Walter Olson
@walterolson.bsky.social
Writer on law etc.; Cato Institute. Election law, Maryland civic stuff, cooking. Blogged at Overlawyered back when. No kings, no tyrants.
Reposted by Walter Olson
who the fuck WANTS their posts to go viral, have you ever had that actually happen? it's like getting a winning pull on a slot machine if wasps started pouring out the bottom instead of quarters
January 19, 2026 at 11:48 PM
who the fuck WANTS their posts to go viral, have you ever had that actually happen? it's like getting a winning pull on a slot machine if wasps started pouring out the bottom instead of quarters
Thread is so wild it's hard to believe it's real.
I just woke up from a nap and somehow while I was asleep, everyone on the bus has figured out we are not going to the right place
January 20, 2026 at 5:05 AM
Thread is so wild it's hard to believe it's real.
"This is wrong. And every American whose capacity for moral judgment has not been addled by partisan derangement should recognize it....Probable cause, rights of accused, the need for search warrants, due process of any kind—ICE is proceeding as if such restrictions on gov't power no longer exist."
ICE Is Imposing Autocracy in Minnesota
The state has become Trump's most radical experiment with militarized government.
www.persuasion.community
January 20, 2026 at 4:15 AM
"This is wrong. And every American whose capacity for moral judgment has not been addled by partisan derangement should recognize it....Probable cause, rights of accused, the need for search warrants, due process of any kind—ICE is proceeding as if such restrictions on gov't power no longer exist."
A social media acquaintance shared a news story about some anti-ICE demonstrators who invaded private property and violated the rights of third parties and added, "So much for the non-violent resistance." Here's what I wrote in response.
January 20, 2026 at 4:02 AM
A social media acquaintance shared a news story about some anti-ICE demonstrators who invaded private property and violated the rights of third parties and added, "So much for the non-violent resistance." Here's what I wrote in response.
Former judges Luttig and Gertner, from right and left respectively, agree in diagnosing a low-key crisis: not only are the President and his lawyers trashing judges in public statements and behaving contemptuously toward judges in person, they're also telling baldfaced lies in court [David Post]
Lying Lawyers
An alarming compendium of DOJ misrepresentations and falsehoods
reason.com
January 20, 2026 at 3:25 AM
Former judges Luttig and Gertner, from right and left respectively, agree in diagnosing a low-key crisis: not only are the President and his lawyers trashing judges in public statements and behaving contemptuously toward judges in person, they're also telling baldfaced lies in court [David Post]
Reposted by Walter Olson
Donald Trump has hollowed out and repurposed the Justice Department as a vehicle for culture war belligerence and as an instrument for political retribution.
Please read (and share widely) @rosenzweigp.bsky.social's new @theunpopulist.net piece on the DOJ's decimation.
Please read (and share widely) @rosenzweigp.bsky.social's new @theunpopulist.net piece on the DOJ's decimation.
Trump Has Hollowed, Weaponized, and Perverted the Department of Justice
Its Civil Rights Division is now protecting gun owners instead of disadvantaged minorities facing discrimination
www.theunpopulist.net
January 19, 2026 at 9:12 PM
Donald Trump has hollowed out and repurposed the Justice Department as a vehicle for culture war belligerence and as an instrument for political retribution.
Please read (and share widely) @rosenzweigp.bsky.social's new @theunpopulist.net piece on the DOJ's decimation.
Please read (and share widely) @rosenzweigp.bsky.social's new @theunpopulist.net piece on the DOJ's decimation.
Reposted by Walter Olson
It’s come to this: “Catholic members of the US armed forces could in good conscience consider disobeying orders to attack Greenland if such orders were issued, according to Archbishop Timothy Broglio, the bishop responsible for the pastoral care of US military personnel.”
Military archbishop: Troops could refuse orders on Greenland
Speaking to Britain's Sunday program on BBC, Archbishop Timothy Broglio reiterated that conscience could permit refusal of an unjust military order.
aleteia.org
January 20, 2026 at 1:24 AM
It’s come to this: “Catholic members of the US armed forces could in good conscience consider disobeying orders to attack Greenland if such orders were issued, according to Archbishop Timothy Broglio, the bishop responsible for the pastoral care of US military personnel.”
North African spicy tripe and chickpea stew via Claudia Roden. Flavors include caraway, coriander, cinnamon, paprika, and lemon. Rumba tripe and chickpeas from @ranchogordo.bsky.social. #FoodSky #BlueskySupperClub
January 20, 2026 at 2:19 AM
North African spicy tripe and chickpea stew via Claudia Roden. Flavors include caraway, coriander, cinnamon, paprika, and lemon. Rumba tripe and chickpeas from @ranchogordo.bsky.social. #FoodSky #BlueskySupperClub
Reposted by Walter Olson
DHS is out with a new explanation of this and "he's a brown guy who looked like some sex criminals who he allegedly lived with" (his sister-in-law's story suggests that last part is made up), and they claim he refused to be fingerprinted or "facially ID'd," which I do not in any way believe at all.
January 19, 2026 at 7:09 PM
DHS is out with a new explanation of this and "he's a brown guy who looked like some sex criminals who he allegedly lived with" (his sister-in-law's story suggests that last part is made up), and they claim he refused to be fingerprinted or "facially ID'd," which I do not in any way believe at all.
“They just kept repeating, we don't do attorney visitation.”
"Thousands of people have been arrested during ICE operations in Minneapolis over the past two weeks. Multiple attorneys allege that for some of those detained, including at least one U.S. citizen, the Department of Homeland Security is denying their constitutional right to see an attorney."
Lawyers allege Dept. of Homeland Security is denying legal counsel to Minnesota detainees
Four attorneys told ABC News they have been denied access to their clients at the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis, where they are being held.
abcnews.go.com
January 19, 2026 at 8:54 PM
“They just kept repeating, we don't do attorney visitation.”
Reposted by Walter Olson
If protesters were getting paid, there's be a massive chain of solicitations, emails that would easily prove the case. There is none
Any TV interviewer needs to demand proof when this claim is made and end the interview when it's not provided
Any TV interviewer needs to demand proof when this claim is made and end the interview when it's not provided
Rep. Byron Donalds: "These agitators -- who by the way are paid, folks. America, they are paid to do this kind of mess."
January 19, 2026 at 3:41 PM
If protesters were getting paid, there's be a massive chain of solicitations, emails that would easily prove the case. There is none
Any TV interviewer needs to demand proof when this claim is made and end the interview when it's not provided
Any TV interviewer needs to demand proof when this claim is made and end the interview when it's not provided
Nostalgic Seventies-style creamed chicken curry with little bowls of coconut shreds and peanuts to sprinkle on. No raisins, though. #foodsky #BlueskySupperClub
January 19, 2026 at 5:59 PM
Nostalgic Seventies-style creamed chicken curry with little bowls of coconut shreds and peanuts to sprinkle on. No raisins, though. #foodsky #BlueskySupperClub
Reposted by Walter Olson
I’m the one in the brown hat.
What you might not see is the victim in the car. His feet are pointing out the open car door. An agent is sitting on one of his legs. He’s only wearing crocs.
Bystanders found his legal work visa in his abandoned car.
#AbolishICE
What you might not see is the victim in the car. His feet are pointing out the open car door. An agent is sitting on one of his legs. He’s only wearing crocs.
Bystanders found his legal work visa in his abandoned car.
#AbolishICE
This is what happened in our neighborhood yesterday. ICE snatched a human being off of our streets, roughed them up badly, and then pepper sprayed legal observers as they documented it all. This is a daily occurrence happening all throughout Minnesota right now.
January 19, 2026 at 4:33 PM
I’m the one in the brown hat.
What you might not see is the victim in the car. His feet are pointing out the open car door. An agent is sitting on one of his legs. He’s only wearing crocs.
Bystanders found his legal work visa in his abandoned car.
#AbolishICE
What you might not see is the victim in the car. His feet are pointing out the open car door. An agent is sitting on one of his legs. He’s only wearing crocs.
Bystanders found his legal work visa in his abandoned car.
#AbolishICE
Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (R-Tenn.) says the values that prevail in Minnesota and Minneapolis are "totally antithetical to America." But as @joelmathis.bsky.social points out, America is many things and places, and Minnesota counts just as much as Tennessee as constituting America.
Minneapolis is America
This country is too big to be one thing.
joelmmathis.substack.com
January 19, 2026 at 5:38 PM
Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (R-Tenn.) says the values that prevail in Minnesota and Minneapolis are "totally antithetical to America." But as @joelmathis.bsky.social points out, America is many things and places, and Minnesota counts just as much as Tennessee as constituting America.
Reposted by Walter Olson
This is what happened in our neighborhood yesterday. ICE snatched a human being off of our streets, roughed them up badly, and then pepper sprayed legal observers as they documented it all. This is a daily occurrence happening all throughout Minnesota right now.
January 19, 2026 at 3:46 PM
This is what happened in our neighborhood yesterday. ICE snatched a human being off of our streets, roughed them up badly, and then pepper sprayed legal observers as they documented it all. This is a daily occurrence happening all throughout Minnesota right now.
Reposted by Walter Olson
The reason the “paid protestor” accusation is so popular is that these are people who cannot imagine doing something because it’s right, to stand up for a principle, talking to other people like that.
Rep. Byron Donalds: "These agitators -- who by the way are paid, folks. America, they are paid to do this kind of mess."
January 19, 2026 at 3:18 PM
The reason the “paid protestor” accusation is so popular is that these are people who cannot imagine doing something because it’s right, to stand up for a principle, talking to other people like that.
Reposted by Walter Olson
Wow: “Good thinks she’s still in the normative state. She has no idea of the peril she’s in. She seems relaxed. She [tells] the agent that she’s not mad at him.” But she’d unknowingly crossed “the border to the prerogative state [where] you can be shot dead recklessly..and no one will pay the price”
Opinion | An Old Theory Helps Explain What Happened to Renee Good
www.nytimes.com
January 18, 2026 at 1:50 PM
Wow: “Good thinks she’s still in the normative state. She has no idea of the peril she’s in. She seems relaxed. She [tells] the agent that she’s not mad at him.” But she’d unknowingly crossed “the border to the prerogative state [where] you can be shot dead recklessly..and no one will pay the price”
New avatar for a while
January 19, 2026 at 1:21 PM
New avatar for a while
Reposted by Walter Olson
For a Monday in January, the Swedish mitten museum digitaltmuseum.se/search?descn...
You're welcome.
You're welcome.
January 19, 2026 at 12:23 PM
For a Monday in January, the Swedish mitten museum digitaltmuseum.se/search?descn...
You're welcome.
You're welcome.
Reposted by Walter Olson
Another very good analysis of Renee Macklin Good's shooting from the New York Times visual team. Slightly dry but worth it for the analysis.
www.nytimes.com/video/us/100...
www.nytimes.com/video/us/100...
Video: Video Analysis of ICE Shooting Sheds Light on Contested Moments
Newly available videos and existing footage synchronized and assessed by The Times provides a millisecond-by-millisecond look at how an ICE officer ended up shooting and killing a motorist in Minneapo...
www.nytimes.com
January 16, 2026 at 2:49 PM
Another very good analysis of Renee Macklin Good's shooting from the New York Times visual team. Slightly dry but worth it for the analysis.
www.nytimes.com/video/us/100...
www.nytimes.com/video/us/100...
As a result of a local police officer's actions, a teenager spent more than two years behind bars for a crime she did not commit. Eighth Circuit says officer was "cross-deputized" to the feds and therefore can't be sued. Cato cert amicus in Mohamud v. Weyker urges SCOTUS review [Matt Cavedon]
Brief Filed in Mohamud v. Weyker: State Officers on Federal Task Forces Should Not Be Immune from Accountability
Based on Weyker’s false testimony, Mohamud, a 16-year-old girl, languished in prison for over two years for a crime she did not commit. The government eventually abandoned its case.
www.cato.org
January 19, 2026 at 2:18 AM
As a result of a local police officer's actions, a teenager spent more than two years behind bars for a crime she did not commit. Eighth Circuit says officer was "cross-deputized" to the feds and therefore can't be sued. Cato cert amicus in Mohamud v. Weyker urges SCOTUS review [Matt Cavedon]
"A war of aggression, sometimes also war of conquest, is a military conflict waged without the justification of self-defense, usually for territorial gain and subjugation, in contrast with the concept of a just war." It was a key target of the Nuremberg Tribunal. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_of_...
January 19, 2026 at 2:05 AM
"A war of aggression, sometimes also war of conquest, is a military conflict waged without the justification of self-defense, usually for territorial gain and subjugation, in contrast with the concept of a just war." It was a key target of the Nuremberg Tribunal. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_of_...
Reposted by Walter Olson
“Commuting Tina Peters’ sentence would tell future election officials that the risks of subverting democracy are mitigated if they align themselves with the right political patron.”
💯 @andycraig.bsky.social in @theunpopulist.net
💯 @andycraig.bsky.social in @theunpopulist.net
The Colorado Governor Should Reject Trump’s Demand to Pardon a Convicted Election Saboteur
Jared Polis will jeopardize our democracy by freeing Tina Peters
www.theunpopulist.net
January 17, 2026 at 10:39 PM
“Commuting Tina Peters’ sentence would tell future election officials that the risks of subverting democracy are mitigated if they align themselves with the right political patron.”
💯 @andycraig.bsky.social in @theunpopulist.net
💯 @andycraig.bsky.social in @theunpopulist.net
"You can always put that award where your heart ought to be."
Eve Harrington presents her Sarah Siddons Achievement award to someone less fortunate.
January 18, 2026 at 8:21 PM
"You can always put that award where your heart ought to be."
DHS has put out a story that Renee & Becca Good had "followed around" ICE agents "all day." That always raised questions since incident occurred circa 9:30 a.m. Family lawyers say they hadn't followed anyone but were driving home from school dropoff "when they spotted federal agents and stopped."
Renee Good Was Concerned About ICE, a Lawyer Says, but Wasn’t Following Agents
www.nytimes.com
January 18, 2026 at 7:43 PM
DHS has put out a story that Renee & Becca Good had "followed around" ICE agents "all day." That always raised questions since incident occurred circa 9:30 a.m. Family lawyers say they hadn't followed anyone but were driving home from school dropoff "when they spotted federal agents and stopped."