Jerry Edwards
@jerryedwards.bsky.social
Associate Professor of Law at West Virginia University College of Law. Formerly an ACLUFL Attorney. I enjoy writing about free expression, academic freedom, and American history.
All opinions are my own, not my employer's, and are correct, probably.
All opinions are my own, not my employer's, and are correct, probably.
Pinned
Jerry Edwards
@jerryedwards.bsky.social
· Aug 15
I am excited to announce that my article, Academic Freedom's Inflection Point, will be published in the Boston College Law Review in 2026. The SSRN link is below. I plan to make revisions to address feedback & new developments (ex. a terrible govt speech opinion). Comments are welcome & appreciated!
Kudos, Georgetown!
February 13, 2026 at 6:46 PM
Kudos, Georgetown!
Reposted by Jerry Edwards
The Trump DOJ's efforts to distinguish rather than seek the overruling of Wong Kim Ark in the birthright citizenship case should fail for many reasons, including that its reading of WKA would implicate all the same concerns as overruling. @ggkrishnamoomoo.bsky.social has details on the blog. 👇
Will Trump v. Barbara End Stare Decisis?
Recall at issue in Trump v. Barbara is President Trump’s Executive Order that purports to deny citizenship to children born in the United...
www.dorfonlaw.org
February 11, 2026 at 3:12 PM
The Trump DOJ's efforts to distinguish rather than seek the overruling of Wong Kim Ark in the birthright citizenship case should fail for many reasons, including that its reading of WKA would implicate all the same concerns as overruling. @ggkrishnamoomoo.bsky.social has details on the blog. 👇
Reposted by Jerry Edwards
TL;DR: If the gov't wants to distinguish WKA to avoid the disruption of overruling WKA, it must do more than show we're wrong to read WKA the way we did. It must show that we in fact did not read WKA that way at all. Short of mass hypnosis, idk how that’s possible.
Thanks to @dorfonlaw.bsky.social!
Thanks to @dorfonlaw.bsky.social!
The Trump DOJ's efforts to distinguish rather than seek the overruling of Wong Kim Ark in the birthright citizenship case should fail for many reasons, including that its reading of WKA would implicate all the same concerns as overruling. @ggkrishnamoomoo.bsky.social has details on the blog. 👇
Will Trump v. Barbara End Stare Decisis?
Recall at issue in Trump v. Barbara is President Trump’s Executive Order that purports to deny citizenship to children born in the United...
www.dorfonlaw.org
February 11, 2026 at 5:11 PM
TL;DR: If the gov't wants to distinguish WKA to avoid the disruption of overruling WKA, it must do more than show we're wrong to read WKA the way we did. It must show that we in fact did not read WKA that way at all. Short of mass hypnosis, idk how that’s possible.
Thanks to @dorfonlaw.bsky.social!
Thanks to @dorfonlaw.bsky.social!
She's very, very terrible. Then again, so is Oldham. I guess they could always surprise us with Kacsmaryk or Aileen Cannon.
February 13, 2026 at 6:12 PM
She's very, very terrible. Then again, so is Oldham. I guess they could always surprise us with Kacsmaryk or Aileen Cannon.
Reposted by Jerry Edwards
Corporate wants you to find the difference
February 13, 2026 at 2:47 PM
Corporate wants you to find the difference
Reposted by Jerry Edwards
New Foreword up on SSRN, previewing new projects on the history of constitutional history and what it can teach about legal frameworks at the heart of our "constitutional crisis"-federal Indian law, territorial law, expansion, immigration, and executive power. papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
February 13, 2026 at 3:10 PM
New Foreword up on SSRN, previewing new projects on the history of constitutional history and what it can teach about legal frameworks at the heart of our "constitutional crisis"-federal Indian law, territorial law, expansion, immigration, and executive power. papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
Yes! When I initially scrolled past it without looking closely, I thought it was AOC.
February 13, 2026 at 2:19 PM
Yes! When I initially scrolled past it without looking closely, I thought it was AOC.
Reposted by Jerry Edwards
the fact that these people are bigoted little freaks manages to be relevant in literally every conversation that they have about any topic, regardless of how serious or innocuous, and it's a sign of deep moral rot that they have a widely watched television program and are not shunned
Current state of things: One Fox News host casually declares that Epstein’s money comes from “Jewish billionaires” and a “Jewish banking family,” another responds that he was a “sex rabbi.” www.mediamatters.org/fox-news/jes...
February 13, 2026 at 1:42 PM
the fact that these people are bigoted little freaks manages to be relevant in literally every conversation that they have about any topic, regardless of how serious or innocuous, and it's a sign of deep moral rot that they have a widely watched television program and are not shunned
Reposted by Jerry Edwards
there's fierce competition, but this is one of the most stomach-turning things I've read in some time
Exclusive: White House uses USAID funds for budget director Vought's security, documents show
The White House budget office is using millions of dollars from the former U.S. foreign aid agency to pay for the security detail of Russell Vought, President Donald Trump's budget chief and an archit...
www.reuters.com
February 13, 2026 at 2:01 PM
there's fierce competition, but this is one of the most stomach-turning things I've read in some time
Reposted by Jerry Edwards
“abolition of gender studies is a way of further guaranteeing impunity to the elite men whose contempt for and exploitation of women and girls apparently knew no bounds, whether they actually slept with the women on offer or simply shared Epstein’s fantasies in order to gain influence or funding”
Opinion | Gender studies courses are shutting down across the US. The Epstein files reveal why — Guardian US
Texas A&M University is the latest school to end women’s and gender studies programs and teaching race. We know why
apple.news
February 13, 2026 at 12:53 PM
“abolition of gender studies is a way of further guaranteeing impunity to the elite men whose contempt for and exploitation of women and girls apparently knew no bounds, whether they actually slept with the women on offer or simply shared Epstein’s fantasies in order to gain influence or funding”
Reposted by Jerry Edwards
Immigrant justice is reproductive justice
Pregnant immigrants in Minnesota have been postponing their abortions, skipping aftercare, and delaying birth control visits and urgent cancer screening follow-ups to avoid coming in contact with federal immigration agents.
Pregnant patients in Minnesota have postponed abortion appointments to avoid ICE
Planned Parenthood’s no-show rate has gone up almost 10 percent since the federal government’s Minnesota operation began.
19thnews.org
February 13, 2026 at 1:01 PM
Immigrant justice is reproductive justice
Reposted by Jerry Edwards
With all the fear mongering and the destruction of the refugee program it is worth reading some stories about how it used to work
After Resettlement | Caroline Moorehead
How has a group of Liberian refugees, resettled in the US nearly twenty-five years ago after fleeing civil war, fared in a country that has changed vastly since admitting them?
www.nybooks.com
February 13, 2026 at 5:49 AM
With all the fear mongering and the destruction of the refugee program it is worth reading some stories about how it used to work
Reposted by Jerry Edwards
Hey, read this. lpeproject.org/blog/whistli...
February 12, 2026 at 1:53 PM
Hey, read this. lpeproject.org/blog/whistli...
Hey! I do know when to stop, but I have poor impulse control. 😉
February 13, 2026 at 3:25 AM
Hey! I do know when to stop, but I have poor impulse control. 😉
I always wonder who actually puts those things together. I like the model where the students pick the topic.
February 13, 2026 at 3:11 AM
I always wonder who actually puts those things together. I like the model where the students pick the topic.
Reposted by Jerry Edwards
The Maine Supreme Judicial Court's opinion in 2017 held that RCV couldn't be used for general elections for state offices because of constitutional provisions requiring the person "having the largest number of votes" to win. It was an utterly atextual and ahistorical opinion. They should reverse it.
There's a chance that Maine's next governor could be elected with well short of a majority of the vote, especially with two sitting legislators running as independents. But things could change if Democrats succeed in their drive to have ranked-choice voting cover general elections for state offices.
Morning Digest: How Maine Democrats plan to implement ranked-choice voting for governor this fall
The state Supreme Court stands in their way, but they're hoping for some help from ... Alaska
www.the-downballot.com
February 12, 2026 at 3:14 PM
The Maine Supreme Judicial Court's opinion in 2017 held that RCV couldn't be used for general elections for state offices because of constitutional provisions requiring the person "having the largest number of votes" to win. It was an utterly atextual and ahistorical opinion. They should reverse it.
It hasn't even been two years! The damage these nimrods are doing will last a lifetime. 😠
February 13, 2026 at 2:49 AM
It hasn't even been two years! The damage these nimrods are doing will last a lifetime. 😠
Reposted by Jerry Edwards
Props to everyone who recognized this story as bullshit from the jump. The heuristic “they’re lying” will almost always get you to the correct answer
BREAKING: DOJ moves to drop criminal charges in alleged shovel/broom attack in Minneapolis that led ICE to open fire. "Newly discovered evidence in this matter is materially inconsistent with the allegations in the Complaint Affidavit," prosecutors say. www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...
February 13, 2026 at 1:52 AM
Props to everyone who recognized this story as bullshit from the jump. The heuristic “they’re lying” will almost always get you to the correct answer
Eh, maybe wait to retire until there's a different President, Edith. Until then, just don't write any opinions.
February 13, 2026 at 2:38 AM
Eh, maybe wait to retire until there's a different President, Edith. Until then, just don't write any opinions.
Well, since all the cool people are doing it... 😉
February 13, 2026 at 2:37 AM
Well, since all the cool people are doing it... 😉
Edith Jones said the same thing in that opinion today. Nonsense.
February 13, 2026 at 2:32 AM
Edith Jones said the same thing in that opinion today. Nonsense.
Reposted by Jerry Edwards
Fun fact on Oldham, he believes that a Government official subject to Ex Parte Young liablity can avoid it in a preinforcement challenge simply by making a nonbinding disclaimer of an intent to enforce against the particular plaintiff.
My money has long been on Oldham, who wrote a completely unprincipled opinion in the Watson mail-in ballot case before the Supreme Court. He's one of the few people who I think would be worse than Alito on the Court (Bove too, for corruption reasons)
electionlawblog.org?p=152986
electionlawblog.org?p=152986
February 12, 2026 at 4:38 PM
Fun fact on Oldham, he believes that a Government official subject to Ex Parte Young liablity can avoid it in a preinforcement challenge simply by making a nonbinding disclaimer of an intent to enforce against the particular plaintiff.
Ring thought they had us fooled. They floofed around and found out.
February 13, 2026 at 2:22 AM
Ring thought they had us fooled. They floofed around and found out.