@michaelepley.bsky.social
If the government wants to deny your right to vote -- depriving you of a fundamental right and freedom -- shouldn't due process apply and the government have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt you do not have that right? Not the other way around?
7/ The Save Act wld “require Americans to provide a birth certificate, passport, or other citizenship document to register or re-register to vote.” It does *not* say that women who took their spouses’ last names can use a marriage certificate in combo w/ a birth certificate to prove citizenship.
This one weird trick could stop US women from voting | Arwa Mahdawi
The Save Act – which would do the opposite of its title – could have a huge impact on the midterm elections
www.theguardian.com
January 31, 2026 at 10:01 PM
If the government wants to deny your right to vote -- depriving you of a fundamental right and freedom -- shouldn't due process apply and the government have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt you do not have that right? Not the other way around?
Not actually fun.
very fun to think that there are at least four votes for "the president can unilaterally rewrite a constitutional amendment"
A different kind of April fools
*SUPREME COURT SETS BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP ARGUMENTS FOR APRIL 1
*SUPREME COURT SETS BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP ARGUMENTS FOR APRIL 1
January 30, 2026 at 7:46 PM
Not actually fun.
Reposted
Thread. Iran/Israel indications.
8 USAF transports destined to or departing Fort Hood for missions eventually to Europe and beyond. The implication is these transports are picking up air defense equipment. Fort Hood is host to the 69th Air Defense Artillery Brigade.
1/
8 USAF transports destined to or departing Fort Hood for missions eventually to Europe and beyond. The implication is these transports are picking up air defense equipment. Fort Hood is host to the 69th Air Defense Artillery Brigade.
1/
"Multiple outlets are reporting that US air defense assets are moving into the Middle East.
In the last 24 hours alone, 8 USAF C-17A Globemasters have arrived at Fort Hood, TX, with another inbound."
Via @theintelfrog.bsky.social
In the last 24 hours alone, 8 USAF C-17A Globemasters have arrived at Fort Hood, TX, with another inbound."
Via @theintelfrog.bsky.social
January 24, 2026 at 3:11 PM
Thread. Iran/Israel indications.
8 USAF transports destined to or departing Fort Hood for missions eventually to Europe and beyond. The implication is these transports are picking up air defense equipment. Fort Hood is host to the 69th Air Defense Artillery Brigade.
1/
8 USAF transports destined to or departing Fort Hood for missions eventually to Europe and beyond. The implication is these transports are picking up air defense equipment. Fort Hood is host to the 69th Air Defense Artillery Brigade.
1/
The applicability of case law to the release of files under the Epstein Files Transparency Act changed the instant the act itself passed. The statue set up a unique test for release and withholding.
January 30, 2026 at 4:43 PM
The applicability of case law to the release of files under the Epstein Files Transparency Act changed the instant the act itself passed. The statue set up a unique test for release and withholding.
To expand a bit: Right now we have exceptions to the more general third party rule. The theory behind that is when sharing with a 3rd party to a transaction -- a bank that facilitates a money transfer, a Telco that connects a circuit, etc -- suddenly there is no expectation of privacy.
That the reasonable expectation of privacy is fact based determination from the intent of the sharing parties and purpose and nature of the sharing. That privacy does not require exclusivity and you can still have privacy expectations and rights even between multiple participants.
January 17, 2026 at 1:50 AM
To expand a bit: Right now we have exceptions to the more general third party rule. The theory behind that is when sharing with a 3rd party to a transaction -- a bank that facilitates a money transfer, a Telco that connects a circuit, etc -- suddenly there is no expectation of privacy.
About 90% of persons physically present in the US are citizens. Absent some other evidence, the odds any person is a citizen are very high. It would seem from a reasonable suspicion perspective, there is no basis to even ask a person about their citizenship status.
January 16, 2026 at 3:55 AM
About 90% of persons physically present in the US are citizens. Absent some other evidence, the odds any person is a citizen are very high. It would seem from a reasonable suspicion perspective, there is no basis to even ask a person about their citizenship status.
Not saying no does not mean yes. Of course, lots of people don't actually know how consent works
January 15, 2026 at 1:27 AM
Not saying no does not mean yes. Of course, lots of people don't actually know how consent works
Pretty sure separation of powers had something to say about declaring "null and void" the judicial branch by executive order.
January 11, 2026 at 1:34 PM
Pretty sure separation of powers had something to say about declaring "null and void" the judicial branch by executive order.
Introduce yourself with four spaceships
November 26, 2025 at 4:39 AM
Introduce yourself with four spaceships
A typical LLM is 100% hallucination. The training process has eliminated some possible model instances that guess poorly, and what you see is a model where it guesses right most of the time. You only (sometimes) notice the places when it guesses wrong.
November 9, 2025 at 2:54 PM
A typical LLM is 100% hallucination. The training process has eliminated some possible model instances that guess poorly, and what you see is a model where it guesses right most of the time. You only (sometimes) notice the places when it guesses wrong.
It is almost inevitable that there will be a ceasefire of the current conflict while the current administration is in power. And that a "peace deal" is always on the table at any given moment. Neither is connected or necessarily means we are any closer to Middle East peace.
ANALYSIS: Trump moves closer to Middle East peace — but a Nobel Prize could still be a long shot.
'It's a big day': Trump moves closer to Middle East peace — and maybe a prize
ANALYSIS: Even if Trump succeeds where his predecessors failed, a Nobel Prize would still be a long shot.
nbcnews.to
October 4, 2025 at 3:06 AM
It is almost inevitable that there will be a ceasefire of the current conflict while the current administration is in power. And that a "peace deal" is always on the table at any given moment. Neither is connected or necessarily means we are any closer to Middle East peace.
To argue 14A's "jurisdiction" excludes births to non-citizens is to say its meaning was lost for a century & SCOTUS in Wong Kim fooled. If meaning so plain, why require a modern reinterpretation to reveal an intent hidden in plain sight? Textualists: what should have appeared? Why use 'all persons'?
September 29, 2025 at 10:21 PM
To argue 14A's "jurisdiction" excludes births to non-citizens is to say its meaning was lost for a century & SCOTUS in Wong Kim fooled. If meaning so plain, why require a modern reinterpretation to reveal an intent hidden in plain sight? Textualists: what should have appeared? Why use 'all persons'?
As we start seeing impacts from the defunding of PBS/CPB, starting to worry for the future of some of the incredible tools they have built to help education such as Crash Course. www.pbslearningmedia.org/collection/c...
Crash Course | PBS LearningMedia
From balancing chemical reactions to analyzing famous literature, never before has one collection offered such an awe-inspiring range of content. Since 2011, brothers John and Hank Green have pioneere...
www.pbslearningmedia.org
September 24, 2025 at 12:22 PM
As we start seeing impacts from the defunding of PBS/CPB, starting to worry for the future of some of the incredible tools they have built to help education such as Crash Course. www.pbslearningmedia.org/collection/c...
"arguing that the law does not apply to the holding cells because they are a “processing center,” not a detention facility." www.nytimes.com/2025/09/18/n...
So the people in these facilities are free to go, since they aren't being detained?
So the people in these facilities are free to go, since they aren't being detained?
11 N.Y. Officials Arrested Trying to Access ICE Detention Cells
www.nytimes.com
September 18, 2025 at 11:00 PM
"arguing that the law does not apply to the holding cells because they are a “processing center,” not a detention facility." www.nytimes.com/2025/09/18/n...
So the people in these facilities are free to go, since they aren't being detained?
So the people in these facilities are free to go, since they aren't being detained?
Reposted
pretty wild that it so quickly became normalized that immigrants don’t have even basic free speech rights
www.axios.com/2025/09/11/c...
www.axios.com/2025/09/11/c...
State Department warns immigrants not to mock Kirk's death
Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau posted the warning on Thursday.
www.axios.com
September 11, 2025 at 7:38 PM
pretty wild that it so quickly became normalized that immigrants don’t have even basic free speech rights
www.axios.com/2025/09/11/c...
www.axios.com/2025/09/11/c...
SCOTUS has basically told us this doesn't mean what you think it means. US has plenary sovereign power to exclude aliens -- inherent power superceding the 9th/10th limits on enumeration. And Congress needs "No law" because aliens have no rights to abridge, even if speech seems like a natural right.
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
September 11, 2025 at 8:44 PM
SCOTUS has basically told us this doesn't mean what you think it means. US has plenary sovereign power to exclude aliens -- inherent power superceding the 9th/10th limits on enumeration. And Congress needs "No law" because aliens have no rights to abridge, even if speech seems like a natural right.
Age verification?
I watched Oliver North testify live.
I watched Oliver North testify live.
Age verification?
I passed age verification in Leisure Suit Larry.
I passed age verification in Leisure Suit Larry.
Age verification?
I drank Zima
I drank Zima
September 10, 2025 at 2:28 AM
Age verification?
I watched Oliver North testify live.
I watched Oliver North testify live.
Kavanaugh is apparently unfamiliar with some of the jurisprudence on the question of "remedies [that]
should be available in federal court" and the likelihood of success there.
should be available in federal court" and the likelihood of success there.
September 8, 2025 at 7:42 PM
Kavanaugh is apparently unfamiliar with some of the jurisprudence on the question of "remedies [that]
should be available in federal court" and the likelihood of success there.
should be available in federal court" and the likelihood of success there.
An excellent analysis of some of the core legal issues here.
NEW: @bcfinucane.bsky.social explains the Trump admin’s extraordinary lethal attack on purported Tren de Aragua drug smuggling vessel in international waters off the Venezuela coast–and its vow that it is the start of a campaign–raise significant legal issues.
www.justsecurity.org/119982/legal...
www.justsecurity.org/119982/legal...
Legal Issues Raised by a Lethal U.S. Military Attack in the Caribbean
The Trump administration’s extraordinary lethal attack on this purported smuggling vessel raises significant potential legal issues.
www.justsecurity.org
September 4, 2025 at 2:50 AM
An excellent analysis of some of the core legal issues here.
Reposted
'Trump and his granddaughter Kai Trump load the motorcade on the south lawn of the White House in Washington DC on August 30, 2025, as they head to Trump National golf course in Sterling, Virginia'
(Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP)
(Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP)
August 30, 2025 at 1:23 PM
'Trump and his granddaughter Kai Trump load the motorcade on the south lawn of the White House in Washington DC on August 30, 2025, as they head to Trump National golf course in Sterling, Virginia'
(Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP)
(Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP)
Looks like a beautiful day for golf at trump national. Just saying.
August 30, 2025 at 12:59 PM
Looks like a beautiful day for golf at trump national. Just saying.
Militant atheists getting their exercise in this thread!
Karoline Leavitt: "I saw the comments of Ms. Psaki and frankly I think they're incredibly insensitive and disrespectful to the tens of millions of Americans of faith across this country who believe in the power of prayer, who believe that prayer works."
August 28, 2025 at 9:33 PM
Militant atheists getting their exercise in this thread!
Currently waiting for Thomas' 'history and tradition test' to run into the ad coelum principle via the 5th and/or 10th amendments. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuius_e...
Cuius est solum, eius est usque ad coelum et ad inferos - Wikipedia
en.m.wikipedia.org
August 25, 2025 at 9:24 PM
Currently waiting for Thomas' 'history and tradition test' to run into the ad coelum principle via the 5th and/or 10th amendments. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuius_e...
A playbook already piloted and working. The most glaring and egregious example might be Ohio as documented by the Brennan Center www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res... and Common Cause www.commoncause.org/ohio/resourc....
August 22, 2025 at 5:03 PM
A playbook already piloted and working. The most glaring and egregious example might be Ohio as documented by the Brennan Center www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res... and Common Cause www.commoncause.org/ohio/resourc....
Having a hard time figuring out how this rises to criminal assault in the legal sense.... intentional act that creates reasonable apprehension of imminent harm. Those posts don't seem very imminent nor credible.
For at least the second time, a Bluesky user caught a federal criminal case - this time for threats against ICE and Tom Homan. There are screenshots if you want to see which user.
h/t @courtwatch.bsky.social storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
h/t @courtwatch.bsky.social storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
storage.courtlistener.com
August 16, 2025 at 4:18 AM
Having a hard time figuring out how this rises to criminal assault in the legal sense.... intentional act that creates reasonable apprehension of imminent harm. Those posts don't seem very imminent nor credible.