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profpech.bsky.social
Laurent Pech 🇺🇦
@profpech.bsky.social
5.9K followers 1.3K following 1K posts

Professor of Law, Dean of @ucdschooloflaw.bsky.social, Senior Research Fellow at the CEU Democracy Institute in Budapest, and co-director of @goodlobbyprofs.bsky.social. Usual disclaimers.

Videos
Political science 77%
Law 13%
Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

profpech.bsky.social
Laurent Pech 🇺🇦 @profpech.bsky.social · 13h
Reminder: "Hungary also faced EU scrutiny after Belgian and Hungarian media reported late last year that its intelligence agency had spied on EU officials visiting the country in 2015-2017"

www.politico.eu/article/lawm...
Anti-spying phone pouches offered to EU lawmakers for trip to Hungary
Budapest has faced EU scrutiny over the use of spyware against the opposition and civil society in past years.
www.politico.eu
1

profpech.bsky.social
Laurent Pech 🇺🇦 @profpech.bsky.social · 14h
After seemingly overseeing spying on the Commission from the outside, Orban's Commissioner has since been able to undermine the Commission from within repeatedly by eg attempting to doctor rule of law reports but VDL has repeatedly failed to hold him to account www.koha.mk/en/pas-dyshi...
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profpech.bsky.social
Laurent Pech 🇺🇦 @profpech.bsky.social · 14h
US university professor teaching a course on *anti-fascism* forced to flee to Spain with his wife and two children to escape death treats following harassment campaign by "Turning Point USA". Brought to you by self-appointed "free speech" champions #FascismInAmerica

www.aaup.org/issues-highe...
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Reposted by Laurent Pech

szabolcspanyi.bsky.social
Szabolcs Panyi @szabolcspanyi.bsky.social · 16h
💥🔎NEW INVESTIGATION: We reveal how, under now-Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi, Hungarian intelligence spied in Brussels against the EU, attempting to recruit Hungarians working in EU institutions.

@direkt36.bsky.social @papertrailmedia.de @spiegel.de @tijd.be @larsbove.bsky.social @hmnzngr.bsky.social
Inside the Fall of Viktor Orbán’s Secret Brussels Spy Network - Direkt36
In the 2010s, Hungarian intelligence began spying in Brussels against the EU and tried to recruit Hungarians working in EU institutions for this purpose. However, Hungarian intelligence carried it out...
www.direkt36.hu
42 56

Reposted by Laurent Pech, Robert C. Richards

hillaryclinton.bsky.social
Hillary Rodham Clinton @hillaryclinton.bsky.social · 1d
Children around the world have died because Trump and Musk needlessly destroyed USAID. These are some of their stories.

apnews.com/article/myan...
AP: Starving children screaming for food as US aid cuts unleash devastation and death across Myanmar
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profpech.bsky.social
Laurent Pech 🇺🇦 @profpech.bsky.social · 1d
& here is another instance of NYT sanewashing Trump’s authoritarianism and manifest unconstitutional/illegal motives/actions
stevelevitsky.bsky.social
stevelevitsky.bsky.social @stevelevitsky.bsky.social · 1d
They are not Trump's enemies. They are critics and opponents. He sees them as enemies, because that's how autocrats perceive their critics. NYT should not repeat and normalize authoritarian discourse.

How Trump Is Using the Justice Department to Target His Enemies www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
How Trump Is Using the Justice Department to Target His Enemies
President Trump has long spoken of seeking vengeance against his political enemies. Here’s a list of whom he is targeting.
www.nytimes.com
1 3 2

Reposted by Marie-Laure Basilien-Gainche

profpech.bsky.social
Laurent Pech 🇺🇦 @profpech.bsky.social · 1d
🇺🇸 going through a worsening rule of law breakdown with top-down lawlessness coupled with fascistic rhetoric a daily reality & yet we continue to get media headlines sanewashing what’s unfolding…
vermontgmg.bsky.social
Garrett M. Graff @vermontgmg.bsky.social · 1d
Welcome to the era of “Kavanaugh Raids.” www.doomsdayscenario.co/p/welcome-to...
3 3

Reposted by Will Jennings, Rosemary A. Joyce, American Library Association , and 10 more

atrupar.com
Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 1d
Q: Do you agree that the mayor of Chicago and governor of Illinois should be in prison?

MIKE JOHNSON: Should they be in prison? I'm not the attorney general. I'm not following the day to day on that
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Reposted by Laurent Pech

robertscotthorton.bsky.social
Scott Horton @robertscotthorton.bsky.social · 1d
Pat Bagley, Salt Lake Tribune
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Reposted by Ben H. Ansell, James Q. Wilson, Patrick A. Jansen , and 25 more

govpritzker.illinois.gov
Governor JB Pritzker @govpritzker.illinois.gov · 1d
I will not back down.

Trump is now calling for the arrest of elected representatives checking his power.

What else is left on the path to full-blown authoritarianism?
Donald Trump Truth Social Post: Chicago Mayor should be in jail for failing to protect Ice Officers! Governor Pritzker also.
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Reposted by Laurent Pech

mehdirhasan.bsky.social
Mehdi Hasan @mehdirhasan.bsky.social · 1d
‪
This line from Politico Playbook jumped out at me, in their coverage of the Comey arraignment.

"It’s a moment many believed would never come."

Erm, this is precisely the problem with our mainstream media. Journalists constantly downplayed the obvious threat from Trump in 2024. Some of us didn't
Subscribe to Zeteo
Zeteo is a new media organization that seeks to answer the questions that really matter, while always striving for the truth. Founded by Mehdi Hasan, Zeteo is a movement for media accountability, unfi...
zeteo.com
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Reposted by Laurent Pech, David R. Miller, Marie-Laure Basilien-Gainche

vermontgmg.bsky.social
Garrett M. Graff @vermontgmg.bsky.social · 1d
Welcome to the era of “Kavanaugh Raids.” www.doomsdayscenario.co/p/welcome-to...
7 83 190

Reposted by Brendan Nyhan, Laurent Pech, David R. Miller

stevelevitsky.bsky.social
stevelevitsky.bsky.social @stevelevitsky.bsky.social · 1d
They are not Trump's enemies. They are critics and opponents. He sees them as enemies, because that's how autocrats perceive their critics. NYT should not repeat and normalize authoritarian discourse.

How Trump Is Using the Justice Department to Target His Enemies www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
How Trump Is Using the Justice Department to Target His Enemies
President Trump has long spoken of seeking vengeance against his political enemies. Here’s a list of whom he is targeting.
www.nytimes.com
14 83 250

Reposted by Timothy Snyder, Mark A. Lemley, Rosemary A. Joyce , and 5 more

gregsargent.bsky.social
Greg Sargent @gregsargent.bsky.social · 1d
JB Pritzker and Gavin Newsom are doing something new and important: They understand Stephen Miller's theory of fascist power politics, and they've developed a theory on how to combat it. More Dems need to reckon with Miller's understanding of the moment.

New from me:
newrepublic.com/article/2014...
Inside Stephen Miller’s Secret Plan to Normalize Trump’s Dictator Rule
He wants to supercharge searing civil tensions to get low-information voters to embrace their inner authoritarian. Exactly two Democrats appear to fully grasp this.
newrepublic.com
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Reposted by Dimitry Kochenov, R. Daniel Kelemen

profpech.bsky.social
Laurent Pech 🇺🇦 @profpech.bsky.social · 1d
I mean how can such a body be considered a court within the meaning of EU law...?

cc @kimlanelaw.bsky.social @rdanielkelemen.bsky.social @profkochenov.bsky.social @grabowskamoroz.bsky.social
@tjmcintyre.com
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Reposted by Dimitry Kochenov, Steve Peers

profpech.bsky.social
Laurent Pech 🇺🇦 @profpech.bsky.social · 1d
Important but arguably flawed ruling with rule of law implications as this is possibly the 1st time a non-EU body manifestly lacking characteristics of a court IMO - US Data Protection Review Court - is nonetheless recognised as a court within meaning of EU law...
www.politico.com/news/2024/01...
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profpech.bsky.social
Laurent Pech 🇺🇦 @profpech.bsky.social · 1d
Any other outcome would have made a mockery of the European Parliament’s own finding that Orban’s Hungary is no longer a democracy but an electoral autocracy aka a situation where Orban can influence and interfere with judicial proceedings at will

www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/pres...
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Reposted by Joanna Bryson, Anna O. Law, Norbert Schwarz , and 10 more

brendannyhan.bsky.social
Brendan Nyhan @brendannyhan.bsky.social · 2d
Monstrous.

"federal agents detained nearly every resident of the 130-unit building—including children and babies—placing them in zip ties and separating them by race into vans for more than two hours early Tuesday morning."
dlknowles.bsky.social
Daniel Knowles @dlknowles.bsky.social · 2d
Good reporting on the South Shore raid from South Side weekly here.

Confirms one thing I was told but didn't put in my own piece because I didn't have a second source and it seemed too insane: border agents segregated arrested residents by race

southsideweekly.com/federal-agen...
Federal Agents Storm South Shore Building, Detaining Families and Children
Families were woken by flashbangs and helicopters as hundreds of federal agents raided their homes. Days later, neighbors are still searching for the missing.
southsideweekly.com
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Reposted by Anna O. Law, Brendan Nyhan, Laurent Pech , and 1 more

johnpfaff.bsky.social
John Pfaff @johnpfaff.bsky.social · 2d
They said on-line isn’t real life, and Bluesky is a niche social media site.

But here is @akalhan.bsky.social getting “Kavanaugh Stops” into the Boston Globe!

With a pic of Kav looking a little petulant too (but then when doesn’t he?).

Glad to see this is sticking to him.
Critics of Trump’s immigration crackdown are using the term ‘Kavanaugh stop.’ Here’s what it means. - The Boston Globe
The phrase, is "a window into where [the administration] can go next," some advocates say.
www.bostonglobe.com
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profpech.bsky.social
Laurent Pech 🇺🇦 @profpech.bsky.social · 2d
"For the administration to attempt to use federal funds to force colleges and universities to toe a conservative line is to create what our constitutional law calls unconstitutional conditions"
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profpech.bsky.social
Laurent Pech 🇺🇦 @profpech.bsky.social · 2d
"It would require American colleges and universities to become instruments of official thought control. This is what happened in the United States during World War I ... We have spent a century repenting those mistakes, and now the Trump administration demands that we repeat them."
1 1 1

Reposted by Jan W. Mueller

profpech.bsky.social
Laurent Pech 🇺🇦 @profpech.bsky.social · 2d
Exactly right. See also by Professors Robert Post and Tom Ginsburg: "Holding hostage federal loans and grants, the “compact” is essentially a unilateral executive decree that cannot be refused"

www.insidehighered.com/opinion/view...
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Reposted by Joe R. Feagin, Laurent Pech

govpritzker.illinois.gov
Governor JB Pritzker @govpritzker.illinois.gov · 2d
What's happening in Chicago is not normal.

The arrest of Alderperson Fuentes is just the latest example of how far Noem and Bovino are willing to go to ignore the rule of law. We must all speak up.
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profpech.bsky.social
Laurent Pech 🇺🇦 @profpech.bsky.social · 2d
NPR in 2028: "President Trump is bucking tradition and legal precedent in cancelling the presidential election and establishing a dictatorship."
2

Reposted by Laurent Pech

jwmueller-pu.bsky.social
Jan-Werner Mueller @jwmueller-pu.bsky.social · 2d
Rarely has so much creativity been poured into the creation of euphemisms: "tradition-bucking, " "norm-breaking," etc. ...
npr.org
NPR @npr.org · 2d
President Trump is bucking tradition and legal precedent in pushing to deploy the National Guard to Democratic-led cities like Portland, Oregon, and Chicago due to what he says is rampant crime and to support his crackdown on illegal immigration.
Trump's power to deploy National Guard, explained
President Trump is bucking tradition and legal precedent in pushing to deploy the National Guard to Democratic-led cities like Portland, Oregon, and Chicago due to what he says is rampant crime and to support his crackdown on illegal immigration.
n.pr
4 30 120

profpech.bsky.social
Laurent Pech 🇺🇦 @profpech.bsky.social · 2d
Dual state framework does provide some insight into what’s unfolding in 🇺🇸 but as far as current SCOTUS is concerned, key aspect to understand is that it is no longer a court but a MAGA captured 🦘 “court”

verfassungsblog.de/trump-2-0-as...
1 1 3

profpech.bsky.social
Laurent Pech 🇺🇦 @profpech.bsky.social · 2d
“Trump may suspend elections and establish a dictatorship. Experts say it could violate the US Constitution”
washingtonpost.com
The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 3d
The U.S. Treasury shared a proposal to mint $1 Trump coins to mark America’s 250th anniversary.

But U.S. code says only deceased individuals may appear on U.S. currency, a tradition dating back to efforts to break from monarchical rule. https://wapo.st/4pWsyL3
5

Reposted by Alan Lester, Laurent Pech

colinmurray.bsky.social
Colin Murray @colinmurray.bsky.social · 3d
More in the breathless, breaking stop-the-presses, and not at all confected story, that judges, before they were judges, were involved in practising law. Take 5 seconds to appreciate just how hard into "swivel-eyed loon" Robert Jenrick is being allowed to lean:

www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/202...
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Reposted by Laurent Pech, Michael D. McDonald, Vaughan S. Roberts

washingtonpost.com
The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 3d
The U.S. Treasury shared a proposal to mint $1 Trump coins to mark America’s 250th anniversary.

But U.S. code says only deceased individuals may appear on U.S. currency, a tradition dating back to efforts to break from monarchical rule. https://wapo.st/4pWsyL3
200 110 290

Reposted by Laurent Pech

kimlanelaw.bsky.social
Kim Lane Scheppele @kimlanelaw.bsky.social · 3d
Excellent analysis of what the US Supreme Court has done and might do. Are they providing the appearance of normal law in order to disguise the authoritarianism driving the executive branch? That's the logic of the dual state.
pemalevy.bsky.social
Pema Levy @pemalevy.bsky.social · 3d
“The reality is that the court is adjusting the law to make place for arbitrary power.”

To understand the Supreme Court's role in Trump's authoritarian project, I turned to the idea of a dual state: an authoritarian regime that keeps up a facade of normalcy

www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
The “dual state” theory was invented to describe Nazis. The Supreme Court could take us there.
Authoritarianism—but make it look like the rule of law.
www.motherjones.com
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