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Tyler McBrien

@tylermcbrien.com

19K followers 1.2K following 670 posts

Managing Editor at Lawfare @lawfaremedia.org Signal - tylermcbrien.97 Writing in the New York Times, The Atlantic, Washington Post, Slate, Mother Jones, Foreign Policy, The New Republic, the Los Angeles Review of Books, and more: www.tylermcbrien.com

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Tyler McBrien @tylermcbrien.com · Aug 13

For @thebaffler.com I wrote about how the hollow-point bullet went from humanitarian's lament to the round of choice for U.S. police.

The history shows how police militarization works like a reverse ratchet—unleashing is easy, but putting the restraint back on is much harder.

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Tyler McBrien @tylermcbrien.com · 10h

New profile banner image when?

Tyler McBrien @tylermcbrien.com · 10h

INBOX: National Bar Association President Ashley L. Upkins calls the charges against New York Attorney General Letitia James “unjust and dangerous” and a representation of "the continued weaponization of our nation’s justice system for political gain."

Full statement below:

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Tyler McBrien @tylermcbrien.com · 10h

It's pretty clear that the Trump administration doesn't respect the sovereignty of African countries and views most of the continent as little more than a dumping ground for U.S. immigrants and other populations it sees as undesirable.

Anna Bower @annabower.bsky.social · 15h

ICE official testifies that DHS “prematurely” sent Abrego Garcia a notice that he would be removed to Ghana.

Just this morning, Ghana’s foreign minister wrote on X that the country had “directly and unambiguously conveyed to US authorities” that Abrego cannot be deported there.

Sam Okudzeto Ablakwa &
@S
_OkudzetoAblak
X.com
Ghana is not accepting Abrego Garcia.
He cannot be deported to Ghana.
This has been directly and unambiguously conveyed to US authorities.
In my interactions with US officials, I made clear that our understanding to accept a limited number of non-criminal West Africans, purely on the grounds of African solidarity and humanitarian principles would not be expanded.
Ghana strongly objects to these misleading media reports.

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Tyler McBrien @tylermcbrien.com · 17h

SOON: for @lawfaremedia.org, @rparloff.bsky.social is live-blogging Kilmar Abrego Garcia's 11am EDT hearing in his civil (habeas corpus) case in Greenbelt, Maryland, where he is seeking release from detention under a SCOTUS precedent called Zadvydas v Davis

Follow along in about 50 minutes ⬇️

Roger Parloff @rparloff.bsky.social · 17h

At 11am I will try to live-blog, for @lawfaremedia.org , the hearing in Abrego Garcia’s civil (habeas corpus) case in federal court in Greenbelt MD. Abrego is seeking release from detention under a SCOTUS precedent called Zadvydas v Davis (2001). ...
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tile.loc.gov/storage-serv...

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Tyler McBrien @tylermcbrien.com · 3d

I hereby apologize to my esteemed guest, Professor @philippesands.bsky.social KC FRSL Hon FBA, for referring to him as "the Forrest Gump of international law" not once but several times during this otherwise wonderful @lawfaremedia.org podcast conversation on his new book 38 LONDRES STREET.

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Anna Hickey @annahickey.bsky.social · 3d

There's an overwhelming amount of litigation surrounding the Trump administration so over at @lawfaremedia.org we have tried to make it easier to parse it. You can find district court, appellate level, and SCOTUS cases all in one place!

Check it out ⬇️

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Tyler McBrien @tylermcbrien.com · 3d

Jokes aside, this was a fascinating conversation about an incredible book — the U.S. edition of which is out today!

Listen to our episode on #38LONDRESSTREET: On Impunity, Pinochet in England, and a Nazi in Patagonia here (or wherever you get your podcasts): www.lawfaremedia.org/article/lawf...

Lawfare Daily: ‘38 Londres Street,’ Impunity, and Immunity with Philippe Sands

How did Pinochet's arrest impact international criminal law?

www.lawfaremedia.org

Tyler McBrien @tylermcbrien.com · 3d

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Tyler McBrien @tylermcbrien.com · 4d

Still very much happening…

Tyler McBrien @tylermcbrien.com · 4d

Just wanted to let everyone know this is still happening…

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Tyler McBrien @tylermcbrien.com · 7d

POV you’re meeting the new refugees who were just resettled in your small American town

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Tyler McBrien @tylermcbrien.com · 7d

ICYMI: This week, Sen. Blumenthal (D-CT) and Rep. Goldman (D-NY) intro'd the PREVENTING POLITICAL PROSECUTIONS ACT which would enact grand jury reforms, create right of action agnst officials who engage in political prosecution, prohibit WH-DOJ instruction, and more, per Blumenthal's office.

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Roger Parloff @rparloff.bsky.social · 7d

I'll be trying to live-blog the 1pm ET hearing in Oregon v Trump for @lawfaremedia.org , filling in for @annabower.bsky.social (who is listening but driving). Oregon & Portland are seeking a TRO to block deployment of 200 national guard troops Secy Hegseth ordered sent on 9/28. ...
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southpaw @nycsouthpaw.bsky.social · 8d

I love when student journalists break a crazy story, especially about their own school. This one is extraordinarily macabre. www.uscannenbergmedia.com/2025/10/01/u...

USC sold dead bodies to U.S. military to train IDF medical personnel

A review of seven years’ worth of contracts unveiled more than $860,000 to use cadavers in surgical trainings involving the Israeli Defense Forces.

www.uscannenbergmedia.com

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Tyler McBrien @tylermcbrien.com · 8d

ok ❤️ yay ❤️

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Tyler McBrien @tylermcbrien.com · 8d

(grateful for friends like @qjurecic.bsky.social)

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Tyler McBrien @tylermcbrien.com · 8d

ok ❤️ yay ❤️

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Michael Feinberg @michael-feinberg.bsky.social · 9d

If a Hatch Act violation takes place in a forest, but the Office of Special Counsel is vacant, did the violation actually occur?

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Tyler McBrien @tylermcbrien.com · 9d

(above h/t @jakemgrumbach.bsky.social)

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Tyler McBrien @tylermcbrien.com · 9d

It's official: RIP X (née Twitter) 2006-2025

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Anna Bower @annabower.bsky.social · 10d

Lindsey Halligan, the attorney selected by Donald Trump to bring criminal charges against James Comey, has never prosecuted a case.

But, like Trump, she did get her start in reality TV — with a brief cameo on South Beach Tow.

Here is Halligan’s newly resurfaced TV moment:

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Tyler McBrien @tylermcbrien.com · 10d

hi, federal judge expert here! this is not funny. conservative, Reagan-appointed district judges only use epistolary framing devices in their opinions when they are in extreme distress.

Quinta Jurecic @qjurecic.bsky.social · 10d

the postcard cited in judge young's ruling isn't just at the top, it's a framing device. the whole opinion is a letter to the postcard writer. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

Post card dated June 19, 2025
(On file in Chambers) TRUMP HAS PARDONS AND TANKS ... WHAT DO YOU HAVE?
Dear Mr. or Ms. Anonymous,
Alone, I have nothing but my
sense of duty.
Together, We the People of the
United States –- you and me --
have our magnificent Constitution.
Here’s how that works out in a
specific case –-
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
DISTRICT OF MASSACHUSETTS

I hope you found this
helpful. Thanks for writing.
It shows you care. You
should.

Sincerely & respectfully,
Bill Young

P.S. The next time you’re in
Boston [the postmark on the card
is from the Philadelphia area]
stop in at the Courthouse and
watch your fellow citizens, sitting
as jurors, reach out for justice.
It is here, and in courthouses
just like this one, both state and
federal, spread throughout our land
that our Constitution is most vibrantly
alive, for it is well said that “Where a
jury sits, there burns the lamp of
liberty.”

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Tyler McBrien @tylermcbrien.com · 10d

The ultimate "this could have been an email"

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Lawfare @lawfaremedia.org · 11d

Unless the Senate acts, the government will shut down midnight on Wednesday.

@nicholasbednar.bsky.social evaluates OMB Director Russ Vought's plan to use this shutdown as a springboard for permanent federal workforce cuts.

Reductions in Force During Shutdowns

The Trump administration plans to use the pending shutdown as justification for additional RIFs.

www.lawfaremedia.org

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Tyler McBrien @tylermcbrien.com · 11d

This is happening in 10 minutes, don't miss it ⬇️⬇️⬇️

@klonick.bsky.social will sit down with @benjaminwittes.lawfaremedia.org, @annabower.bsky.social, and Bob Bauer to discuss the Trump administration's politicization of the Justice Department and the indictment of former FBI Director James Comey.

Lawfare @lawfaremedia.org · 11d

Today at 2pm ET, @klonick.bsky.social will sit down with @benjaminwittes.lawfaremedia.org, @annabower.bsky.social, and Bob Bauer to discuss the Trump administration's politicization of the Justice Department and the indictment of former FBI Director James Comey.

Tune in on Substack or YouTube!

LIVE SOON: Lawfare Live, the Day After: The Justice Department as a Political Weapon

Starting Sep 29 at 2:00 PM EDT

open.substack.com

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