Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Susan E. Seager

Freedom of the Press Foundation @freedom.press · 4d

Great to see Chicago news outlets and press orgs stand up against ICE's violent and unconstitutional rampage against journalists and protesters.

unraveled @unraveledpress.com · 4d

Well, yeah, we're suing ICE.

This wasn't really a hard decision. As little faith as we have in institutions, we recognize the value of drawing visible lines in the sand. We drew ours personally a while ago, but better late than never.

May every protester be freed and may this occupation end.

23 80

Susan E. Seager @susanseager.bsky.social · 3d

chicago.suntimes.com/news/2025/10...

Attorney for woman shot by Border Patrol claims officer said 'Do something b----' before shooting

Body-camera video appears to contradict the government's claim that Marimar Martinez, 30, drove toward officers before one of them opened fire at her late Saturday morning in Brighton Park, her attorn...

chicago.suntimes.com

1 1

Susan E. Seager @susanseager.bsky.social · 4d

Yes!

Jose Pagliery @josepagliery.bsky.social · 4d

Democracy Forward just sued the DOJ for undercover FBI videotapes that would show Trump's border czar, Tom Homan, accepting a $50k bribe to steer government contracts.

Susan E. Seager @susanseager.bsky.social · 5d

Gee, I wonder how the Opus Dei Court will rule? Dear reader, we already know the GOP bloc is all in for their King.

Supreme Court will be forced to grapple with Trump in new term

Reposted by Susan E. Seager

Philip N Cohen @philipncohen.com · 6d

Chemerinsky: The Trump extortion demands are unconstitutional as well as odious (gift link). Me: Any school that signs must be shunned, faculty affected must walk. No room for this.

Opinion | Trump’s ‘Compact’ With Universities Is Just Extortion

www.nytimes.com

5 80 330

Susan E. Seager @susanseager.bsky.social · 13d

I am a law professor who fully supports expanding the Supreme Court. The GOP majority on the court is Lawless. They will rule that Trump is entitled to a third term and they will gut birthright citizenship based on no law at all.

Josh Marshall @joshtpm.bsky.social · 13d

5/ It's a very secondary matter. But this is also something all law professors and people in legal academia generally need to reckon with. Over the last three or four years there's been a growing number of law profs who've been forced to reckon with the current majority's extreme corruption ...

1

Susan E. Seager @susanseager.bsky.social · 13d

I am a law a professor who fully supports expanding the court. The GOP majority on the court is Lawless.

1 4

Reposted by Susan E. Seager

Drew Harwell @drewharwell.com · 16d

Response from @karenattiah.bsky.social counsel, @normeisen.bsky.social et al, at @democracydefendersfund.org:

"She did precisely the job you hired her to do as an opinion writer ... She spoke truthfully and forcefully about ... difficult truths at a challenging time"

3 48 160

Susan E. Seager @susanseager.bsky.social · 18d

morningtrojan.com/p/willow-bay...
Go Professor Al Mittelstaedt!

Opinion: USC's Willow Bay must break her silence on Kimmel

A few ideas for our dean once she breaks her silence on her husband suspending Jimmy Kimmel.

morningtrojan.com

1 1

Susan E. Seager @susanseager.bsky.social · 19d

Watchdogs say new L.A. County rule is an attempt to muzzle criticism

So I heard today this rule, which violated the First Amendment, was never adopted by the LA Board of Supervisors, but you would never know it from the LA Times article. And now I hear the rule is dead. No censorship in LA!

Susan E. Seager @susanseager.bsky.social · 19d

Fixed it for you @nytimes.com

2 7

Susan E. Seager @susanseager.bsky.social · 21d

Should we tell Disney about these cases?

Jean-Paul (JP) Jassy @jpjassy.bsky.social · 21d

Key Supreme Court First Amendment cases to know today:

The government may not:

-suppress speech with a “threat of invoking legal sanctions and other means of coercion.” Bantam Books v. Sullivan (1963)

-“attempt to coerce private parties in order to punish or suppress” speech. NRA v. Vullo (2024)

Susan E. Seager @susanseager.bsky.social · 21d

Protester found not guilty of assault despite top Border Patrol official’s testimony

Jurors said feds had zero hard evidence of assault!

1

Susan E. Seager @susanseager.bsky.social · 21d

Judge strikes down Trump’s $15 billion suit against the New York Times

That was fast! Trump can still file an amended lawsuit, and he surely will. But this is still a great sign that the @nytimes.com is fighting Trump’s BS lawsuit hard and fast!

Susan E. Seager @susanseager.bsky.social · 24d

Inspiring story of a lawyer’s persistence in fighting ICE’s attempted illegal nighttime deportations of Guatemalan children.

Anna Bower @annabower.bsky.social · Sep 10

As grim as this story may be, there's still much to be inspired by.

Look no further than this attorney for the children, who rushed to the airport to stop the planes. She stood near the tarmac, warning any officials she saw that they’d be complicit in violating a court order if the planes took off.

https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/the-judicial-learning-curve

Armed with Judge Sooknanan's restraining order, Flores arrived at the airport to search for A.R.M.D. and others. On the tarmac, she saw two ICE transport planes, their doors sealed shut. Nearby, she spotted a building and knocked on the door. Through the glass, she could see officers seated inside. Eventually, a young man answered the door. Flores explained that she had clients on one of the planes and a court order to stop it from leaving.
While the young man disappeared inside the building to find his supervisor, Flores waited next to the door. She told anyone who entered or exited the building that they "were all complicit in violating a federal court order" if the plane left with her clients aboard.
Eventually, when the young man returned, he told Flores that his supervisor was trying to contact ICE. But as Flores again tried to explain that she had a court order, another official stepped outside and
"physically pulled the young man back into the building." Through the glass, she saw staff members "jeering and laughing." She repeated her earlier warning: If the plane carrying her clients took off, they were "all complicit in the violation of the judge's order."

Susan E. Seager @susanseager.bsky.social · 26d

I fear that is the point.

1

Susan E. Seager @susanseager.bsky.social · Sep 5

Gaza movie ‘The Voice of Hind Rajab’ devastates Venice audiences.
Maybe art (a kind of documentary film), can move the needle on the genocide in Gaza.

2

Susan E. Seager @susanseager.bsky.social · Aug 18

www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...

I’m quoted in The New Yorker as saying Trump is still a “libel loser” because he’s now cheating to win by unethically using the power of the presidency to bully corporate media owners into settling cases that would’ve been tossed by the courts if not settled.

How Much Is Trump Profiting Off the Presidency?

A comprehensive estimate of how much Trump and his family are making, from hotel mega-deals to crypto schemes, has been elusive—until now.

www.newyorker.com

1 2

Susan E. Seager @susanseager.bsky.social · Aug 16

Excellent court decision ordering Trump’s FTC to stop harassing Media Matters; FTC’s demand for MM’s internal documents is illegal retaliation against MM’s First Amendment rights to speech/news gathering about Nazi speech on X; FTC & state AGs illegally using gov’t power to punish Elon Musk’s enemy.

Tom Joscelyn @tomjoscelyn.bsky.social · Aug 15

Wow: this decision in favor of Media Matters includes all sorts of key details concerning the Trump admin’s coordinated assault on the First Amendment.

For example: Steven Miller “seemingly” ordered Attorneys General in Missouri and Texas to go after MM.

storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

storage.courtlistener.com

2

Susan E. Seager @susanseager.bsky.social · Aug 15

Our legal team repping LA Press Club and Status Coup is asking the court to find the City of LA in contempt for violating the TRO banning LAPD from using force against reporters covering anti-ICE protests, including fracturing rib of @acatwithnews.bsky.social

Adam Rose @adamrose.bsky.social · Aug 15

Sean’s request for a PIO or supervisor is required by a judge’s temporary restraining order against LAPD.

He’s literally saying the word “TRO” when LAPD breaks his rib.

Yesterday @lapressclub.bsky.social filed a contempt motion. Today LAPD lawyers opposed it.

Let’s see what the judge says …

Sean Beckner-Carmitchel @acatwithnews.bsky.social · Aug 15

Hi everyone! I’ve unfortunately been diagnosed with a likely rib fracture from the hospital. Likely it occurred on Friday, August 8 during a protest where I was in the middle of asking for a PIO/supervisor.

As is clear in the video, I waited for a moment for a break in the line moving forward.

1 44 170

Susan E. Seager @susanseager.bsky.social · Jun 28

Totally agree. If the Court upholds voting rights, GOP can’t win.

Susan E. Seager @susanseager.bsky.social · Jun 26

Prediction: The Supreme Court will throw out birthright citizenship. I hope I’m wrong.

1 1

Susan E. Seager @susanseager.bsky.social · Jun 26

Publishers are far too cowardly and make authors get permission to quote a few lines of copyrighted works. You were right and your argument about fair use was spot on.

Elizabeth Kolbert @elizkolbert.bsky.social · Jun 26

I once had a fight with my publisher's lawyer over what constitutes "fair use." He said reprinting 4 lines of a poem without the poet's explicit permission was too much. But AI gobbling up whole books now counts as "fair use." Something is definitely wrong with US copyright law.

Federal court says copyrighted books are fair use for AI training

Anthropic didn’t break the law when it trained its chatbot with copyrighted books, a judge said, but it must go to trial for allegedly using pirated books.

wapo.st

1

Susan E. Seager @susanseager.bsky.social · Jun 16

We sued LAPD today for illegal violence against journalists. Los Angeles Press Club v City of LA. Lead counsel is the irrepressible Carol Sobel!

Professor Amanda Sturgill @drsturg.bsky.social · Jun 13

2. Also this ... helpful? ... graphic from the NYT.

Photo showing the uniform and weaponry of an LAPD Officer, an LA County Sheriff's deputy and a national guard member. There is no photo of a Marine included.

Susan E. Seager @susanseager.bsky.social · Jun 16

Let’s go! LAPD must stop shooting reporters!

1