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Reposted by Niko Bowie

Joey Fishkin @fishkin.bsky.social · 7d

Honestly, this entire opinion is just jaw-dropping. The first postings I saw on Bluesky were about the first page, which is lovely in its own right and exemplifies one of the less-well-explored roles of a judge in a democracy: to explain what is going on legally to non-lawyers.

There's way more.

Barred and Boujee aka Madiba Dennie @audrelawdamercy.bsky.social · 7d

reposting this (an excerpt from the district court's opinion in AAUP v. Rubio, a case about the government targeting noncitizen students and faculty for their pro-Palestine advocacy) w alt-text !

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

"I fear President Trump believes the American people are so divided that today they will not stand up, fight for, and defend our most precious constitutional values so long as they are lulled into thinking their own personal interests are not affected.
Is he correct?"

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Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 7d

Judge Young: "This case ... squarely presents the issue whether non-citizens lawfully present here in United States actually have the same free speech rights as the rest of us. The Court answers this Constitutional question unequivocally 'yes, they do.' 'No law' means 'no law.'"

This case -– perhaps the most important ever to fall within the jurisdiction of this district court –- squarely presents the issue whether non-citizens lawfully present here in United States actually have the same free speech rights as the rest of us. The Court answers this Constitutional question unequivocally “yes, they do.” “No law” means “no law.” The First Amendment does not draw President Trump’s invidious distinction and it is not to be found in our history or jurisprudence. See Section III.A infra. No one’s freedom of speech is unlimited, of course, but these limits are the same for both citizens and non-citizens alike.

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AAUP @aaup.org · 7d

BREAKING: WE WON!!!
💥 💥 💥

Federal Judge William G. Young ruled today in our lawsuit against the Trump administration that the policy of arresting, detaining, & deporting noncitizen students & faculty members for their pro-Palestinian advocacy violates the 1st Amendment.

Full ruling here:

Findings of Fact & Conclusions of Law – #261 in American Association of University Professors v. Rubio (D. Mass., 1:25-cv-10685) – CourtListener.com

Judge William G. Young: ORDER entered. FINDINGS OF FACT AND RULINGS OF LAW, PURSUANT TO FED. R. CIV. P. 52(A)(Sonnenberg, Elizabeth) (Additional attachment(s) added on 9/30/2025: # 1 Main Document) (J...

www.courtlistener.com

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Niko Bowie @nikobowie.bsky.social · 7d

Our little AAUP chapter went 2/2 vs. Trump!

Noem and Rubio…misused the sweeping powers of their offices to target non-citizen pro-Palestinians for deportation primarily on account of their 1st Am protected political speech. They did so in order to strike fear into similarly situated non-citizens…

Findings of Fact & Conclusions of Law – #261 in American Association of University Professors v. Rubio (D. Mass., 1:25-cv-10685) – CourtListener.com

Judge William G. Young: ORDER entered. FINDINGS OF FACT AND RULINGS OF LAW, PURSUANT TO FED. R. CIV. P. 52(A)(Sonnenberg, Elizabeth) (Entered: 09/30/2025)

www.courtlistener.com

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Niko Bowie @nikobowie.bsky.social · Sep 6

Ironically, the print version of this oped switched the second column with the third column

Misprinted oped about putting phones down—have to read column one, then column three, then column two

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Niko Bowie @nikobowie.bsky.social · Sep 5

Gal Beckerman’s The Quiet Before was a critique of Twitter when it came out in 2022. But it now reads like a defense of Bluesky and why “bubbles” are so valuable for incubating ideas.

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Niko Bowie @nikobowie.bsky.social · Sep 5

This conversation is brought to you by the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection

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Niko Bowie @nikobowie.bsky.social · Sep 4

For years I’ve taught Jackson v. WWH as a Calvinball case . . . We could make it work!

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Niko Bowie @nikobowie.bsky.social · Sep 4

Hey Calvin accepts accountability

Hobbes makes Calvin sing the very sorry song for stealing Hobbes’s flag

I BLEW IT/
......
HE'S SORRY!

I KNEW IT!
...
SO SORRY!

I'M VERY VERY
SORRY THAT I
TOOK YOUR
PRECIOUS FLAAGGG!

JUST DONT DO IT
ANY MORE, YOU
SCURVY
SCALAWAAGGG!

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Niko Bowie @nikobowie.bsky.social · Sep 3

The real heroes are our incredible AAUP members who testified about their fear of retaliation. They kept us in court and candidly showed how chilling the government has been.

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Niko Bowie @nikobowie.bsky.social · Sep 3

We also received a new addition to the Law of Calvinball

From Justice Jackson two weeks ago: This is Calvinball jurisprudence with a twist. Calvinball has only one rule: There are no fixed rules. We seem to have two: that one, and this Administration always wins.

From Judge Burroughs today: But this is not Calvinball
and there are rules.

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Niko Bowie @nikobowie.bsky.social · Sep 3

We won!!

“Defendants used antisemitism as a smokescreen for a targeted, ideologically-motivated assault on this country’s premier universities … Their actions have jeopardized decades of research and the welfare of all those who could stand to benefit from that research.”

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Veena Dubal @veenadubal.bsky.social · Sep 3

AAUP-HARVARD, AAUP, & UAW WON THE HARVARD CASE!!!!

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

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Ilya Marritz @ilyamarritz.bsky.social · Sep 2

the DOJ atty (& 2x Harvard grad) who suggested Harvard showed "wanton indifference to antisemitism" once wrote a paper from the perspective of Hitler & expressed admiration for Mein Kampf

stunning reporting from
@hilaryburns.bsky.social @talkopan.bsky.social

www.bostonglobe.com/2025/09/02/m...

A DOJ lawyer accused Harvard of ‘indifference to antisemitism.’ As a Harvard undergrad he wrote a paper from Hitler’s perspective. - The Boston Globe

Michael Velchik once also told a peer that "Mein Kampf" was among his favorite recent reads.

www.bostonglobe.com

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Josh Chafetz @joshchafetz.bsky.social · Aug 26

1/2 Trump should absolutely not be able to fire Lisa Cook.

But this is because he should not be able to fire anyone with statutory tenure protections.

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Reposted by Niko Bowie

jamelle @jamellebouie.net · Aug 26

one sign that the “unitary executive” is less the restoration of an older constitutional order and more the imposition of a radical new one is that allowing the president to act untethered from most legal or congressional limits has largely just served to plunge the country into disorder

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Niko Bowie @nikobowie.bsky.social · Aug 14

“We have committed our professional lives to learning and free inquiry, working together with students to advance truth for the collective benefit of society. Unlike our distant governing boards, we will not give up so easily — no matter what kind of deals are signed in our name.”

Harvard faculty won’t cave to Trump demands - The Boston Globe

Unlike our distant governing boards, we will not give up easily — no matter what kind of deals are signed in our name.

www.bostonglobe.com

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Niko Bowie @nikobowie.bsky.social · Aug 11

Trump’s attacks on Harvard are flagrantly illegal. If he’s so willing to defy the restrictions of federal law, it’s beyond me why he’d respect the restrictions of a “legal settlement.”

www.nytimes.com/2025/08/11/u...

Still
, proponents of a possible deal have faced fierce resistance on Harvard's campus in Cambridge, Mass.
There, faculty members and students have warned that an agreement with the White House would amount to capitulation and that Mr. Trump could not be trusted to honor any arrangement over the long term. Given those concerns, Harvard's negotiators have pressed the administration in recent weeks, insisting that any resolution of their fight be structured as a legal settlement. A legal settlement would make it more difficult for the administration and Mr. Trump to change the terms after the fact.

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Niko Bowie @nikobowie.bsky.social · Aug 11

Congress passed the Respect for Marriage Act in 2022 anticipating this sort of move. Its cosponsors should be out there explaining why we need more laws like it.

Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · Aug 11

“.. So far in 2025, at least nine states have either introduced legislation aimed at blocking new marriage licenses for LGBTQ people or passed resolutions urging the Supreme Court to reverse Obergefell at the earliest opportunity ..”

abcnews.go.com/Politics/sup...

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Niko Bowie @nikobowie.bsky.social · Aug 5

Harvard: “We’re suing you for unconstitutionally retaliating against us.”

Trump lawyers: “This demands retaliation!”

www.nytimes.com/2025/08/04/u...

"If Harvard wants the Brown deal, then it has to be like Brown, and I just think it's not," May Mailman, the top White House official under Stephen Miller who has served as the architect of the administration's crusade against top schools, said in an interview in the West Wing last week.
Ms. Mailman, who graduated from Harvard Law School, pointed out that Brown, unlike Harvard, did not sue the administration. She challenged Harvard to reach an agreement that included terms that would allow the government to more closely scrutinize its behavior.

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Reposted by Niko Bowie

Corinne Blalock @corinneblalock.bsky.social · Jul 30

the weaponization of course evaluations in the Brown University deal takes the consumerist model of higher education to new heights. not only is your job contingent on it, but make any of your students uncomfortable and you’ll be investigated by the government

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Niko Bowie @nikobowie.bsky.social · Jul 30

NYT: "N.Y.C. Mass Shooting Was Nearly Impossible to Prevent, Experts Say"

Same article: "A federal ban on assault rifles ended in 2004."

N.Y.C. Mass Shooting Was Nearly Impossible to Prevent, Experts Say

www.nytimes.com

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Niko Bowie @nikobowie.bsky.social · Jun 18

"If you want peace, prepare for war."

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Niko Bowie @nikobowie.bsky.social · Jun 18

One of the ICE agents who arrested Brad Lander was wearing a t-shirt that literally said "rogue."

Agent standing by Brad Lander has shirt that says "rogue dev co."

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Reposted by Niko Bowie

Leah Greenberg ❌👑 @leahgreenberg.bsky.social · Jun 18

Just infuriating, devastating, horrifying. Trans kids deserve a world worthy of them, not this vile transphobic cruelty.

Mark Joseph Stern @mjsdc.bsky.social · Jun 18

🚨By a 6–3 vote, the Supreme Court UPHOLDS Tennessee's ban on gender-affirming care for minors, concluding that it does NOT discriminate on the basis of sex, is not subject to heightened scrutiny, and survives rational basis review. All three liberals dissent. www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24p...

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