Tom Dannenbaum
LightNews LightNews
tomdannenbaum.bsky.social
Tom Dannenbaum
@tomdannenbaum.bsky.social
5.1K followers 340 following 340 posts
Professor @law.stanford.edu | @stanfordcisac.bsky.social | @fsi.stanford.edu
International Law: IHL, ICL, IHRL, use of force, ethics
Editor, Just Security: https://shorturl.at/NuHYQ
Bio: https://law.stanford.edu/tom-dannenbaum/
Book: http://bit.ly/3HRrAs4
Posts Replies Media Videos
Pinned
tomdannenbaum.bsky.social
Tom Dannenbaum @tomdannenbaum.bsky.social · Jul 30
Now @justsecurity.org

I join Alex de Waal (@worldpeacefdtn.bsky.social) to call on all states with any leverage at all over Israel to use it without delay to demand comprehensive, full-spectrum, sustainable, & coordinated humanitarian action.

Time has run out

www.justsecurity.org/117962/mass-...
Time Has Run Out: Mass Starvation in Gaza and the Global Imperative
It is time for comprehensive, full-spectrum, sustainable, and coordinated humanitarian action. States globally must act without delay on that imperative.
www.justsecurity.org
Reposted by Tom Dannenbaum
markkersten.bsky.social
Former UN special rapporteur Richard Falk was detained by 🇨🇦 customs agents and, for four hours, was asked a series of questions about his participation in the conference, his involvement in the Israel-Palestine conflict, and his position on Israel. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
Border officers detain well-known legal scholar travelling to conference on Palestine | CBC News
A prominent academic and former UN special rapporteur says he was detained by customs agents in Toronto while on his way to speak at a conference on human rights violations against Palestinians.
www.cbc.ca
November 15, 2025 at 11:10 PM
Reposted by Tom Dannenbaum
veenadubal.bsky.social
BREAKING: In AAUP et al v. Trump (wall-to-wall union lawsuit challenging the administration’s unlawful use of TItle VI to reshape the University of California system), the faculty and staff of the UC system WON!!!

We were granted our preliminary injunction! @aaup.org
November 14, 2025 at 11:55 PM
Reposted by Tom Dannenbaum
aaup.org
WE WON!!!

The US District Court for the Northern District of California has issued a preliminary injunction in AAUP et al v. Trump et al (the wall to wall union lawsuit challenging the administration’s unlawful use of Title VI to reshape the University of California system.

Read the order here:
democracyforward.org
November 15, 2025 at 1:21 AM
Reposted by Tom Dannenbaum
gregsargent.bsky.social
Trump's illegal murders in the Caribbean just got worse. An internal DOJ memo on the bombings says the victims are waging war on the US, but per NYT, it extensively cites the WH's *own claims* to this effect as evidence!

It gets even darker than that. 1/

(new piece)
newrepublic.com/article/2032...
Trump Boat Bombings Take Dark, Unnerving Turn with Leaked Memo Stunner
A new Trump administration memo argues that those carrying out the boat attacks can’t be prosecuted. Why? Because the administration says so!
newrepublic.com
November 15, 2025 at 12:07 PM
Reposted by Tom Dannenbaum
jameeljaffer.bsky.social
The court already ruled that Rubio and Noem are violating the First Amendment. Now we’re asking for remedies. knightcolumbia.org/content/knig...
Knight Institute Asks Court to Block Trump Administration From Deporting Foreign Citizens for Pro-Palestinian Advocacy
knightcolumbia.org
November 10, 2025 at 8:04 PM
tomdannenbaum.bsky.social
ICC judges have now codified a requirement that the OTP apply for arrest warrants / summons to appear under seal (reg. 23 ter):
www.icc-cpi.int/news/icc-jud...
This was required on an ad hoc basis in the Palestine investigation & another case several months ago:
www.theguardian.com/law/2025/apr...
ICC Judges amend the Regulations of the Court to regulate the classification of applications for arrest warrants or summons to appear
The judges of the International Criminal Court (ICC) adopted an amendment to the Regulations of the Court, which enters into force today. The new regulation 23 ter provides that applications for arres...
www.icc-cpi.int
November 10, 2025 at 5:19 PM
Reposted by Tom Dannenbaum
kateinkharkiv.bsky.social
This is what Myrnohrad looks like now.

As of January 1, 2022, Myrnohrad had a population of over 47 thousand people. Today, the Russians have destroyed this town.
November 8, 2025 at 6:35 PM
Reposted by Tom Dannenbaum
rimaanabtawi.bsky.social
UN independent experts decry the “sadistic levels” of sexual violence and abuse committed by the Rapid Support Forces in Sudan, armed by the United Arab Emirates. “We are appalled by credible reports of ethnically targeted summary executions of civilians."

news.un.org/en/story/202...
Rights chief warns ‘abominable atrocities’ likely continue in Sudan’s El Fasher
Warnings of worsening humanitarian conditions in Sudan continue, despite reports of a ceasefire deal brokered by international mediators on Thursday.
news.un.org
November 9, 2025 at 2:24 AM
tomdannenbaum.bsky.social
www.bbc.com/news/article...
November 8, 2025 at 8:20 PM
Reposted by Tom Dannenbaum
theguardian.com
He told the world what was happening in El Fasher. Then they sought him out. How Sudan lost ‘a true hero of the war’
He told the world what was happening in El Fasher. Then they sought him out. How Sudan lost ‘a true hero of the war’
For months, Mohamed Khamis Douda shared accounts of what life was like under siege. He was killed when RSF fighters finally took the Darfur city, raising fears activists and civil society figures are being hunted down
www.theguardian.com
November 2, 2025 at 12:28 PM
Reposted by Tom Dannenbaum
craigxmartin.bsky.social
JIB/JAB is back for a new season - in Episode 41, I speak with @bcfinucane.bsky.social of @crisisgroup.org about the U.S. killings of alleged drug smugglers, and its implications for the international rule of law:
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/j...
November 1, 2025 at 4:56 PM
Reposted by Tom Dannenbaum
markkersten.bsky.social
They should have never become so dependent on Microsoft in the first place.

The #ICC will replace Microsoft’s Office software w the German OpenDesk amid concerns about a new wave of U.S. sanctions that could paralyze the court's day-to-day operations: subscriber.politicopro.com/article/2025...
POLITICO Pro: International Criminal Court to drop Microsoft over sanction fears
subscriber.politicopro.com
October 31, 2025 at 4:43 PM
tomdannenbaum.bsky.social
October 31, 2025 at 1:59 PM
Reposted by Tom Dannenbaum
unocha.org
🔴 Summary executions
🔴 Attacks on civilians
🔴 House-to-house raids
🔴 Civilians prevented from reaching safety

#Sudan's El Fasher is on the brink.

The disastrous humanitarian situation requires urgent international action.

Statement: https://bit.ly/4hv8VWw
October 29, 2025 at 4:22 PM
Reposted by Tom Dannenbaum
rgoodlaw.bsky.social
I teamed up to write how:

The Trump administration has provided two - completely irreconcilable - determinations on status of Tren de Aragua and Venezuela regime.

Makes it impossible for judges to defer to 'presidential determination' on Alien Enemies Act. Confounds law and policy.
Irreconcilable Presidential Determinations on TdA and Venezuela
The two characterizations are mutually exclusive; it is legally impossible to maintain both simultaneously.
www.justsecurity.org
October 29, 2025 at 12:36 PM
tomdannenbaum.bsky.social
Significant on the UK contribution:

www.theguardian.com/global-devel...
October 28, 2025 at 3:02 PM
tomdannenbaum.bsky.social
As RSF takes El-Fasher, @hrl-yalesph.bsky.social releases an emergency report on satellite imagery consistent with mass killings

files-profile.medicine.yale.edu/documents/87...

See also this important segment on @channel4news.bsky.social

youtu.be/XQV8ZMR3CrM?...
files-profile.medicine.yale.edu
October 28, 2025 at 5:13 AM
Reposted by Tom Dannenbaum
reichlinmelnick.bsky.social
🚨BIG changes happening -- ICE leadership is being purged tonight. The old guard, which prioritized targeted enforcement operations aimed at people with criminal records, is being replaced with Border Patrol and Gregory Bovino's "Midway Blitz" style.

Think things are bad now? It'll get worse.
Bill Melugin @BillMelugin_ BREAKING: Per four senior DHS & Trump admin sources, a mass removal of ICE leadership around the country is underway, with up to 12 ICE field office chiefs being removed & reassigned in an effort to increase deportation numbers. I'm told the move is spearheaded by Corey Lewandowski, and a handful of the ICE Chiefs will likely be replaced by Border Patrol & CBP officials, some of whom will be hand-picked by aggressive & controversial Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino. I'm told some of the ICE leadership removed from their positions include the ICE Field Office Directors in: - Los Angeles - Phoenix - Philadelphia - Denver - El Paso - San Diego - Seattle/Portland - New Orleans Border Patrol officials taking over ICE leadership positions would be extremely significant, as Border Patrol and ICE do different things, and I've done numerous ride-alongs/embeds with both. Generally speaking, ICE typically conducts very targeted operations, largely going after criminal illegal aliens or those with deportation orders, but almost always knowing who they are targeting for arrest, often conducting surveillance to learn their schedules before and waiting hours before arresting them if needed. Border Patrol, under Trump 2.0, while sometimes doing their own targeted operations, has been extremely aggressive and has been at the forefront of some of the most controversial immigration enforcement operations we've seen so far, carrying out roving patrols in Los Angeles, Chicago, etc, often at Home Depot, car washes, flea markets etc, leading to a handful of federal judges around the country issuing injunctions against them. A majority of the viral videos you see online are Border Patrol agents, including the use of a Trojan horse style Penske moving truck at a Los Angeles Home Depot, an operation organized by Bovino. ICE often gets blamed for what Border Patrol does, as the media and activists often cannot tell the difference between federal agents, and everyone is called "ICE". I'm told there are growing concerns about the political and PR fallout associated with some of the roving patrols Border Patrol is conducting as lawsuits continue to stack up and mid-terms approach next year. I'm told there is significant friction within different wings of DHS and the administration, with Border Czar Tom Homan & ICE Director Todd Lyons preferring to prioritize targeting criminal aliens & the "worst of the worst" or those with deportation orders, while DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, Corey Lewandowski, and BP Commander Bovino prefer to use aggressive tactics to arrest anyone in the US illegally, including but not limited to criminals, to ramp up deportation numbers and achieve President Trump's promises of mass deportations. I am hearing from both sides of this friction. One senior DHS official tells me: "ICE started with the worst of the worst, knowing every target they are hitting, but since Border Patrol started in LA in June, we've (DHS) lost our focus, going too hard, too fast, with limited prioritization. It's getting numbers, but at what cost?". Border Patrol agents I've talked to defend their tactics, with one telling me: "What did everyone think mass deportations meant? Only the worst? Tom Homan has said it himself, anyone in the US illegally is on the table." It's quite a situation, as both sides of this are on the same team, with the same end goals, but different perspectives on how to get there. Another DHS official confirmed the personnel changes to me on deep background, adding that the moves are based on performance and doing what is needed to achieve the best results. Official statement to @FoxNews via @TriciaOhio : "While we have no personnel changes to announce at this time, the Trump Administration remains laser focused on delivering results and removing violent criminal illegal aliens from this country." 7:57 PM · Oct 27, 2025 · 29.6K Views
October 28, 2025 at 12:27 AM
Reposted by Tom Dannenbaum
shashj.bsky.social
The Leahy law is being killed off. "The US State Department has removed an online portal for reporting alleged human rights violations by foreign military units supplied with American weapons." www.bbc.com/news/article...
US axes website for reporting human rights abuses by US-armed foreign forces
The Human Rights Reporting Gateway acted as a formal "tip line" to the US government.
www.bbc.com
October 23, 2025 at 12:45 PM
Reposted by Tom Dannenbaum
bcfinucane.bsky.social
SecDef announcing another (9th) lethal strike, again in the Pacific against an unspecified "designated terrorist organization."

Claims these "DTOs are the 'Al Qaeda' of our hemisphere.

Nope.

No armed attack on US like 9/11.

No AUMF.

No armed conflict.

Just more lawless premeditated killing.
Today, at the direction of President Trump, the Department of War carried out yet another lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization (DTO). Yet again, the now-deceased terrorists were engaged in narco-trafficking in the Eastern Pacific. The vessel was known by our intelligence to be involved in illicit narcotics smuggling, was transiting along a known narco-trafficking route, and was carrying narcotics. Three male narco-terrorists were aboard the vessel during the strike, which was conducted in international waters. All three terrorists were killed and no U.S. forces were harmed in this strike. These strikes will continue, day after day. These are not simply drug runners—these are narco-terrorists bringing death and destruction to our cities. These DTOs are the “Al Qaeda” of our hemisphere and will not escape justice. We will find them and kill them, until the threat to the American people is extinguished.
October 23, 2025 at 2:15 AM
tomdannenbaum.bsky.social
ICJ today:
Israel must
- agree to & facilitate by all means at its disposal relief schemes on behalf of Palestinians in Gaza incl. in particular by UNRWA
- cooperate in good faith & provide any assistance to UNRWA
- not impede them
- not use starvation methods

www.icj-cij.org/sites/defaul...
October 22, 2025 at 6:10 PM
Reposted by Tom Dannenbaum
mollyquell.bsky.social
The International Court of Justice said on Wednesday that Israel must allow the U.N. aid agency in Gaza, known as UNRWA, to provide humanitarian assistance to the war-torn territory.
Top UN court says Israel must allow UN relief agency to supply aid to Gaza
The International Court of Justice says Israel must allow the U.N. aid agency in Gaza, known as UNRWA, to provide humanitarian assistance to the war-torn territory.
apnews.com
October 22, 2025 at 2:33 PM
Reposted by Tom Dannenbaum
rgoodlaw.bsky.social
I'm grateful to @60minutes.bsky.social featuring our study published @justsecurity.org.

Link to the study (on the 'presumption of regularity'): www.justsecurity.org/120547/presu...
October 20, 2025 at 12:09 AM
Reposted by Tom Dannenbaum
60minutes.bsky.social
“We found over 35 cases in which the judges have specifically said what the government is providing…false information. It might be intentionally false information, including false sworn declarations time and again," says Ryan Goodman, law professor at New York University.
October 19, 2025 at 11:43 PM
Reposted by Tom Dannenbaum
adhaque.bsky.social
The ICC Pre-Trial Chamber has rejected Israel's request for leave to appeal its prior decision rejecting Israel's request to withdraw the arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant.

I may add a technical 🧵 below later for the hardcores.

www.icc-cpi.int/sites/defaul...
October 17, 2025 at 9:01 PM