Robert Richards
rrichard09.bsky.social
Robert Richards
@rrichard09.bsky.social

I study how people talk about politics and law and participate in governing their communities. Opinions expressed here are mine alone, not those of my employers or institutions.
https://rcrjr.wordpress.com

Political science 19%
Environmental science 17%

The best reading of this article: Trump is going to use FDA to restrict medication abortion, but he wants to wait until after the midterms so the Republicans don't experience blowback. But that just makes the midterms more important. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
FDA Slow Walking a Long-Awaited Abortion Pill Safety Study
The Food and Drug Administration has delayed a promised review of safety data for the abortion drug mifepristone at Commissioner Marty Makary’s request to put it off until after the midterm elections,...
www.bloomberg.com

Reposted by Robert C. Richards

Quite an announcement video from @crockett.house.gov www.youtube.com/watch?time_c...
Jasmine for Texas
YouTube video by Jasmine Crockett
www.youtube.com

Reposted by Robert C. Richards

Tomorrow at 3:00 House and Senate Democrats will be holding a "shadow hearing" on the detention of U.S. citizens. I'll be there testifying about the broader policy changes which led us to this moment.

/my name isn't in this press release but I'll be there! www.blumenthal.senate.gov/newsroom/pre...
Blumenthal & Robert Garcia to Hold Forum to Receive Testimony from Five U.S. Citizens Assaulted, Illegally Detained by DHS | U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut
[WASHINGTON, DC] – On Tuesday, December 9, 2025 at 3 PM ET in 216 Hart Senate Office Building in Washington, DC, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal...
www.blumenthal.senate.gov
Hey folks 👋 I'm the reporter who revealed immigration agents detained 170+ citizens this year

My fellowship w/ProPublica has been incredible, but it wraps January. I'm looking for my next gig. Please reach out to share leads & opportunities! [email protected]
www.propublica.org/people/nicol...
Nicole Foy
ProPublica is an independent, non-profit newsroom that produces investigative journalism in the public interest.
www.propublica.org
Trump says Lisa Cook is unfit to be a Fed governor because she claimed two different properties as her primary residence on her mortgage applications. (Cook denies this.)

Trump did the exact same thing on mortgage applications submitted a mere 7 weeks apart.

www.propublica.org/article/trum...
"Our analysis shows that in the aftermath of extreme weather events, lower-income neighbourhoods are less likely to rebuild and do not return to their pre-disaster state, whereas higher-income areas rebuild and tend to improve...highlighting increasing disparities in their built environments."
Yesterday, I held a music festival in my district to register voters and speak directly to young people who don’t usually attend political events. 4,500 tickets. Music + advocacy go hand in hand. Madsoul Festival 2025 was a success.

Reposted by Robert C. Richards

ACLU @aclu.org · 1d
Listen to the latest episode of our podcast, At Liberty, where our People Power volunteers discuss how you can show up for immigrants' rights in your community.
Where Everybody Knows Your Rights | American Civil Liberties Union
This week, we’re showing thanks to everyone who's stepping up for our collective civil liberties, with a People Power potluck! And we’ve got a seat at the table for you. Our guest of honor is Maribel ...
www.aclu.org

I’m so sorry for your loss. Much comfort to you and your family
Here's a short piece I wrote to explain to smart laypersons what the birthright citizenship clause is for and why it's in the Fourteenth Amendment. Excerpted from my forthcoming book. Ungated:
History Shows Why Birthright Citizenship is so Important
The 14th Amendment aimed to overturn restrictive state laws while making the Constitution more inclusive.
time.com
During ratification of the 14th Amendment, senators discussed whether the Citizenship Clause would apply to the children of immigrants and resoundingly concluded that it did. The text and history all point in one direction and the counter-arguments are patently fraudulent. I am going to lose my mind
The evidence is the text. All you have to do is read the Constitution.
bad actors like wurman are why i think it is important to place the birthright clause in the full context of section 1 and section 1 in the context of both dred scott and the two decades of antislavery and abolitionist agitation and political thinking that proceeded it
The evidence is the text. All you have to do is read the Constitution.
Early morning prayer service at Delaney Hall ICE Detention, Newark. This mom of detainee Carlos David - picked up by ICE this week buying supplies at Home Depot - movingly came forward to thank those speaking out against the injustice which has now come for her family.
The evidence is the text. All you have to do is read the Constitution.

Reposted by Robert C. Richards

“It’s a crime to be a Latino right now in New Orleans,” he said. “I can be arrested just because of my face.”
In New Orleans, a sanctuary city's policies are being tested in a state that supports immigration enforcement
Louisiana’s top officials welcome federal immigration enforcement efforts, even as officials in the state’s largest city have expressed an unwillingness to aid them.
www.nbcnews.com

Reposted by Robert C. Richards

For policymakers, lawmakers, commentators and the public:

We provide a detailed review of the international law relevant to lethal operations against suspected drug boats

I teamed up with @mikeschmitt.bsky.social and @tessbridgeman.bsky.social
Operation Southern Spear: Why the Crews, Drugs, and Boats are Not Targetable
A deep dive on the international law applicable to the U.S. military's lethal operations against suspected drug boats
www.justsecurity.org

Reposted by Robert C. Richards

There are several academics, not Anthony, who jumped into this research area AFTER Trump issued his EO on birthright, had never/rarely written in the area. For what ends? To try to create a constitutional controversy where there is none. Framers' intent, text, doctrinal development are clear.
Anyone who knows this history should know there’s no contested issue.
"Bradley told lawmakers that the orders he received from Hegseth were to kill the individuals on the approved target list, which included everyone on the boat, then destroy the drugs and sink the boat, those sources said."

They were civilians.
Admiral told lawmakers everyone on alleged drug boat was on a list of military targets
Adm. Frank Bradley said U.S. intelligence had identified the 11 people on the boat and determined the military was authorized to kill them as part of Trump’s campaign against alleged drug-smuggling ve...
www.nbcnews.com

Reposted by Robert C. Richards

Notably, the judge rules that the government likely violated Richman's Fourth Amendment rights by digging around through his data as part of the effort to build a case against Comey

Reposted by Robert C. Richards

We’ve reached the point in this crisis where comrades from out of state are shipping us packages of thousands of whistles to distribute.

Know that when we win here- we’ll return that favor for the next city. Just as Chicago has taught us.

We are all in this together.

Reposted by Robert C. Richards

North Carolina-based graffiti artist JEKS ONE is known for his hyper-realistic portraiture & mastery of spray paint.

(Check comments for a different view of how this mural looks on the street).

#StreetArt #murals #WallMural #mural #art #artist

Reposted by Robert C. Richards

Must-read review of the CDC ACIP meeting by @doritreiss.bsky.social 👇

"These people make decisions that impact people’s lives. Given that, the members’ lack of expertise, incompetence, and blatant anti-vaccine biases were dismaying"

www.statnews.com/2025/12/06/a... via @statnews.com
RFK Jr.’s vaccine advisory panel is beset by incompetence, bias, and procedural chaos
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices' (ACIP) meetings used to be a geek’s dream: hours of long, maybe dreary presentation of extensive data
www.statnews.com
It's the 160th anniversary of the United States' refounding, the ratification of the 13th Amendment.
“Traumatized, humiliated, degraded.”

The nurse, a US citizen, 4’11”, 85 lbs, says she was following orders when she was dragged out of her car by masked immigration agents in Florida.

It was the 3rd time she had been stopped and told to produce ID.

Free link ⤵️
www.miamiherald.com/news/local/i...
Exclusive: Woman detained by feds in Keys says she was following agents’ orders
“This is not the America that I grew up in, and this is not the America that we represent.”
www.miamiherald.com
It happened again: The Trump administration has admitted illegally deporting a man to Guatemala despite an immigration judge's order that he was likely to be tortured there.

A judge has ordered the administration to facilitate his return by next week.storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

Reposted by Robert C. Richards

So nice to have @noellecook.com's book out in the world! It's a helpful contribution to understanding white women's involvement not just in Jan 6th but also in radicalization more broadly. I was lucky to see this project as it was first coalescing, and I'm excited for other people to see it now, too

Reposted by Robert C. Richards

I joined the Baltimore Regional Housing Partnership for a discussion about housing in our state.

No matter where I go – everyone is concerned about affordable housing.

That's why I'm working to make home ownership a reality for more Marylanders and to lower the cost of rent.

Reposted by Robert C. Richards

A man pardoned by Trump for his role in the Jan. 6Capitol attack returned to Washington in recent days and has been wandering the neighborhood of Rep. Jamie Raskin — alarming police and prosecutors, who urged a judge to immediately jail him. www.politico.com/news/2025/12...
Justice Department urges judge to jail former Jan. 6 defendant after alarming return to DC
Taylor Taranto is the latest Jan. 6 defendant who was pardoned by Trump to face new legal trouble.
www.politico.com