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Kevin Elliott

@kjephd.bsky.social

27K followers 1.1K following 20K posts

Political theorist studying democracy, ethics, & institutions. Author of Democracy for Busy People (https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/D/bo194847654.html); more at kevinjelliott.net. Generally poasting my way through this thing

press.uchicago.edu

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Kevin Elliott @kjephd.bsky.social · Jun 24

New article out from me, in which I consider: what if I'm wrong about everything re: what's important for a flourishing democracy?

I use a recent book attacking institutions & advocating disintermediated localism to explore the limits of my view.

Get it free here: academic.oup.com/psq/advance-...

Being a Citizen in the Rubble of Institutions
Kevin J Elliott

Abstract

What is the best foundation for democracy: citizenly habits sustained informally by the spontaneous effort of citizens themselves, or formal institutions and the law? C. L. Skach's How to Be a Citizen tells us how someone who dedicated her career to the importance of law and institutions lost her faith in them and came to see the habits and informal relations of citizens as the real site of democracy. Like many observers of politics in recent years, Skach has concluded that the regnant social order based on law and institutional mediation has fatally discredited itself. But giving up on institutions and law is no small thing. There are powerful reasons for, and immense social forces tied up with, coordinating modern societies by means of them. This review article explores the tensions between Skach's approach and some of these reasons and forces. Yet it does so not in the spirit of critique but rather as a challenge for those who view institutions and law as almost unquestionably fundamental to modern life. It seeks to explore what value there is in Skach's informal, anti-institutional approach for those who have not yet entirely lost the faith she once affirmed in modernity's legal and institutional workhorses.
democratic theory, constitutionalism, modernity, judicial supremacy, institutionalism, coordination

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Kevin Elliott @kjephd.bsky.social · 1h

It's bad we live in a society where regular people need legal insurance, but it's very nice to have in such a society

Kevin Elliott @kjephd.bsky.social · 1h

Get yourself some legal insurance. Ask your employer to offer it as a benefit.

Good lord, talk about empowering. A short conversation with a lawyer about some stupid little matter that's been devouring your and your spouse's peace of mind for weeks works wonders

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Kevin Elliott @kjephd.bsky.social · 2h

Sabotaging America's economic competitiveness and technological advancement to make the past the future

jael holzman @jael.bsky.social · 3h

SCOOP: The Bureau of Land Management says the largest solar project in Nevada — the Esmeralda 7 mega-farm — has been canceled

The news was quietly dropped via a sudden website update with no public word from any of the companies involved or a statement from the agency

@heatmap.news

Esmeralda 7 Solar Project Has Been Canceled, BLM Says

It would have delivered a gargantuan 6.2 gigawatts of power.

heatmap.news

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mtsw @mtsw.bsky.social · 6h

When prices were going up under Biden there was a constant deluge of news stories about it because the media did not like Biden and wanted him to lose. Under Trump there is not a constant deluge of news stories about coffee prices because they like Trump and want him to win

delrayser @delrayser.bsky.social · 6h

everything is on fire these days, sure, but how is it that 50% of all news stories are not about how I just spent $20 on a bag of store brand coffee at fucking costco

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Grudgie the Whale @grudgie.bsky.social · 4h

No money for kids starving in Africa but plenty for a far right foreign ally

The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 4h

The Trump administration confirmed that the U.S. bailed out Argentina.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said he had directly bought Argentine pesos in global currency markets in a bid to relieve pressure on the nation’s embattled President Javier Milei, a supporter of President Trump.

The U.S. just bailed out Argentina, Treasury Secretary confirms

The US Treasury has finalized a $20 billion financial rescue of Argentina, including a currency swap arrangement with the country's central bank.

www.washingtonpost.com

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Tim Onion @bencollins.bsky.social · 7h

Welp, here it is: maybe the funniest thing we've ever done, in its entirety.

The Onion Investigates: Jeffrey Epstein

YouTube video by The Onion

www.youtube.com

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Lawrence Solum @lsolum.bsky.social · 15h

Please help me get the word out about the new websites for Legal Theory Blog and the Legal Theory Lexicon. Reposting here and on other social media sites is great. It would be especially helpful if law school faculty members could send an email to their colleagues with the new addresses.

Legal Theory Blog

Discover our latest articles and updates. Stay informed with recent posts that cover a variety of topics you care about!

legaltheoryblog.com

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Aaron Sojourner @aaronsojourner.org · 7h

If your research aligns with @upjohninstitute.bsky.social's mission, we would consider hosting. Lots of great folks here.
www.upjohn.org/about

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Kevin Elliott @kjephd.bsky.social · 7h

Autopen

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shauna @goldengateblond.bsky.social · 7h

kendrick lamar flashes a smile after a brutal takedown of drake aka dj cries-a-lot

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Chris Sprigman @cjsprigman.bsky.social · 8h

I’m waiting for the Democrat who starts talking about righteous vengeance.

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Kieran Healy @kjhealy.co · 8h

Yeah let’s return to that simpler, better time when the Church wasn’t political [puts two fingers to earpiece] Sorry I’m just getting an update

The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 13h

As Pope Leo begins to reveal some of his views on divisive issues, some conservative critics of his predecessor are rejecting the possible rise of another “liberal pope.”

As Pope Leo riles conservatives, some say ‘just focus on the church’

Conservatives who hoped that Leo, the first U.S.-born pope, would be more of a traditionalist instead hear echoes of his predecessor, Francis, in his public statements.

www.washingtonpost.com

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Karl Bode @karlbode.com · 12h

I've decided to dedicate my life to confidently popping into people's replies and saying "why are people surprised by this" despite nobody, anywhere, expressing any surprise

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Kevin Elliott @kjephd.bsky.social · 9h

That "everything he says about migrants can be dismissed" taint because he's one of them

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Tormented🕷Abroad @jjgass.bsky.social · 9h

As long as Congress isn't in session, they can busy themselves drafting articles of impeachment.

This is cut-and-dried, unfit-to-serve, high-crime-or-misdeamor, get-his-ass-out-of-the-Oval Office stuff.

Joshua J. Friedman @joshuajfriedman.com · 9h

NEW: Here's the two-count indictment against NY AG Letitia James. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

INDICTMENT
October 2025 Term - at Alexandria, Virginia
THE GRAND JURY CHARGES THAT:
GENERAL ALLEGATIONS
At all times relevant to this Indictment:
1. Letitia A. James ("JAMES) was a resident of Brooklyn, New York, and the borrower on a
Fannie Mae-backed mortgage loan for the property located at 3121 Peronne Avenue,
Norfolk, Virginia.
2. OVM Financial (also known as Old Virginia Mortgage / AnnieMac) was a mortgage lending business located in Virginia Beach, Virginia, engaged in the business of originating and underwriting residential mortgage loans, including those backed by the Federal National Mortgage Association ("Fannie Mae"). OVM Financial qualified as a "financial institution" within the meaning of 18 U.S.C. § 20(10).
3. Fannie Mae was a federally chartered corporation that purchased and guaranteed mortgages,
operating as a government-sponsored enterprise under the oversight of the Federal Housing

Finance Agency ("FHFA").
4. First Savings Bank was a state-chartered, FDIC-insured financial institution (Certificate
#29961), headquartered in Jeffersonville, Indiana, which acquired mortgage loans through assignment or acquisition. First Savings Bank qualified as a "financial institution" within the meaning of 18 U.S.C. § 20(1).
5. On or about August 17, 2020, JAMES, as sole borrower, purchased the three (3) bedroom,
(1) bathroom property located at 3121 Peronne Avenue, Norfolk, Virginia 23509 (the
"Peronne Property"), for approximately $137,000, financed with a mortgage loan of approximately $109,600 (Loan #4430025978) backed by Fannie Mae.
6. The loan was originated by OVM Financial under a signed Second Home Rider, which required JAMES, as the sole borrower to occupy and use the property as her secondary residence, and prohibited its use as a timesharing or other shared ownership arrangement or agreement that requires her either to rent the property or give any other person any control over the occupancy or use of the property.
7. Despite these representations, the Peronne Property was not occupied or used by JAMES as a secondary residence and was instead used as a rental investment property, renting the property to a family of (3).
8. This misrepresentation allowed JAMES to obtain favorable loan terms not available for investment properties, including a note rate of 3.000% (avoiding a 0.815% higher
comparable investment property rate of 3.815%, resulting in approximately $17,837 in rate savings over the life of the loan), a seller credit of approximately $3,288 (exceeding the seller credit for investment properties by approximately $1,096), for total ill-gotten gains of approximately $18,933 over the life of the loan.
9. JAMES' Universal Property application for homeowners' insurance indicated "owner-

occupied non-seasonal use," further misrepresenting the intended use of the property.
10. JAMES filed Schedule E tax forms), under penalties of perjury, treating the Perrone Property as rental real estate, reporting fair rental days, zero personal use days, thousand(s)
of dollars in rents received, and claiming deductions for expenses relating to the property, further contradicting the second home classification.
11. The loan was acquired by or assigned to First Savings Bank by March 2021, exposing it to risks associated with the misrepresented loan.
12. The acts described herein occurred within the Eastern District of Virginia.
COUNT ONE
(Bank Fraud - 18 U.S.C. § 1344)
13. The allegations in paragraphs 1 through 12 are re-alleged and incorporated herein.
14. From on or about August 7, 2020, through at least January 2024, in the Eastern District of Virginia and elsewhere, the Defendant, LETITIA A. JAMES, did knowingly execute and attempt to execute a scheme and artifice to defraud OVM Financial and First Savings Bank,
financial institutions, and to obtain moneys, funds, and credits owned by and under the custody and control of OVM Financial and First Savings Bank by means of false and fraudulent pretenses, representations, and promises.
15. The scheme involved falsely representing the Peronne Property as a secondary residence to obtain favorable mortgage terms, while using it as an investment property with no intended
or actual personal occupancy or use by her.
(In violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1344).
COUNT TWO
(False Statements to a Financial Institution - 18 U.S.C. § 1014)
16. The allegations in paragraphs 1 through 12 are re-alleged and incorporated herein.

17. From on or about July 28, 2020, through at least August 31, 2020, in the Eastern District of Virginia and elsewhere, the Defendant, LETITIA A. JAMES, did knowingly make and cause to be made false statements and reports for the purpose of influencing the action of OVM Financial, a Fannie Mae-backed lender, upon an application for a loan, in that JAMES represented and affirmed in uniform residential loan applications and related documents that
the Peronne Property would be used as a secondary residence, when in truth and fact, as JAMES then knew, the property was intended and used as an investment property with no intended or actual personal occupancy or use by her.
(In violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1014).
FORFEITURE NOTICE
Pursuant to Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 32.2(a) and Title 18, U.S.C. §
982(a)(2)(A), upon conviction of the offenses in Counts One and Two, the Defendant, Letitia
A. James, shall forfeit to the United States any property constituting, or derived from, proceeds obtained, directly or indirectly, as a result of such violations, including but not limited to a money judgment in the amount of $18,933.
If any of the property described above, as a result of any act or omission of the Defendant: (a) cannot be located upon the exercise of due diligence; (b) has been transferred or sold to, or deposited with, a third party; (c) has been placed beyond the jurisdiction of the court; (d) has been substantially diminished in value; or (e) has been commingled with other property which cannot be divided without difficulty, the United States shall be entitled to a forfeiture of substitute property pursuant to Title 21, U.S.C. § 853(b), as incorporated by Title
18 U.S.C. § 982(b)(1).
(In accordance with Title 18 U.S.C. § 981(a)(1)(C) and 982(a)(1); Title 28, U.S.C. § 2461(c); and Title 21 U.S.C. § 853(p).)

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Dan Froomkin/Press Watch/Heads Up News @froomkin.bsky.social · 9h

CNN does it right.

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Kevin Elliott @kjephd.bsky.social · 9h

Oh good, an excellent timely policy, really meets the needs of the moment

The New York Times @nytimes.com · 9h

Floridians will be able to openly carry firearms while shopping at Publix, the largest supermarket chain in the state, the company said on Thursday. The announcement came after a state appeals court ruled that a Florida ban on people openly carrying firearms was unconstitutional.

Customers May Openly Carry Firearms in Florida’s Publix Stores, Company Says

The supermarket chain said it was complying with state law, including a ruling last month that overturned a ban on openly carrying firearms.

nyti.ms

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Radley Balko @radleybalko.bsky.social · 9h

Kavanaugh stop

CollinCountyDems @collincountydems.bsky.social · 12h

This is terrifying!

ICE breaks into this woman’s car in the pick-up line at West Loop Elementary school in Chicago and detains her before she can pick her kids up from school. (They were eventually let go after showing their documents)

This is Trump’s America.

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Kevin Elliott @kjephd.bsky.social · 9h

I know the US is really not covering itself in glory lately, but I still resent the implication here of what the author seems to think an American pope ought to be like

Sharon @sharonk.bsky.social · 9h

LMAO

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Kevin Elliott @kjephd.bsky.social · 9h

Better than nothing

The New York Times @nytimes.com · 9h

A library director in Wyoming who was fired two years ago because she refused to remove books with sexual content and LGBTQ themes from a library’s children and young adult sections was awarded $700,000 in a settlement on Wednesday.

Librarian Fired in Books Dispute to Receive $700,000 Settlement

County officials in Wyoming fired Terri Lesley, a library director, after she refused to purge children and young adult books that contained sexual content and L.G.B.T.Q. themes.

nyti.ms

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Kevin Elliott @kjephd.bsky.social · 9h

This is what happens when you ignore a provision of the Constitution that says "no one who tries to kill me can occupy one of my offices." Anti-justice, anti-law, anti-freedom

Marisa Kabas @marisakabas.bsky.social · 9h

trump was prosecuted for real crimes and now he's punishing the people who prosecuted him with fake crimes

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Simon Rosenberg @simonwdc.bsky.social · 10h

We are witnessing the most lawless behavior by a leader in American history, just daily, extraordinary abuses of power. National Democrats must speak out in a loud and clear voice against Trump's escalating authoritarianism. It is time now.

Anna Bower @annabower.bsky.social · 10h

The Guardian reports that Letitia James has been indicted

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

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Kevin Elliott @kjephd.bsky.social · 11h

Yo, reading at a standing desk rules

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Jeff Colgan @jeffcolgan.bsky.social · 15h

Great new piece on China's climate ambitions, or lack thereof, by @jeremywallace.bsky.social
heatmap.news/ideas/china-...

China Can’t Decide if It Wants to Be the World’s First “Electrostate”

The country’s underwhelming new climate pledge is more than just bad news for the world — it reveals a serious governing mistake.

heatmap.news

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