Mary Beth Williams
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mbwilliams.bsky.social
Mary Beth Williams
@mbwilliams.bsky.social
1.5K followers 920 following 2K posts
Made from Maine Wabanakiak, Isles of Shoals fishermen, and Welsh coal miners. Oregon transplant. Constitutional law and state/tribal/fed gov't wonk (JD). North Atlantic historian obsessed with wampum, cod fishing, and dual-host pathogens.
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mbwilliams.bsky.social
Mary Beth Williams @mbwilliams.bsky.social · May 3
If you believe climate change is an existential threat, then don't support any Democratic member of Congress who advocates for:

1. Generative AI
2. Cryptocurrency mining
3. Indoor cannabis cultivation

unless they can immediately point to a detailed plan to make said activity carbon neutral.
Reposted by Mary Beth Williams
weatherwest.bsky.social
Great piece out today in Physics Today on historical origins, contemporary relevance, & fundamental irreplaceability of the National Center for Atmospheric Research, which remains at imminent risk of dismantling for partisan political reasons.
What the National Center for Atmospheric Research means to the atmospheric sciences
Born out of a time of great need for the federal government, NCAR plays a role with few analogues.
physicstoday.aip.org
February 13, 2026 at 5:46 PM
mbwilliams.bsky.social
I was among the initial class of Cassandras warning about the SAVE Act back in mid-2024, so have read every word many times. Thing is, it's so poorly drafted, I now believe there's no way it will hold up under judicial scrutiny, even this SCOTUS. This isn't Crawford v. Marion County Election Board.
Crawford v. Marion County Election Bd., 553 U.S. 181 (2008)
Crawford v. Marion County Election Bd.: A state can require residents to present government-issued photo IDs in order to vote.
supreme.justia.com
February 13, 2026 at 4:34 PM
mbwilliams.bsky.social
Buy this book!

Seriously, I learned more in my Legislation class with Josh than just about any class in law school (tied with Con Law and Fed Courts, tbf, also taught by excellent profs.) And I use the stuff I learned every day in my work.
joshchafetz.bsky.social Josh Chafetz @joshchafetz.bsky.social · 2h
Hi new followers!

If you happen to be interested in the separation of powers, Congress, government shutdowns, contempt of Congress, the filibuster, and more, have I got the book for you! yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300...
Congress's Constitution
A leading scholar of Congress and the Constitution analyzes Congress’s surprisingly potent set of tools in the system of checks and balances. Congress is w...
yalebooks.yale.edu
February 13, 2026 at 4:13 PM
mbwilliams.bsky.social
Here is the version of the SAVE Act that passed the House yesterday. The current version is not the same as Chip Roy's HR 22, passed last year, or his HR 7296, introduced on 1/30/2026.

rules.house.gov/sites/evo-su...
rules.house.gov
February 12, 2026 at 4:18 PM
Reposted by Mary Beth Williams
sammyroth.bsky.social
In case anyone's wondering how Jeff Bezos feels about climate policy these days, the Washington Post editorial board just heartily endorsed Trump ripping up the EPA's "endangerment finding," which allows the federal government to regulate greenhouse gases as pollutants.
February 11, 2026 at 6:01 PM
mbwilliams.bsky.social
Is Bondi angling for Secretary Bessent's job now?
February 11, 2026 at 6:27 PM
Reposted by Mary Beth Williams
pocan.house.gov
There seems to be some confusion about the SAVE America Act. If it becomes law, you will NOT be able to vote with your drivers license alone.

You’d need:
February 10, 2026 at 6:23 PM
mbwilliams.bsky.social
Tell Schumer to amend S 3186 to any DHS funding. Allow personal lawsuits against federal agents and end qualified immunity. This is accountability.
mbwilliams.bsky.social Mary Beth Williams @mbwilliams.bsky.social · 3d
If you want ICE and CBP to have accountability, demand Congress pass S. 3186. TLDR: The act would expand the right of individuals to file lawsuits for violations of the Constitution and federal law and would end qualified immunity. www.congress.gov/bill/119th-c...
SEC. 3. Civil actions for deprivation of rights. Section 1979 of the Revised Statutes (42 U.S.C. 1983) is amended— (1) in the first sentence, by striking “Every” and inserting the following: “(a) In this section: “(1) The term ‘person’ includes— “(A) the United States; “(B) a State or Territory or the District of Columbia; “(C) a local government; “(D) an agency, government body, or any subdivision of the United States, a State or Territory or the District of Columbia, or a local government, or an entity created by a combination of any of the foregoing; and “(E) an individual or private entity. “(2) The term ‘law enforcement officer’ includes any officer of a local government, or of a State or Territory or the District of Columbia, or of the United States, or an entity created by a combination of any of the foregoing who is empowered by law to execute searches, to seize evidence, or to make arrests for violations of law. (c) A person is liable under this section for a violation of rights, privileges, or immunities secured by the Constitution and laws committed by an individual who at the time of the violation is employed by the person as, or contracted by the person to do the work of, a law enforcement officer. Liability under this subsection shall exist without regard to whether such employee or contractor would be immune from liability, and without regard to whether the employee or contractor was acting pursuant to a policy or custom of the person who is the employer. “(d) Pursuant to section 5 of the 14th Amendment, no State shall be immune from suit, under the Eleventh Amendment or other doctrine of State sovereign immunity, for any claims on which subsection (c) subjects a person to liability. “(e) For purposes of an action under subsection (c), the United States waives its sovereign immunity. “(f) Except as expressly stated, no provision of this section shall be construed to abolish, repeal, or limit the scope of any right of action otherwise available under this section or any other source of law.”.
February 11, 2026 at 2:57 PM
Reposted by Mary Beth Williams
emipsaloquitur.bsky.social
I wish reporters would push back on these claims that even if that's true, those aren't valid for SAVE act purposes
atrupar.com Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 2d
Markwayne Mullin defends "show me your papers": "If you're here legally, there's nothing to hide. Most people already are walking around with a government-issued ID, meaning your Real ID or your driver's license. If you go board a train here, you gotta show your ID."
February 11, 2026 at 2:16 PM
Reposted by Mary Beth Williams
deepseadawn.bsky.social
"Women have been mapping the world for centuries – and now they’re speaking up for the people left OUT of those maps"

theconversation.com/women-have-b... AND
coffeewithclaude.com/post.php?slu...
#GISchat ⚒️ 🧪 🌊
Women have been mapping the world for centuries – and now they’re speaking up for the people left out of those maps
Women have moved from mapmakers using their bodies to depict maps to being leaders shaping the field of cartography.
theconversation.com
February 10, 2026 at 10:56 PM
mbwilliams.bsky.social
Despite ranting against the SAVE Act for the past two years now, my recent research indicates that far more GOP voters will be harmed, so maybe just let them shoot their own feet (and spend our energy getting our voters their documents.)
February 10, 2026 at 5:10 PM
mbwilliams.bsky.social
If you want ICE and CBP to have accountability, demand Congress pass S. 3186. TLDR: The act would expand the right of individuals to file lawsuits for violations of the Constitution and federal law and would end qualified immunity. www.congress.gov/bill/119th-c...
SEC. 3. Civil actions for deprivation of rights. Section 1979 of the Revised Statutes (42 U.S.C. 1983) is amended— (1) in the first sentence, by striking “Every” and inserting the following: “(a) In this section: “(1) The term ‘person’ includes— “(A) the United States; “(B) a State or Territory or the District of Columbia; “(C) a local government; “(D) an agency, government body, or any subdivision of the United States, a State or Territory or the District of Columbia, or a local government, or an entity created by a combination of any of the foregoing; and “(E) an individual or private entity. “(2) The term ‘law enforcement officer’ includes any officer of a local government, or of a State or Territory or the District of Columbia, or of the United States, or an entity created by a combination of any of the foregoing who is empowered by law to execute searches, to seize evidence, or to make arrests for violations of law. (c) A person is liable under this section for a violation of rights, privileges, or immunities secured by the Constitution and laws committed by an individual who at the time of the violation is employed by the person as, or contracted by the person to do the work of, a law enforcement officer. Liability under this subsection shall exist without regard to whether such employee or contractor would be immune from liability, and without regard to whether the employee or contractor was acting pursuant to a policy or custom of the person who is the employer. “(d) Pursuant to section 5 of the 14th Amendment, no State shall be immune from suit, under the Eleventh Amendment or other doctrine of State sovereign immunity, for any claims on which subsection (c) subjects a person to liability. “(e) For purposes of an action under subsection (c), the United States waives its sovereign immunity. “(f) Except as expressly stated, no provision of this section shall be construed to abolish, repeal, or limit the scope of any right of action otherwise available under this section or any other source of law.”.
February 10, 2026 at 4:32 PM
mbwilliams.bsky.social
Forget body cams and “training”. If Congress wants to “reform” rather than defund ICE and CBP, allow Sec. 1983 law suits against federal agents and end qualified immunity.
February 10, 2026 at 1:58 PM
Reposted by Mary Beth Williams
mskellymhayes.bsky.social
I suppose I also take this personally bc attacks on craftivism land poorly with me as a Native person. Beading together, making regalia, sewing in groups — this is at the heart of how the women on my reservation gather to do healing work, political ed, and mutual aid. This has long been true.
February 9, 2026 at 3:08 PM
Reposted by Mary Beth Williams
elliottpayne.org
Another classic post-Homan day where around school dismissal time we get a flurry of ICE vehicles all across our neighborhoods. Today one vehicle led an observer to their own home and pointed at it. This is a sick game to them, but we won’t be intimidated and we won’t stop until DHS is abolished.
February 9, 2026 at 11:20 PM
mbwilliams.bsky.social
One of the few areas where folks can still file Bivens claims for 4th Amendment violations by federal LEOs. Not an easy fight, but not (yet) completely closed off by SCOTUS.

supreme.justia.com/cases/federa...
February 9, 2026 at 7:06 PM
mbwilliams.bsky.social
8am neurologist appointment for the youngest where we got the most wonderful news that she's one of the 5-8% of individuals whose particular symptoms are not indicative of a life-threatening or serious chronic condition—but rather a likely genetic fluke she'll just need to check annually. Whee!
February 9, 2026 at 7:00 PM
Reposted by Mary Beth Williams
raventerp1.bsky.social
www.psypost.org/the-scientis...
The scientist who predicted AI psychosis has issued another dire warning
Outsourcing your thinking to AI might be eroding your ability to reason. A new commentary warns that "cognitive debt" poses a critical threat to science, suggesting that bypassing mental struggle coul...
www.psypost.org
February 9, 2026 at 1:23 PM
Reposted by Mary Beth Williams
aselrod.bsky.social
This is an important excerpt from @gregsargent.bsky.social’s piece.

More people still support Trump and ICE than I would like, but it’s true that Trump and co assumed the manosphere would be with them unanimously. And that’s not the case.

newrepublic.com/article/2062...
Lurking behind all this Trump-NFL weirdness is a broader form of hubris. Trump and MAGA have long assumed that MAGA-adjacent parts of the culture will rally to ICE violence. Notably, ICE is spending $100 million recruiting new agents with ads targeting fans of UFC fights, Nascar, guns, and military tactical equipment. ICE recruitment pitches and propaganda videos depict working for ICE as a type of militaristic and patriotic national service. It's depicted as manly heroism, as an opportunity to engage in virtuous, cleansing violence that will purge the nation of its cosmopolitan, urban, diversity-loving, overly feminized, non-MAGA contaminants. Yet large swaths of the culture—including typically MAGA-friendly ones—have now turned against all of this at a deep level, and some striking data from the new Marquette University poll shows how.
February 8, 2026 at 3:46 PM
mbwilliams.bsky.social
This has been my position for… wow, has it really been 20 years since An Inconvenient Truth?
jnxouaquaga.bsky.social Ouaquaga on Chenango @jnxouaquaga.bsky.social · 4d
"Unused" land shouldn't be turned to solar, it should be rewilded. Solar should be over paved areas and on buildings for *multiple* logistical and ecological reasons.
February 9, 2026 at 2:43 PM
Reposted by Mary Beth Williams
costasamaras.com
Remember that under the first Trump administration, Puerto Rico had to suffer through the longest power blackout in U.S. history bsky.app/profile/cost...
costasamaras.com Costa Samaras @costasamaras.com · Oct 5
During his Administration, Hurricane Maria knocked out power to 1.5 million people in Puerto Rico and it didn’t get restored for ABOUT A YEAR! It was the largest blackout in U.S. history. This should be line one of any hurricane recovery political coverage. www.vox.com/identities/2...
February 9, 2026 at 1:38 AM
mbwilliams.bsky.social
Despite my New England roots, I have no interest in Kraft's team. Seeing that Seattle was once part of Oregon Territory, seems some regional loyalty might reasonably attach.

(Truth is, while it's on the TV in my son's attached apartment, I'm not even watching.)
February 9, 2026 at 1:22 AM
mbwilliams.bsky.social
Do they really think we're stupid?

House GOP file an amended SAVE Act, wherein they purport to address the issue with non-conforming names on photo ID and citizenship records. Thing is, it doesn't do anything different than the original bill, other than including name in the wording. 1/x
Requirement in cases of name discrepancies in documentation.—Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a State shall accept and process an application to register to vote in an election for Federal office if the applicant— “(A) presents with the application documentation that would constitute documentary proof of United States citizenship, except that the name on the documentation is not the name of the applicant; and “(B) provides, through a process established by the State (which shall be subject to any relevant guidance adopted by the Election Assistance Commission)— “(i) additional documentation as necessary to establish that the name on the documentation is a previous name of the applicant; or “(ii) an affidavit signed by the applicant attesting that the name on the documentation is a previous name of the applicant. (B) PROCESS IN CASE OF CERTAIN DISCREPANCIES IN DOCUMENTATION.—Subject to any relevant guidance adopted by the Election Assistance Commission, each State shall establish a process under which an applicant can provide such additional documentation to the appropriate election official of the State as may be necessary to establish that the applicant is a citizen of the United States in the event of a discrepancy with respect to the applicant’s documentary proof of United States citizenship.
February 8, 2026 at 2:02 AM
mbwilliams.bsky.social
After four kids and 30 years, including the last one on tirzepatide, I can comfortably wear form-fitting clothing again—only to learn that gunny sacks and barrel pants are now the fashion.
February 7, 2026 at 5:35 PM