Democrats should not just learn from him, but they should use him strategically - send him to Fox News etc, & let him make his policy pitches
No more of this weird “let’s ignore him” nonsense
Mamdani’s victory is a rebuke to the failed strategies of the Democratic party | Moira Donegan
Mamdani’s victory is a rebuke to the failed strategies of the Democratic party | Moira Donegan
The Democratic party appears listless and unprincipled, unwilling to fight because they do not believe in anything. Zohran Mamdani is the opposite of this
www.theguardian.com
November 5, 2025 at 2:39 PM
My hot take is that Mamdani is a very effective communicator and campaigner
And he’s funny too
Democrats should not just learn from him, but they should use him strategically - send him to Fox News etc, & let him make his policy pitches
No more of this weird “let’s ignore him” nonsense
And he’s funny too
Democrats should not just learn from him, but they should use him strategically - send him to Fox News etc, & let him make his policy pitches
No more of this weird “let’s ignore him” nonsense
“Alex, I’ll take ‘Supreme Court claims that have aged poorly’ for $200”
November 4, 2025 at 2:16 PM
“Alex, I’ll take ‘Supreme Court claims that have aged poorly’ for $200”
Reposted by Maya Sen
Setti Warren, the former mayor of Newton and first Black man elected to lead a city in Massachusetts, has died.
Setti Warren, former Newton mayor and leading political voice, dies at 55 - The Boston Globe
No cause of death was disclosed Sunday by Harvard University, where Warren was the director of the Kennedy School's Institute of Politics.
trib.al
November 3, 2025 at 3:00 PM
Setti Warren, the former mayor of Newton and first Black man elected to lead a city in Massachusetts, has died.
As a purely anecdotal matter, most economists I’ve talked to think SCOTUS will limit POTUS’s ability to unilaterally impose tariffs - b/c they’re simply not an emergency
Disconnect between economists and lawyers on this prediction is significant
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/03/u...
Disconnect between economists and lawyers on this prediction is significant
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/03/u...
Supreme Court Confronts Trump and His Tariffs in Test of Presidential Power
www.nytimes.com
November 3, 2025 at 2:20 PM
As a purely anecdotal matter, most economists I’ve talked to think SCOTUS will limit POTUS’s ability to unilaterally impose tariffs - b/c they’re simply not an emergency
Disconnect between economists and lawyers on this prediction is significant
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/03/u...
Disconnect between economists and lawyers on this prediction is significant
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/03/u...
Devastated by this news
Setti was a very important prescence at HKS - this is beyond awful
www.thecrimson.com/article/2025...
Setti was a very important prescence at HKS - this is beyond awful
www.thecrimson.com/article/2025...
Harvard Institute of Politics Director Setti Warren Dies Suddenly at 55 | News | The Harvard Crimson
Setti D. Warren, the director of Harvard’s Institute of Politics and former mayor of Newton, Mass., died suddenly at his home over the weekend. He was 55.
www.thecrimson.com
November 3, 2025 at 12:22 PM
Devastated by this news
Setti was a very important prescence at HKS - this is beyond awful
www.thecrimson.com/article/2025...
Setti was a very important prescence at HKS - this is beyond awful
www.thecrimson.com/article/2025...
Reposted by Maya Sen
“Adopting a phone-free schools policy is a more effective intervention than anything we have seen before...”
www.bostonglobe.com/2025/10/30/o...
www.bostonglobe.com/2025/10/30/o...
October 30, 2025 at 12:51 PM
“Adopting a phone-free schools policy is a more effective intervention than anything we have seen before...”
www.bostonglobe.com/2025/10/30/o...
www.bostonglobe.com/2025/10/30/o...
Reposted by Maya Sen
NEW: SCOTUS holds off ruling on Trump's Nat'l Guard request, leaving troops blocked from Illinois for now.
Court orders briefing about a part of the law the Trump admin is using to federalize National Guard troops. Also in Illinois: Protesters indicted and an attempt to protect Bovino.
Law Dork:
Court orders briefing about a part of the law the Trump admin is using to federalize National Guard troops. Also in Illinois: Protesters indicted and an attempt to protect Bovino.
Law Dork:
SCOTUS holds off ruling on Trump's Nat'l Guard request, leaving troops blocked from Illinois for now
Court orders briefing about a part of the law the Trump admin is using to federalize National Guard troops. Also in Illinois: Protesters indicted and an attempt to protect Bovino.
www.lawdork.com
October 29, 2025 at 10:32 PM
NEW: SCOTUS holds off ruling on Trump's Nat'l Guard request, leaving troops blocked from Illinois for now.
Court orders briefing about a part of the law the Trump admin is using to federalize National Guard troops. Also in Illinois: Protesters indicted and an attempt to protect Bovino.
Law Dork:
Court orders briefing about a part of the law the Trump admin is using to federalize National Guard troops. Also in Illinois: Protesters indicted and an attempt to protect Bovino.
Law Dork:
I continue to think that self-interested ambition is the weakness of the 22A scheme
Why should Vance (or any other Republican) willingly give up the presidency that he won?
Hard to imagine a scenario where that happens. Don Jr?
Why should Vance (or any other Republican) willingly give up the presidency that he won?
Hard to imagine a scenario where that happens. Don Jr?
Yesterday Trump appeared to rule out a 3rd term, but he also said "we'll see what happens." Given his history of lying and changing his mind, the 3rd-term issue won't just go away. Thus, on the blog, I consider Trump's arguably legal and clearly illegal options for circumventing the 22nd Amendment.👇
Trump's Not-So-Cute Means of Becoming President-for-Life
As if we don't have more immediate problems, on Monday a reporter asked President Trump whether he was considering running for Vice Presiden...
www.dorfonlaw.org
October 29, 2025 at 1:19 PM
I continue to think that self-interested ambition is the weakness of the 22A scheme
Why should Vance (or any other Republican) willingly give up the presidency that he won?
Hard to imagine a scenario where that happens. Don Jr?
Why should Vance (or any other Republican) willingly give up the presidency that he won?
Hard to imagine a scenario where that happens. Don Jr?
Reposted by Maya Sen
Yesterday Trump appeared to rule out a 3rd term, but he also said "we'll see what happens." Given his history of lying and changing his mind, the 3rd-term issue won't just go away. Thus, on the blog, I consider Trump's arguably legal and clearly illegal options for circumventing the 22nd Amendment.👇
Trump's Not-So-Cute Means of Becoming President-for-Life
As if we don't have more immediate problems, on Monday a reporter asked President Trump whether he was considering running for Vice Presiden...
www.dorfonlaw.org
October 29, 2025 at 12:29 PM
Yesterday Trump appeared to rule out a 3rd term, but he also said "we'll see what happens." Given his history of lying and changing his mind, the 3rd-term issue won't just go away. Thus, on the blog, I consider Trump's arguably legal and clearly illegal options for circumventing the 22nd Amendment.👇
Siri, give me an example of a political stunt
Breaking News: Texas sued the makers of Tylenol, alleging the companies hid the drug’s links to autism following unproven claims by President Trump.
Texas Sues Tylenol Makers, Claiming They Hid Autism Risks
The lawsuit follows claims by President Trump that linked use by pregnant women of acetaminophen to autism, a connection that is unproven.
nyti.ms
October 28, 2025 at 1:02 PM
Siri, give me an example of a political stunt
“[D]etermining whether a rule constitutes a major rule sometimes has a bit of a ‘know it when you see it’ quality”
- Brett Kavanaugh
- Brett Kavanaugh
Everyone knows the major questions doctrine only applies to Democrats 🙄
October 27, 2025 at 1:49 PM
“[D]etermining whether a rule constitutes a major rule sometimes has a bit of a ‘know it when you see it’ quality”
- Brett Kavanaugh
- Brett Kavanaugh
Reposted by Maya Sen
Gonna be great when SCOTUS changes their own made-up doctrine to apply a "national security or foreign policy" exception for "emergency" taxes on everything from Christmas ornaments to flip-flops to wigs.
“There is some reason to think the doctrine may disappear in the tariffs case.”
😑
😑
Will Trump’s Tariffs Survive Supreme Court’s ‘Major Questions’ Test?
www.nytimes.com
October 27, 2025 at 12:17 PM
Gonna be great when SCOTUS changes their own made-up doctrine to apply a "national security or foreign policy" exception for "emergency" taxes on everything from Christmas ornaments to flip-flops to wigs.
“There is some reason to think the doctrine may disappear in the tariffs case.”
😑
😑
Will Trump’s Tariffs Survive Supreme Court’s ‘Major Questions’ Test?
www.nytimes.com
October 27, 2025 at 11:22 AM
“There is some reason to think the doctrine may disappear in the tariffs case.”
😑
😑
Reposted by Maya Sen
Tuesday will be 50 days since the U.S. Supreme Court’s Republican appointees issued an order allowing the Trump administration, essentially, to target working-class Latinos in its massive immigration raids.
What has happened since has been as bad, if not worse, than experts warned on Sept. 8.
What has happened since has been as bad, if not worse, than experts warned on Sept. 8.
The Kavanaugh stop, 50 days later
"What a sick world." And, for paid subscribers: Closing my tabs.
www.lawdork.com
October 27, 2025 at 12:23 AM
Tuesday will be 50 days since the U.S. Supreme Court’s Republican appointees issued an order allowing the Trump administration, essentially, to target working-class Latinos in its massive immigration raids.
What has happened since has been as bad, if not worse, than experts warned on Sept. 8.
What has happened since has been as bad, if not worse, than experts warned on Sept. 8.
Reposted by Maya Sen
Check out massive crop of amicus briefs supporting our side in Supreme Court tariff case, from groups across political spectrum, big and small businesses, and experts in many different fields: www.supremecourt.gov/search.aspx?...
Search
www.supremecourt.gov
October 24, 2025 at 10:11 PM
Check out massive crop of amicus briefs supporting our side in Supreme Court tariff case, from groups across political spectrum, big and small businesses, and experts in many different fields: www.supremecourt.gov/search.aspx?...
Reposted by Maya Sen
Spirit Halloween now has a section devoted to Trump’s economic policies
October 24, 2025 at 7:57 PM
Spirit Halloween now has a section devoted to Trump’s economic policies
Identifying legal violations up front, clearly and without mincing words, needs to become standard journalistic practice
Breaking News: The U.S. military accepted a private donation of $130 million to help pay troops during the shutdown. The move is highly unusual and a potential violation of federal law.
Trump to Use $130 Million Donation to Help Pay Troops
It is not clear how far the gift will go toward covering the salaries of the nation’s 1.3 million troops.
nyti.ms
October 24, 2025 at 9:28 PM
Identifying legal violations up front, clearly and without mincing words, needs to become standard journalistic practice
Reposted by Maya Sen
NEW: The Justice Department says it plans to monitor polling sites at six locations in California and New Jersey ahead of the Nov. 4 general election for "transparency, ballot security, and compliance with federal law"
www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justi...
www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justi...
October 24, 2025 at 4:08 PM
NEW: The Justice Department says it plans to monitor polling sites at six locations in California and New Jersey ahead of the Nov. 4 general election for "transparency, ballot security, and compliance with federal law"
www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justi...
www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justi...
Noteable that Bannon recognizes that a Trump 3rd term is completely unconstitutional and yet pushes for it anyway - not via loopholes but by ignoring the Constitution altogether
We are watching in real time as the Overton window shifts to a world in which the Constitution simply does not matter
We are watching in real time as the Overton window shifts to a world in which the Constitution simply does not matter
“He’s gonna get a third term, Trump ‘28, Trump is gonna be president ‘28 so people just ought to get accommodated with that," Steve Bannon said.
Steve Bannon Reveals ‘There’s a Plan’ for Third Trump Term
Bannon divulged that there are “many different alternatives” for securing a third term for Trump.
trib.al
October 24, 2025 at 1:47 PM
Noteable that Bannon recognizes that a Trump 3rd term is completely unconstitutional and yet pushes for it anyway - not via loopholes but by ignoring the Constitution altogether
We are watching in real time as the Overton window shifts to a world in which the Constitution simply does not matter
We are watching in real time as the Overton window shifts to a world in which the Constitution simply does not matter