Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Sam Libby

Lawrence Hurley @lawrencehurley.bsky.social · Sep 11

"This is a case about Katz and dogs" -- opening line of a pending SCOTUS cert. petition about an allegedly unconstitutional search involving a police dog.
www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/24...

5 22 150

Sam Libby @samlibby.bsky.social · Sep 9

Of course, I welcome any comments or further thoughts!

Sam Libby @samlibby.bsky.social · Sep 9

“The Case for Proactive Bar Sanctions to Combat the Next Big Lie,” 102 Texas L. Rev 1331 (2014), argues that the main failure belongs to state bar authorities for not acting proactively in high profile cases where the failure to sanction risks systemic degradation of the legal system

1 2

Reposted by Sam Libby

George Conway 🇺🇸🚫👑🐸 @gtconway.bsky.social · Aug 3

The statistical unlikelihood of this many Israelis agreeing on anything suggests something unusual is going on

George Conway 🇺🇸🚫👑🐸 @gtconway.bsky.social · Aug 3

22 180 880

Reposted by Sam Libby

The Times of Israel @timesofisrael.com · Jul 30

As Israel’s allies turn on it, here’s the least bad of the lousy options for ‘victory’ in Gaza https://www.timesofisrael.com/as-israels-allies-turn-on-it-heres-the-least-bad-of-the-lousy-options-for-victory-in-gaza/

As Israel’s allies turn on it, here’s the least bad of the lousy options for ‘victory’ in Gaza

The Netanyahu-led government is floundering militarily in Gaza and alienating the world and much of Israel and the Jewish diaspora with its approach to Gaza's noncombatants -- their food, their well-being, their future

www.timesofisrael.com

2 2

Reposted by Sam Libby

Yair Rosenberg @yair-rosenberg.bsky.social · Jul 29

Israel's far right wants to conquer and settle Gaza, expelling any Palestinians in the way. Benjamin Netanyahu wants to stay in power. I wrote about the corrupt political bargain that is prolonging Gaza's war and driving its hunger crisis, and all the decisions that led here. Gift link:

The Corrupt Bargain Behind Gaza’s Catastrophe

Israel’s far right wants to take over Gaza. Netanyahu wants to stay in power.

www.theatlantic.com

16 180 430

Reposted by Sam Libby

Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · Jul 29

“.. The news on Israel’s main TV channel had just finished a segment on how hunger in Gaza is portrayed around the world when the anchor looked up and said: ‘Maybe it’s finally time to acknowledge that this isn’t a public relations failure, but a moral one.’”

www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

48 430 1.6K

Reposted by Sam Libby

City Nolan @ndhapple.bsky.social · Jul 29

The hero cop: "36-year-old Didarul Islam, an immigrant from Bangladesh assigned to the 47th precinct in the Bronx, sources said. He is married with two children; his wife is pregnant, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said." -- www.nydailynews.com/2025/07/28/n...

Five killed, including NYPD officer, in shooting at Park Ave. skyscraper housing Blackstone, NFL

A police officer and three other people were killed after a gunman opened fire Monday evening at a Midtown Manhattan office building that houses The Blackstone Group and NFL headquarters, police sa…

www.nydailynews.com

2 13 56

Reposted by Sam Libby

Jack Jenkins @jackjenkins.me · Jul 28

INBOX: Union for Reform Judaism, Central Conference of American Rabbis & American Conference of Cantors issue a lengthy statement declaring:

"Starving Gazan civilians neither will bring Israel the 'total victory' over Hamas it seeks, nor can it be justified by Jewish values or humanitarian law."

Reform Jewish Movement Statement on Starvation in Gaza
July 27, 2025 - The ongoing crisis in Gaza is a devastating reminder of the immense human cost of war.
Nearly two years into Israel's war against Hamas, Israelis are still waiting for the return of their loved ones held hostage, and innocent Palestinians are caught in a mounting humanitarian catastrophe. Hamas has repeatedly demonstrated its willingness to sacrifice the Palestinian people in its pursuit of Israel's destruction, but Israel must not sacrifice its own moral standing in return. Neither escalating military pressure nor restricting humanitarian aid has brought Israel closer to securing a hostage deal or ending the war.
While long-delayed and not-yet-certain to be more effective than previous efforts, we are encouraged by Saturday night's announcement that the Israeli military would revive the practice of dropping aid from airplanes and make it easier for aid convoys, including those from the UN's World Food Program, to move through Gaza along "designated humanitarian corridors," and to temporarily cease fighting in Gaza for a humanitarian pause.
No one should be unaffected by the pervasive hunger experienced by thousands of Gazans. No one should spend the bulk of their time arguing technical definitions between starvation and pervasive hunger. The situation is dire, and it is deadly. Nor should we accept arguments that because Hamas is the primary reason many Gazans are either starving or on the verge of starving, that the Jewish State is not also culpable in this human disaster. The primary moral response must begin with anguished hearts in the face of such a large-scale human tragedy.
Our tradition teaches that all people are created b tzelem Elohim — in the image of God. One consequence of this is the moral priority, which is affirmed throughout the Bible and rabbinic tradition, of feeding the hungry
- both for the individual and for the self-governing Jewish community.
More than a few members of t…

Despite PM Netanyahu's calls to ignore these full members of his cabinet, their presence in this government has consistently morally compromised Israel's actions.
Starving Gazan civilians neither will bring Israel the "total victory" over Hamas it seeks, nor can it be justified by Jewish values or humanitarian law. It's hard to imagine that this tragic approach will bring home the 50 remaining hostages, including the 20 who we pray are still alive.
It's imperative that the Government of Israel ensures that the recently announced plans to deliver humanitarian aid succeed as Israel works with international partners to ensure its safe and sustained delivery and do whatever possible to reduce or eliminate the shootings and other injuries sustained at food distribution centers. We applaud Israel's green light for foreign nations to resume providing humanitarian aid to the Gaza population desperate for food and are confident that they will do all they can to ensure that such aid does not fall into the hands of Hamas.
As Israel has effective control of 70% of Gaza, with the intent to remain in significant swaths of it, even if only temporarily, it should be directly involved, facilitate and cooperate with the international community, international humanitarian NGOs, and regional friends, to take urgently needed actions, such as these suggested by Israeli Reform rabbi and Member of Knesset Gilad Kariv:
• To prevent the alarming number of civilian deaths in and around the food and humanitarian aid distribution sites.
• Opening a significant number of food distribution centers at various locations across the Gaza Strip.
• Large-scale entry of infant formula (especially liquid formula) and ensuring safe delivery to both functioning medical centers and the few remaining international aid facilities.
• Establishing secure methods - potentially through cooperation with regional countries - for delivering food supplies to aid organizations and international agencies.
• Resuming su…

Finally, while it is imperative that Israel and the U.S. resume diplomacy to bring home all hostages and end this war, denying basic humanitarian aid crosses a moral line. Blocking food, water, medicine, and power- especially for children- is indefensible. Let us not allow our grief to harden into indifference, nor our love for Israel to blind us to the cries of the vulnerable. Let us rise to the moral challenge of this moment.
Union for Reform Judaism
Shelley Niceley Groff (she/her)
North American Board Chair
Rabbi Rick Jacobs (he/him)
President
Central Conference of American Rabbis
Rabbi David A. Lyon (he/him)
President
Rabbi Hara Person (she/her)
Chief Executive Officer
American Conference of Cantors
Cantor Josh Breitzer (he/him)
President
Rachel Roth (she/her)
Chief Operating Officer

35 700 2.5K

Sam Libby @samlibby.bsky.social · Jul 26

I am a junior associate and can confirm that we are prohibited under firm policy from using AI

Raffi Melkonian @rmfifthcircuit.bsky.social · Jul 26

I’m not going to repost it here, but Andrew Yang is claiming on social media that a partner at a “prominent” law firm told him AI models are replacing 1st to 3rd year associates in litigation right now, and said this was true in briefing.

That is not true. /1

Reposted by Sam Libby

Brad Lander @bradlander.bsky.social · Jul 24

That’s esp true for those of us committed to the vision of Israel as a Jewish & democratic state.

It’s not easy to see a path forward toward that future, per @ezraklein.bsky.social

At the very least, it requires speaking up against mass starvation.
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/20/o...

Opinion | Why American Jews No Longer Understand One Another

www.nytimes.com

16 69 660

Sam Libby @samlibby.bsky.social · Jul 24

Do people know the racial and political makeup of Plano?

1 6

Reposted by Sam Libby

Hunter Walker @hunterw.bsky.social · Jul 19

This is truly not a normal way for the city's congressional delegation to handle a primary.

15 42 760

Reposted by Sam Libby

Thomas Frampton @tframpton.bsky.social · Jul 19

There’s a lot to do if/when we get past all *this*, but a requirement to run as a Democrat should be support for codifying Bivens.

(If federal officials deprive you of clearly established constitutional rights, you should have the same remedies as when Georgia or Utah officials do. Winning issue.)

9 82 350

Reposted by Sam Libby

Hunter Walker @hunterw.bsky.social · Jul 15

I wouldnt be surprised but I think a lot of this coverage and discussion has undersold how abnormal it is for all of this reluctance around the Dem nominee - and the Cuomo/Adams zombie campaigns. It's a bizarre situation.

Sam Libby @samlibby.bsky.social · Jul 15

Isn’t Jeffries holding out for their in-person meeting? Suppose we’ll wait and see after that

8 18 220

Sam Libby @samlibby.bsky.social · Jul 15

Dems in disarray is evergreen though

19

Sam Libby @samlibby.bsky.social · Jul 15

Isn’t Jeffries holding out for their in-person meeting? Suppose we’ll wait and see after that

4 15

Reposted by Sam Libby

Max Berger @maxberger.bsky.social · Jul 9

We simply cannot allow the world's most powerful antisemites to continue pretending they care about the safety or freedom of American Jews. They don't give a fuck about us, and no one should act like they do.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · Jul 9

Trump, who referred to bankers as "shylocks" a couple days ago, says Harvard "has been very bad. Totally antisemitic."

32 300 1.6K

Reposted by Sam Libby

Max Berger @maxberger.bsky.social · Jul 9

Now would be an incredibly good time for the Democratic Party (or someone like AOC or Raskin) to call for a boycott of X on the grounds of fighting antisemitism.

220 1.6K 10K

Reposted by Sam Libby

Ryan Goodman @rgoodlaw.bsky.social · Jul 7

Brilliant piece.

Great storytelling of a key moment in American history

When the trustees of Dartmouth showed the will to resist a government attempt to control and coerce the college.

Direct lessons for #Harvard today

By Bruce Swartz

Image is Daniel Webster arguing Dartmouth case before SCOTUS

Will to Resist: What Dartmouth Teaches Harvard About Protecting American Freedom

An essay on Harvard v Trump and the landmark case when Dartmouth College Trustees fought government coercion to the Supreme Court.

www.justsecurity.org

8 160 450

Reposted by Sam Libby

NY Times Pitchbot @nytpitchbot.bsky.social · Jul 1

Opinion | Yes, I voted for Trump’s megabill despite knowing it will harm my constituents. But if I hadn’t, I’d be primaried by someone who’d vote just like me but not give anti-Trump comments on background to The Times.

27 400 2.4K

Reposted by Sam Libby

Zohran Kwame Mamdani @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social · Jul 1

My statement on Donald Trump's threat to deport me and his praise for Eric Adams, who the President "helped out" of legal accountability.

The President of the United States just threatened to have me arrested, stripped of my citizenship, put in a detention camp and deported. Not because I have broken any law but because I will refuse to let ICE terrorize our city.

His statements don’t just represent an attack on our democracy but an attempt to send a message to every New Yorker who refuses to hide in the shadows: if you speak up, they will come for you. We will not accept this intimidation.

That Trump included praise for Eric Adams in his authoritarian threats is unsurprising, but highlights the urgency of bringing an end to this Mayor’s time in City Hall. At the very moment when MAGA Republicans are attempting to destroy the social safety net, kick millions of New Yorkers off of healthcare and enrich their billionaire donors at the expense of working families, it is a scandal that Eric Adams echoes this President’s division, distraction and hate.

Voters will resoundingly reject it in November.

840 9.4K 32K

Reposted by Sam Libby

Mark Joseph Stern @mjsdc.bsky.social · Jun 28

It is possible to praise yesterday’s decision IF you assume the Supreme Court is acting in good faith and will apply rules equally to presidents from both parties. I think recent history refutes that assumption and shows that the court applies different standards depending on a president’s party.

10 35 380

Reposted by Sam Libby

Jamal Greene @jamalgreene.bsky.social · Jun 27

If the Supreme Court thinks universal injunctions are unconstitutional, to wait until *now* to say that, in this of all cases, with this of all presidents, is a devastating indictment of both its impartiality and its prudence.

420 4.7K 19K

Reposted by Sam Libby

Sam Bagenstos @sbagen.bsky.social · Jun 27

And Alito's concurrence is giving the dissenters more reason to worry on this point.

Sam Libby @samlibby.bsky.social · Jun 27

Rule 23(b)(2) class actions may be the procedurally proper way to achieve complete, nationwide relief. But the underlying premise is that the Court will apply the Rule 23(a) factors evenhandedly. The dissenters are furious because repeatedly, the Court has not done so

Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · Jun 27

It's bad, but thankfully not THAT bad. Class actions remain available (although have their own problems/limitations), and the Court defers on whether an injunction with a nationwide scope may be appropriate to grant to a state in some circumstances, like with the birthright citizenship order here.

1 7 25