Meghan Leonard
@meghanleonard.bsky.social
Associate Professor - Political Science @ Illinois State University: judicial politics & state supreme courts. cats. women's sports. basketball. she/her
Pinned
#OpenAccess from State Politics & Policy Quarterly -
Court Curbing Lower State Courts in the United States - https://cup.org/4hUcjdK
- @meghanleonard.bsky.social, Hayley Munir & Michael Anthony Catalano
#FirstView
Court Curbing Lower State Courts in the United States - https://cup.org/4hUcjdK
- @meghanleonard.bsky.social, Hayley Munir & Michael Anthony Catalano
#FirstView
In a new paper with Hayley Munir and
@macatalano.bsky.social we find that court-curbing bills addressed at lower courts are explained by legislative professionalization rather than ideological disagreement.
@macatalano.bsky.social we find that court-curbing bills addressed at lower courts are explained by legislative professionalization rather than ideological disagreement.
Reposted by Meghan Leonard
The legal, media, and academic institutions capitulating to an authoritarian ordering payments for favorable treatment are damning themselves to irrelevance. They are destroying their institutions. They will be — and should be — shunned for failing in their most basic purposes for existing.
BREAKING: Northwestern University has agreed to pay the U.S. Treasury $75 million, over the course of three years as part of an agreement with the federal government to restore funding and end investigations into the university
Full statement from NU below:
Full statement from NU below:
November 29, 2025 at 1:37 AM
The legal, media, and academic institutions capitulating to an authoritarian ordering payments for favorable treatment are damning themselves to irrelevance. They are destroying their institutions. They will be — and should be — shunned for failing in their most basic purposes for existing.
Reposted by Meghan Leonard
It's cute, reading all these anguished cries: "when this is all over, these guys need to go to jail!" I remember saying that during Bush I crimes, and during Bush II crimes, and during Trump I crimes.
Guess how many of those guys went to jail.
Guess how many of those guys went to jail.
November 28, 2025 at 6:49 PM
It's cute, reading all these anguished cries: "when this is all over, these guys need to go to jail!" I remember saying that during Bush I crimes, and during Bush II crimes, and during Trump I crimes.
Guess how many of those guys went to jail.
Guess how many of those guys went to jail.
Reposted by Meghan Leonard
I am not worried about American authoritarianism consolidating power; I am worried about American authoritarianism not being punished and eradicated when it soon falls.
Every single congressional Democrat needs to be out there, right now, insisting that Pete Hegseth resign right now and announcing that he will be held accountable for committing war crimes.
If you do not demand accountability here and now, they will only become more emboldened.
If you do not demand accountability here and now, they will only become more emboldened.
Exclusive: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gave an order to “kill everybody” in the first strike on suspected drug boats in the Caribbean. After two men survived, the mission commander ordered a second strike to comply with Hegseth’s instructions, according to two sources.
November 28, 2025 at 7:25 PM
I am not worried about American authoritarianism consolidating power; I am worried about American authoritarianism not being punished and eradicated when it soon falls.
Reposted by Meghan Leonard
Every single congressional Democrat needs to be out there, right now, insisting that Pete Hegseth resign right now and announcing that he will be held accountable for committing war crimes.
If you do not demand accountability here and now, they will only become more emboldened.
If you do not demand accountability here and now, they will only become more emboldened.
Exclusive: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gave an order to “kill everybody” in the first strike on suspected drug boats in the Caribbean. After two men survived, the mission commander ordered a second strike to comply with Hegseth’s instructions, according to two sources.
Hegseth order on first Caribbean boat strike, officials say: Kill them all
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a verbal order to kill all crew members in the Sept. 2 strike on a suspected drug boat. Navy SEALs fired a second missile.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 28, 2025 at 7:19 PM
Every single congressional Democrat needs to be out there, right now, insisting that Pete Hegseth resign right now and announcing that he will be held accountable for committing war crimes.
If you do not demand accountability here and now, they will only become more emboldened.
If you do not demand accountability here and now, they will only become more emboldened.
Reposted by Meghan Leonard
This is so deeply at odds with the vision and history of America. Take pretty much any ethnic or racial group that are part of the American mosaic America today - they have all faced the same accusation. The moment these accusations are turned into policy are some of the most shameful in US history
Stephen Miller is now arguing that assimilation is fundamentally impossible and that certain cultures are not compatible with Western civilization
November 28, 2025 at 1:58 PM
This is so deeply at odds with the vision and history of America. Take pretty much any ethnic or racial group that are part of the American mosaic America today - they have all faced the same accusation. The moment these accusations are turned into policy are some of the most shameful in US history
Reposted by Meghan Leonard
I think often of the time a bunch of murder victims’ families showed Trump treasured photos of their loved ones and he signed them
Q: Do you plan to attend Sarah's funeral?
TRUMP: I haven't thought about it yet, but it's certainly something I can conceive of. I love West Virginia. You know, I won West Virginia by one of the biggest margins of any president anywhere.
TRUMP: I haven't thought about it yet, but it's certainly something I can conceive of. I love West Virginia. You know, I won West Virginia by one of the biggest margins of any president anywhere.
November 28, 2025 at 2:50 AM
I think often of the time a bunch of murder victims’ families showed Trump treasured photos of their loved ones and he signed them
Reposted by Meghan Leonard
he’s fascinating to me to observe simply as an example of the varieties of human experience. Totally incapable of empathy or even the appropriateness that can serve as a guide to conceal the inability to feel empathy.
Q: Do you plan to attend Sarah's funeral?
TRUMP: I haven't thought about it yet, but it's certainly something I can conceive of. I love West Virginia. You know, I won West Virginia by one of the biggest margins of any president anywhere.
TRUMP: I haven't thought about it yet, but it's certainly something I can conceive of. I love West Virginia. You know, I won West Virginia by one of the biggest margins of any president anywhere.
November 28, 2025 at 2:47 AM
he’s fascinating to me to observe simply as an example of the varieties of human experience. Totally incapable of empathy or even the appropriateness that can serve as a guide to conceal the inability to feel empathy.
Reposted by Meghan Leonard
Continually amazed that someone who's been in public life as long as Trump has lacks the capacity to say anything appropriate when someone has died.
Q: Do you plan to attend Sarah's funeral?
TRUMP: I haven't thought about it yet, but it's certainly something I can conceive of. I love West Virginia. You know, I won West Virginia by one of the biggest margins of any president anywhere.
TRUMP: I haven't thought about it yet, but it's certainly something I can conceive of. I love West Virginia. You know, I won West Virginia by one of the biggest margins of any president anywhere.
November 28, 2025 at 2:25 AM
Continually amazed that someone who's been in public life as long as Trump has lacks the capacity to say anything appropriate when someone has died.
Reposted by Meghan Leonard
the invasion of Afghanistan is among the most horrific recent chapters of the long history of elite impunity in the US. this coda is grim but fitting - the govt practically explicitly affirming that it should only be Afghans who live with the consequences amid fading public memory of the atrocity
November 27, 2025 at 3:58 AM
the invasion of Afghanistan is among the most horrific recent chapters of the long history of elite impunity in the US. this coda is grim but fitting - the govt practically explicitly affirming that it should only be Afghans who live with the consequences amid fading public memory of the atrocity
Reposted by Meghan Leonard
I feel much safer today knowing that we deported a Babson College student back to a country where she hasn't lived since childhood.
She wasn't even flying internationally. She was flying to Texas.
She wasn't even flying internationally. She was flying to Texas.
A Babson College student wanted to surprise her family for Thanksgiving. She was deported instead. - The Boston Globe
Any Lucia Lopez Belloza was at Logan to catch a flight to Texas when immigration authorities detained her as she was about to board the plane.
www.bostonglobe.com
November 27, 2025 at 10:47 AM
I feel much safer today knowing that we deported a Babson College student back to a country where she hasn't lived since childhood.
She wasn't even flying internationally. She was flying to Texas.
She wasn't even flying internationally. She was flying to Texas.
Reposted by Meghan Leonard
On Monday, North Carolina's terrible, draconian law will come into effect. One small piece that has gotten little scrutiny -- judges must consider whether someone has a home when deciding pretrial release.
www.wsoctv.com/news/local/c...
www.wsoctv.com/news/local/c...
County braces for jail surge as Iryna’s Law takes effect Monday
The law was passed after the fatal stabbing of Iryna Zarutska on the light rail.
www.wsoctv.com
November 26, 2025 at 2:04 PM
On Monday, North Carolina's terrible, draconian law will come into effect. One small piece that has gotten little scrutiny -- judges must consider whether someone has a home when deciding pretrial release.
www.wsoctv.com/news/local/c...
www.wsoctv.com/news/local/c...
Reposted by Meghan Leonard
Probably the worst of them all is the Ring doorbell.
It’s sold as safety, but it’s much more about fear and paranoia in a box that turns you against your community. The more of them in the world, the worse our neighborhoods get. Don’t help the spiral continue.
disconnect.blog/a-tech-criti...
It’s sold as safety, but it’s much more about fear and paranoia in a box that turns you against your community. The more of them in the world, the worse our neighborhoods get. Don’t help the spiral continue.
disconnect.blog/a-tech-criti...
November 25, 2025 at 5:32 PM
Probably the worst of them all is the Ring doorbell.
It’s sold as safety, but it’s much more about fear and paranoia in a box that turns you against your community. The more of them in the world, the worse our neighborhoods get. Don’t help the spiral continue.
disconnect.blog/a-tech-criti...
It’s sold as safety, but it’s much more about fear and paranoia in a box that turns you against your community. The more of them in the world, the worse our neighborhoods get. Don’t help the spiral continue.
disconnect.blog/a-tech-criti...
Reposted by Meghan Leonard
This is a big deal. Order out about an hour ago.
Any effort at fairness would add at least one Democratic seat.
Any effort at fairness would add at least one Democratic seat.
Alert! Wisconsin Supreme Court appoints panels to hear challenges to state’s congressional map
— The Wisconsin Supreme Court today appointed separate three-judge panels to hear two lawsuits seeking new congressional lines ahead of the 2026 elections. The court’s move will be the first use...
pro.stateaffairs.com
November 25, 2025 at 7:04 PM
This is a big deal. Order out about an hour ago.
Any effort at fairness would add at least one Democratic seat.
Any effort at fairness would add at least one Democratic seat.
Reposted by Meghan Leonard
Louisiana Surgeon General Ralph Abraham has just been named as the principal deputy director at the CDC.
Abraham’s accomplishments include banning the health department from promoting vaccines and overseeing the concomitant explosion of whooping cough in the state, which has killed two babies.
Abraham’s accomplishments include banning the health department from promoting vaccines and overseeing the concomitant explosion of whooping cough in the state, which has killed two babies.
November 25, 2025 at 6:49 PM
Louisiana Surgeon General Ralph Abraham has just been named as the principal deputy director at the CDC.
Abraham’s accomplishments include banning the health department from promoting vaccines and overseeing the concomitant explosion of whooping cough in the state, which has killed two babies.
Abraham’s accomplishments include banning the health department from promoting vaccines and overseeing the concomitant explosion of whooping cough in the state, which has killed two babies.
The 1990s basketball fan in me is living for this
Mihailo Petrovic -> Andrej Stojakovic -> Transition Dunk
I love a transition bounce pass.
I love a transition bounce pass.
November 25, 2025 at 2:46 AM
The 1990s basketball fan in me is living for this
This guy was checking out our place for domestication recently
November 24, 2025 at 11:30 PM
This guy was checking out our place for domestication recently
Reposted by Meghan Leonard
One explanation for economic populism in the US is the recurring cycle of bubbles and bailouts that happens without any democratic input
November 24, 2025 at 10:35 PM
One explanation for economic populism in the US is the recurring cycle of bubbles and bailouts that happens without any democratic input
Reposted by Meghan Leonard
Get in, losers, we're doing the thing again.
November 24, 2025 at 9:51 PM
Get in, losers, we're doing the thing again.
Reposted by Meghan Leonard
1/Judge Cameron Currie dismisses the Comey prosecution because Lindsey Halligan was improperly appointed US Atty.
November 24, 2025 at 5:38 PM
1/Judge Cameron Currie dismisses the Comey prosecution because Lindsey Halligan was improperly appointed US Atty.
Reposted by Meghan Leonard
We are getting some all-time judicial tantrums from the Fox News-pilled lunatics who are on the bench now
Texas Gerrymandering Case Prompts Fifth Circuit Judge to Crash Out In Alarming, Antisemitic Fashion
Someone needs to take the Fox News machine away from Jerry Smith’s chambers.
ballsandstrikes.org
November 24, 2025 at 5:12 PM
We are getting some all-time judicial tantrums from the Fox News-pilled lunatics who are on the bench now
Reposted by Meghan Leonard
Really looks like the United States is about to launch a regime change war against Venezuela with:
-No casus belli
-No authorization from Congress
-No allies or international support
-No plan for a post-Maduro Venezuela
-No preparation for any sort of stabilization or containment of the fallout
-No casus belli
-No authorization from Congress
-No allies or international support
-No plan for a post-Maduro Venezuela
-No preparation for any sort of stabilization or containment of the fallout
November 24, 2025 at 3:29 PM
Really looks like the United States is about to launch a regime change war against Venezuela with:
-No casus belli
-No authorization from Congress
-No allies or international support
-No plan for a post-Maduro Venezuela
-No preparation for any sort of stabilization or containment of the fallout
-No casus belli
-No authorization from Congress
-No allies or international support
-No plan for a post-Maduro Venezuela
-No preparation for any sort of stabilization or containment of the fallout
Reposted by Meghan Leonard
I claimed some months ago that Trump's autocratic power was underwritten NOT by his national popularity, as is the case with other autocratic leaders (since he's not popular), but rather his deathlock on the Republican primary electorate. But leaving office entirely removes this discipline...
PUNCHBOWL: “.. GOP members messaged us over the weekend saying that they, too, are considering retiring in the middle of the term. Here’s one particularly exercised senior House Republican:
@punchbowlnews.bsky.social
@punchbowlnews.bsky.social
November 24, 2025 at 4:26 PM
I claimed some months ago that Trump's autocratic power was underwritten NOT by his national popularity, as is the case with other autocratic leaders (since he's not popular), but rather his deathlock on the Republican primary electorate. But leaving office entirely removes this discipline...
Reposted by Meghan Leonard
Wanna know how bad the Arizona legislator's petition forgeries were? Here's the examples from the Austin Smith indictment.
s3.documentcloud.org/documents/24...
s3.documentcloud.org/documents/24...
November 24, 2025 at 2:50 AM
Wanna know how bad the Arizona legislator's petition forgeries were? Here's the examples from the Austin Smith indictment.
s3.documentcloud.org/documents/24...
s3.documentcloud.org/documents/24...
Reposted by Meghan Leonard
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 Meghan Leonard
Just this week alone.
November 23, 2025 at 5:13 PM
Just this week alone.