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Movement Law Lab @movementlawlab.bsky.social · 2d

3/ The state is weaponizing law to silence dissent and criminalize protest. Movement lawyers must respond with both legal defense and collectively strategize with organizers to defeat attacks like these.

Movement Law Lab @movementlawlab.bsky.social · 2d

2/ Protesters gathered outside a synagogue to oppose a real estate event marketing homes in Israeli settlements. It’s the first time this law is being used to allege “interference with religious worship.” www.northjersey.com/story/news/2...

Feds use unusual tactic to sue protesters over West Orange synagogue clash

The protesters were interfering with the attendees' civil rights to exercise their religion, says the federal complaint.

www.northjersey.com

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Movement Law Lab @movementlawlab.bsky.social · 2d

1/ In a new twist, the US govt is framing political protest as a “hate crime.” The DOJ is now suing protesters using a law originally intended to stop blockades at abortion clinics.

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Movement Law Lab @movementlawlab.bsky.social · 2d

“Individuals are allowed to protest.They are allowed to speak. That is guaranteed by the First Amendment of our constitution, and it is a bedrock right that upholds our democracy.” -U.S. District Judge Ellis

Stephanie Lulay @slulay2.bsky.social · 3d

NEWS: Today, a judge banned federal agents from using riot control weapons against reporters in Chicago.

It comes after 4 of our journalists were tear-gassed and shot w/ pepper-spray bullets and our nonprofit newsroom @blockclubchi.bsky.social and others sued.

This judgement protects us all:

Judge Rules Feds Can't Pepper-Spray, Tear-Gas Journalists After Block Club Chicago And Others Sue

Block Club and news organizations sued the federal government for its actions against journalists outside the Broadview ICE detention facility. Four of our journalists have been shot with pepper-spray...

blockclubchicago.org

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Reposted by Movement Law Lab

ACLU @aclu.org · 2d

Next week, the Supreme Court will hear a case that could determine the future of the Voting Rights Act.

At stake in Louisiana v. Callais is Black voters’ ability to elect their candidates of choice in Louisiana, and all voters' ability to challenge racially discriminatory maps.

The Supreme Court Is Being Tested on History Once Again

The leading arguments in support of Black voting rights were race-conscious at their core.

slate.com

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Movement Law Lab @movementlawlab.bsky.social · 3d

“Civil society strengthens and protects democracy, and true democracy is impossible without it.”

Authoritarians know this, which is why they attack independent nonprofits and advocacy groups first.

Civil society helps uphold democracy and provides built-in resistance to authoritarianism

There are growing signs that American civil society is becoming more vulnerable to the president’s preferences and dictates – something that happens in authoritarian countries.

theconversation.com

Movement Law Lab @movementlawlab.bsky.social · 4d

Portland, Memphis, and other cities don’t need occupation, they need opportunity.

Federal crackdowns bring intimidation, not safety. Real security comes from jobs, schools, & healthcare, not troops in the streets.

#Memphis #Portland #Chicago #DC

apnews.com/article/port...

Things to know about federal law enforcement activity in Chicago, Portland, Memphis

Armed federal agents are patrolling Chicago’s downtown streets and President Donald Trump has called up 200 National Guard troops for deployment in Portland, Oregon.

apnews.com

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Movement Law Lab @movementlawlab.bsky.social · 4d

What he said 👉 “It’s illegal, unconstitutional. It’s dangerous. It’s wrong. This is not about deportation, this is not about safety for this president, this is about authoritarianism.” -Chicago Mayor

wgntv.com

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Reposted by Movement Law Lab

Brendan Nyhan @brendannyhan.bsky.social · 4d

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."

Daniel Knowles @dlknowles.bsky.social · 4d

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 Movement Law Lab

Public Citizen @publiccitizen.bsky.social · 6d

"A war from within" ????

The President of the United States is openly talking about waging war against US cities because he doesn't like their mayors and governors.

This is how a dictator talks.

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Movement Law Lab @movementlawlab.bsky.social · 6d

From Hungary to Argentina to the U.S., authoritarians share some common tactics: criminalize protest, weaken institutions, and scapegoat the vulnerable.Lawyers and movements must connect across borders to stop the drift.

convergencemag.com/articles/wha...

What Propels the Global Authoritarian Surge and How We Can Fight Back

“Any issue that progressive lawyers hope to advance–no matter how local–is bound up with the worldwide rise of authoritarianism. We need to better understand the threat so that we can play our part…

convergencemag.com

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Movement Law Lab @movementlawlab.bsky.social · 6d

Armed federal agents in Chicago. National Guard deployments in Portland and Memphis. These are not public safety measures, they are intimidation tactics.

Lawyers & communities, you need to know your rights. Here’s a resource on how you can prepare: www.movementlawlab.org/nationalguard

What You Need to Know if the National Guard Is Deployed to Your State by the Trump Regime — Movement Law Lab

Learn your rights when the National Guard is deployed to your city. This guide explains the law, including the Posse Comitatus Act and the Insurrection Act, and provides critical information on…

www.movementlawlab.org

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Movement Law Lab @movementlawlab.bsky.social · 6d

From @lawdorknews.bsky.social: Calling the order “yet another grave misuse of our emergency docket,“ Jackson wrote that the majority had failed by “privileging the bald assertion of unconstrained executive power over countless families’ pleas for the stability our Government has promised them.“

Chris Geidner @chrisgeidner.bsky.social · 8d

Friday’s SCOTUS decision was issued in a brief, unsigned order that contained virtually no reasoning. It was accompanied by no signed opinions from any of the justices in the majority and over opposition from the three Democratic appointees. Only Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson wrote.

Supreme Court lets Noem end legal status for many Venezuelans in the U.S.

The majority gave virtually no reasoning. The Democratic appointees objected, but only Justice Jackson wrote: "[Y]et another grave misuse of our emergency docket."

www.lawdork.com

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Movement Law Lab @movementlawlab.bsky.social · 9d

3/ Moments like this show us both the danger of authoritarian overreach and the power of collective resistance.
blockclubchicago.org/2025/09/10/n... #Democracy #Chicago

No National Guard In Chicago After All? Trump Appears To Sour On Plan

Despite Trump apparently changing his tune on sending National Guard troops to Chicago, federal immigration agents are in the city as part of Operation Midway Blitz.

blockclubchicago.org

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Movement Law Lab @movementlawlab.bsky.social · 9d

2/ Federal agents are still flooding Chicago under “#OperationMidwayBlitz,” targeting immigrant communities and sowing fear. Movement lawyers and organizers are working together to resist this repression and defend community .

No National Guard In Chicago After All? Trump Appears To Sour On Plan

Despite Trump apparently changing his tune on sending National Guard troops to Chicago, federal immigration agents are in the city as part of Operation Midway Blitz.

blockclubchicago.org

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Movement Law Lab @movementlawlab.bsky.social · 9d

1/ Chicago organizers and officials have held the line against Trump’s plan to deploy the National Guard. Stopping an unconstitutional military incursion is a clear social movement win.

But the fight isn’t over.

No National Guard In Chicago After All? Trump Appears To Sour On Plan

Despite Trump apparently changing his tune on sending National Guard troops to Chicago, federal immigration agents are in the city as part of Operation Midway Blitz.

blockclubchicago.org

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Reposted by Movement Law Lab

LPE Blog @lpeblog.bsky.social · 9d

Cool legal internship alert: our friends at the @movementlawlab.bsky.social are accepting applications for rising 3L summer interns, who will work alongside movement lawyers supporting grassroots movements fighting for dignity, justice, and liberation.

Get Involved - Our Internship Program — Movement Law Lab

Explore a rewarding internship journey in one of three dynamic program areas tailored to foster your professional growth. Our team at Movement Law Lab wants to work with eager students like you who ar...

www.movementlawlab.org

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Reposted by Movement Law Lab

Terra de Direitos @terradedireitos.bsky.social · 11d

⚠️ Nesta quarta-feira (01), o @stf.jus.br pode julgar a Ação Direta de Inconstitucionalidade (ADI) 6553, que destinou cerca de 862 hectares para a construção da #Ferrogrão e da BR-163. Muita gente já destacou os intensos #ImpactosAmbientais e para os #PovosTradicionais.
Siga o 🪀

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Movement Law Lab @movementlawlab.bsky.social · 10d

“However, recording law enforcement activities is protected by the First Amendment.” - @elizabethweill.bsky.social

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Movement Law Lab @movementlawlab.bsky.social · 10d

DHS now claims filming ICE raids is “violence.” Let’s be clear: recording law enforcement is a First Amendment right. Criminalizing documentation is straight out of the authoritarian playbook:Silence witnesses, erase evidence, punish dissent. truthout.org/articles/dhs...

DHS Says Filming, Posting Videos of ICE Agents Is “Doxxing,” Vows Prosecutions

Recording on-duty law enforcement agents is protected by the First Amendment.

truthout.org

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Reposted by Movement Law Lab

Preorder Read This When Things Fall Apart @mskellymhayes.bsky.social · 10d

We need a bigger national spotlight on this building raid, fam. Agents dropped from helicopters onto the roof. Citizens and non-citizens alike were dragged from their homes in the night. People who weren't kidnapped during the raid had their belongings seized after the fact. This is madness.

Preorder Read This When Things Fall Apart @mskellymhayes.bsky.social · 10d

"Jones, 27, is among the residents left at 7500 S. South Shore Drive who are trying to piece together what remains after an early morning, high-powered federal immigration raid led to the arrests of dozens of their neighbors at their South Shore apartment building."

Massive immigration raid on Chicago apartment building leaves residents reeling: 'I feel defeated'

The Department of Homeland Security said federal agents with Border Patrol, the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives arrested 37 people in the raid.

chicago.suntimes.com

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Movement Law Lab @movementlawlab.bsky.social · 11d

4/ Groups like @stopcopcity.bsky.social have been doing critical work to defend movements and push back against this kind of repression. And the collapse of these charges is a reminder that movements for safety, dignity, and democracy will always outlast manufactured indictments.

Movement Law Lab @movementlawlab.bsky.social · 11d

3/ One of the defendants, Thomas Jurgens, was arrested while serving as a legal observer while wearing a bright yellow hat to make that role visible.

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Movement Law Lab @movementlawlab.bsky.social · 11d

2/ As @bradthomsonnop said, the ruling “exposes that the indictment was fundamentally flawed from the outset.” This is how authoritarian playbooks work: stretch the law to target protest, even when charges won’t hold.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Prosecutors’ ‘Cop City’ case collapses as judge tosses Rico conspiracy charges

Two-year attempt to prosecute opponents of police training center on criminal conspiracy charges ends in failure

www.theguardian.com

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Movement Law Lab @movementlawlab.bsky.social · 11d

1/ A Fulton County judge has thrown out the sweeping RICO charges against #StopCopCity activists. The state’s rush to criminalize dissent collapsed under its own weight and violated rules to punish a movement. Lawyers and organizers, take note!

Prosecutors’ ‘Cop City’ case collapses as judge tosses Rico conspiracy charges

Two-year attempt to prosecute opponents of police training center on criminal conspiracy charges ends in failure

www.theguardian.com

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