Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Maya Sen @mayasen.bsky.social · 2h

SCOTUS “eliminating Section 2, a provision that prohibits racial gerrymandering when it dilutes minority voting power, would let Republicans redraw up to 19 House seats to favor the party and crush minority representation in Congress”

www.politico.com/news/2025/10...

Republicans could draw 19 more House seats after an upcoming Supreme Court ruling

Many experts are forecasting the end of a key provision of election law — enabling Republicans to shore up their advantage in the House, according to a new report.

www.politico.com

2 5

Reposted by Maya Sen

Dave Weigel @daveweigel.bsky.social · 23h

The View segment where Whoopi asked how ordinary people could read SCOTUS opinions was revealing.

They're free. They're online. They're much easier to read than legislation. Conquer your imposter's syndrome, you are smart enough to read a decision and know if it's bullshit.

Tom Scocca @tomscocca.bsky.social · 23h

It's not just that they're going to strike down a law against conversion therapy, it's that they're going to do it on behalf of made-up claims from a straw plaintiff who can't honestly show the law affected her at all

Tom Scocca @tomscocca.bsky.social · 23h

One thing about American's widespread distrust and disapproval of the Supreme Court is that mainstream news coverage mostly doesn't dwell on stuff like standing, so people don't even begin to grasp how rigged the Court truly is www.nytimes.com/live/2025/10...

16 130 790

Maya Sen @mayasen.bsky.social · 1d

The courts are not going to help us

www.politico.com/news/2025/10...

Trump open to invoking the Insurrection Act

The comments came a day after a federal judge blocked the president from sending National Guard troops to Portland, Oregon.

www.politico.com

4 14

Reposted by Maya Sen

Joey Fishkin @fishkin.bsky.social · 1d

The collective action that thee nine universities need to take is to unequivocally reject the compact.

Danielle Allen, who is a wonderful and thoughtful person, seems to be imagining possibilities for good faith negotiations here that plainly do not exist. The government does not share her goal.

Mary Lewis @profmarylewis.bsky.social · 2d

Danielle Allen has proposed many good things for Harvard, so I’m puzzled by her reading of the word “compact” here, as if this would be an agreement freely entered into. She rightly says that, as written, this shouldn’t be agreed to. Maybe leave it there? therenovator.substack.com/p/why-im-exc...

Why I’m Excited About the White House’s Proposal for a Higher Ed Compact

Now we have a chance for collective action

therenovator.substack.com

7 32 120

Maya Sen @mayasen.bsky.social · 2d

She’s doing a lot of work throughout the piece to give the administration the benefit of the doubt

Ignores similar ideological attacks on law firms, private businessss, and political adversaries that together paint a very different picture l

2 3

Maya Sen @mayasen.bsky.social · 2d

Universities should at some point step in to articulate a positive vision of higher ed & scientific research to our fellow countrymen

But that cannot be done under coercion

1 2 11

Maya Sen @mayasen.bsky.social · 2d

She says this version should be rejected as executive overreach in favor of negotiations with Congress along similar lines

Which assumes universities will be taken seriously as negotiators by a benevolent Congress on a basis free from coercion

Not sure how you realistically get there from here?

2

Maya Sen @mayasen.bsky.social · 2d

It’s immediately pragmatic and so good for someone in university leadership?

1

Maya Sen @mayasen.bsky.social · 2d

Has the old post-World War II compact between universities and the government collapsed? Yes

Do we need a new one? Yes

Is this that moment? I don’t think so

Neither the executive nor Congress have a coherent theory for promoting scientific research or higher ed reforms beyond ideological ones

4 8 51

Maya Sen @mayasen.bsky.social · 2d

Agree with @profmarylewis.bsky.social - very puzzling piece that assumes a good faith operations by the executive and eventually by Congress, and also assumes that higher education and research are seen as societally good by these relevant players

Also ignores the issue of govt coercion

Mary Lewis @profmarylewis.bsky.social · 2d

Danielle Allen has proposed many good things for Harvard, so I’m puzzled by her reading of the word “compact” here, as if this would be an agreement freely entered into. She rightly says that, as written, this shouldn’t be agreed to. Maybe leave it there? therenovator.substack.com/p/why-im-exc...

Why I’m Excited About the White House’s Proposal for a Higher Ed Compact

Now we have a chance for collective action

therenovator.substack.com

2 5 30

Maya Sen @mayasen.bsky.social · 2d

Puzzling take indeed

While she thoughtfully argues for a different, legislative-driven process where university have a say, that is not the reality of the situation!

1 12

Maya Sen @mayasen.bsky.social · 2d

Same thought but it was mom and tote bag

1 4

Maya Sen @mayasen.bsky.social · 3d

“It is emphatically the province and duty of the judicial department to say what the law is.”

1 5 19

Reposted by Maya Sen

Radley Balko @radleybalko.bsky.social · 3d

Jesus. You think it can’t get any worse, then you read these stories. US citizens and legal residents illegally arrested and held for days. **Native Americans** getting detained and held for days because ICE agents are too stupid/racist to know about tribal IDs.

Maya Sen @mayasen.bsky.social · 3d

Brett Kavanaugh and his clerks need to read this --->

www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/...

From the AskReddit community on Reddit

Explore this post and more from the AskReddit community

www.reddit.com

42 1.1K 3K

Maya Sen @mayasen.bsky.social · 3d

Brett Kavanaugh and his clerks need to read this --->

www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/...

From the AskReddit community on Reddit

Explore this post and more from the AskReddit community

www.reddit.com

24 150 390

Maya Sen @mayasen.bsky.social · 3d

Right, of course

(I’m definitely feeling like i need to brush up on 1A case law right now!)

1

Maya Sen @mayasen.bsky.social · 3d

Isn’t this unconstitutional under the cursing cheerleader case?

1 3

Reposted by Maya Sen

Blake Emerson @blakeprof.bsky.social · 4d

UC Academic Council letter to UC Regents and President calling on them to “reject governmental demands that compromise institutional integrity and academic freedom.”

Personally, I’d say reject all demands, since the demands are being made unlawfully.

4 28 82

Maya Sen @mayasen.bsky.social · 5d

single handedly the most embarrassing quote I’ve seen from a university official this year, and that’s saying a lot

2

Maya Sen @mayasen.bsky.social · 5d

Oh yeah I’m sure

Very embarrassing for him, even if he doesn’t know it

3 4

Maya Sen @mayasen.bsky.social · 5d

Genuinely feel badly for this person

3 1 18

Maya Sen @mayasen.bsky.social · 5d

Big failure in reporting here to not put the obvious First Amendment problems front and center

That implies that the government can somehow “just do this” and normalizes unconstitutional government action

Pretty sick of this!

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/02/u...

Trump Offered Universities an Invitation for a Deal. Some See a Trap.

www.nytimes.com

1 25 59

Maya Sen @mayasen.bsky.social · 5d

Exactly

Not just this but it asks universities to *punish* speech that “belittles” “conservative ideas”

😵‍💫

1

Maya Sen @mayasen.bsky.social · 5d

You are “belittling a conservative idea”, Ben

2

Maya Sen @mayasen.bsky.social · 5d

Straight up asking public universities to set up governing structures to violate the first amendment

7 21