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Holly Brewer

@earlymodjustice.bsky.social

18K followers 4.5K following 1.6K posts

Historian http://earlymodernjustice.org/ Sample articles: https://earlymodernjustice.org/publications/ https://earlymodernjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/SlaverySovereigntyInheritableBlood.pdf Opinions my own

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Holly Brewer @earlymodjustice.bsky.social · Mar 20

The issue at stake in 1686 was whether the king was bound by the law.
How are we back here again?

Peter Sterne @petersterne.com · Jul 2

In The New Republic, historian Holly Brewer compares the Court's decision to Godden v. Hales, a 1686 case affirming that James II was above the law – which was only repudiated when James II was overthrown in the Glorious Revolution. newrepublic.com/article/1833...

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RepJackKimble @repjackkimble.bsky.social · 4h

Portland is burning, people!

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Scott Horton @robertscotthorton.bsky.social · 1h

Grandpa has again forgotten who was president on Jan 6, 2021. He was.

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Walter Olson @walterolson.bsky.social · 1d

New from me at Cato: I go through the numerous and massive First Amendment and academic-freedom violations of Trump's proffered "compact" with universities and then talk about the mechanism by which it would be enforced, by way of what I describe as a "retroactive push-button guillotine."

Universities Must Defend Their Independence by Rejecting Trump's "Compact"

The Trump administration has proffered a “compact” to universities that would require them to surrender their independence and academic freedom. How many First Amendment violations can we identify in ...

www.cato.org

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Raider @iwillnotbesilenced.bsky.social · 5h

This Is Fascism

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Blake Leyh @earlofedgecombe.bsky.social · 15h

If you think you know why US newspapers died, this feature documentary now streaming for free on PBS might surprise you. It wasn't the Internet. Newspapers were specifically targeted by vulture capitalists.

I composed the score for the film, which features electric cello & Crowfoot guitars.

Stripped for Parts: American Journalism on the Brink

A handful of journalists rebel against a hedge fund that is gutting newspapers nationwide.

www.pbs.org

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The Bulwark @thebulwark.com · 4h

"Making the rigged election claim to the military now, retroactively, is a half-step. By stating it as fact and forcing the general staff to accept it, he is laying the predicate to make such a claim directly to the military in the future."

“Legal Orders” and Trump’s Military

Authoritarians don’t take power by openly flouting the law. They look for pretexts and legal theories.

www.thebulwark.com

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Holly Brewer @earlymodjustice.bsky.social · 1d

“Women played a fundamental role in the development of England’s national economy before 1700.
Far from being the unpaid homemakers and housewives of traditional historical record, women contributed to all the most important areas of the economy, such as agriculture, commerce, and care.”

A woman’s place was not in the home: New book challenges assumptions about women’s work in early modern history

New research has revealed that women played a fundamental role in the development of England’s national economy before 1700. Far from being the unpaid homemakers and housewives of traditional historic...

news.exeter.ac.uk

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Dahlia Lithwick @dahlialithwick.bsky.social · 16h

With Yale Law School military justice expert Eugene Fidell and former JAG Maj. General Steven J. Lepper on the biggest civil/military crisis since the Civil War.

Trump Wants to Use American Cities as a “Training Ground.” It’s Becoming Clear Why.

MAGA cries “Insurrection!”, setting up a dangerous standoff between the American people and the military.

slate.com

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Leonid Baezhnev @rev-avocado.bsky.social · 16h

This is good, actually. This is the kind of thing we need to build a pro-court expansion majority.

Leah Litman @leahlitman.bsky.social · 19h

More judges speak to the press (the NYT) about what a disaster the Supreme Court (specifically the shadow docket) has been - “incredibly demoralizing & troubling”; a “judicial crisis”; a “slap in the face to district courts.” www.nytimes.com/2025/10/11/u...

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Sarah Posner @sarahposner.bsky.social · 12h

Most Americans Who Rely on Obamacare Live in Republican Areas
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

Obamacare Enrollment by State: Most Enrollees Live in Republican Areas (Gift Article)

Millions of Americans depend on Obamacare. Here's where they live.

www.nytimes.com

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Texas Observer @texasobserver.org · 11h

Are you interested in covering politics in the Lone Star State? The Texas Observer is hiring an intern to help us cover the 2026 elections! Apply here: www.texasobserver.org/jobs/

Work for the Texas Observer

We’re a nonprofit with a strong public service mission; we seek to expose injustice and to produce the kind of impact journalism that makes a difference.

www.texasobserver.org

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Larry Glickman @larryglickman.bsky.social · 15h

The great thing about being a Trumpist is that Speaker Johnson can make the most absurd, evidence-free, ideologically-extreme claims imaginable about the democratic opposition, and media outlets will note the aggressive nature of his claims ("slams") and amplify his lies in the headline.

Politico @politico.com · 1d

Johnson slams the No Kings protest march scheduled to take place in DC next week as the “hate America rally” that would draw “the pro-Hamas wing” and “the antifa people.”

Johnson describes planned No Kings rally as ‘hate America,’ ‘pro-Hamas’ gathering

Organizers largely blew off the rhetoric, but some Democrats online criticized the tone.

www.politico.com

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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 1d

The campaign against “antifa” is about establishing a beachhead for further attacks on speech and assembly rights. We see that today in the effort to preemptively label No Kings protesters as “terrorists.”

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Minna Ålander 🌻 @alanderminna.bsky.social · 11h

Sweden participates in NATO’s annual nuclear exercise Steanfast Noon for the first time 🙌

Finland has already participated twice.

Sverige deltar i Steadfast Noon

Sverige kommer att delta i Natos årliga övning Steadfast Noon. Sverige deltar i övningen med stridsflyg (Jas 39 Gripen) och personal från...

regeringen.se

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John Warner @biblioracle.bsky.social · 1d

I strongly urge everyone to not just read this warning from @marcwatkins.bsky.social, but heed it, and be vocal and forceful pushing back against using AI to grade student writing. This must be anathema if we're going to have a world where learning means something. substack.com/inbox/post/1...

The Dangers of using AI to Grade

Nobody Learns, Nobody Gains

substack.com

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Scott Horton @robertscotthorton.bsky.social · 1d

Trump said he deserved a cut for brokering the TikTok deal, and at once there was agreement that his son Baron would have a top executive slot... though he hasn't asked for it, and has no apparent qualifications to hold it. This is how Trump 2.0 works. www.telegraph.co.uk/us/news/2025...

Barron Trump tipped for top TikTok job

US president’s 19-year-old son could be appointed to the app’s board

www.telegraph.co.uk

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nilay patel @reckless.bsky.social · 12h

It was @sarahjeong.bsky.social and we’ve been pounding this drum for years - especially since all the promises of metadata to prove images are real have gone nowhere www.theverge.com/2024/8/22/24...

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Greg Sargent @gregsargent.bsky.social · 18h

Trump and Stephen Miller have relied on an army of MAGA "influencers" widely disseminating a fraudulent picture of Portland in chaos, to bolster the case for deploying military.

NYT has a good new piece on this. But it made several missteps worth highlighting. 2/

newrepublic.com/article/2016...

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Ashton Pittman @ashtonpittman.bsky.social · 1d

ICE left David, a 17-year-old boy, stranded on the side of Interstate 20 after pulling over his immigrant father, Hector, in Mississippi.

David began running in the scorching sun after the car and watched as it disappeared from sight—soon headed to a Louisiana ICE prison.

Here's their story.

ICE Stranded a 17-Year-Old on I-20 After Arresting His Father. The Mississippi Dad Now Faces Deportation.

A 17-year-old watched as ICE arrested his immigrant father, Hector, on I-20 in June. The family faces mounting legal fees and the risk of deportation.

www.mississippifreepress.org

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Luke Steuber @lukesteuber.com · 1d

Elevating today’s ICE arrest of a journalist and American citizen in Chicago

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C.C. White @clarencecwhite.bsky.social · 17h

Downtown Detroit will awaken with dances and drum beats to honor Indigenous culture and resilience. For the first time in over 30 years, there will be a powwow downtown.The Powwow will take place in Hart Plaza on Monday, October 13, from noon to 6 p.m.
www.michiganpublic.org/arts-life/20...

Powwow returns to downtown Detroit for first time in 30+ years

For the first time in more than 30 years, downtown Detroit will host a powwow. Drummers, dancers, and vendors will be in Hart Plaza Monday from noon to 6 p.m.

www.michiganpublic.org

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Drew Harwell @drewharwell.com · 1d

Military families on day 9 of the shutdown lining up at the food bank

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Kendra "Gloom is My Beat" Pierre-Louis @kendrawrites.com · 1d

For some context the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly report in addition to being just a good read, to quote wikipedia, "is the main vehicle for publishing public health information and recommendations that have been received by the CDC from state health departments. "

Sheryl Gay Stolberg @sherylnyt.bsky.social · 1d

BREAKING: Friday night massacre underway at CDC. Doznes of "disease detectives," high-level scientists, entire Washington staff and editors of the MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report) have all been RIFed and received the following notice:

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Chris Murphy @chrismurphyct.bsky.social · 3d

Step 4 of the plan:

Seize control of Congress's spending and tax powers to use those powers to reward loyalists and punish opponents.

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Chris Murphy @chrismurphyct.bsky.social · 3d

We aren't on the verge of an authoritarian takeover. We are in the middle of it.

But I worry people don't see the whole scheme. They just pay attention to each new daily outrage. So I went to the Senate floor to explain Trump's plan.

Here's a 🧵of the speech. It's important.

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