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Ciara Torres-Spelliscy

@profciara.bsky.social

110K followers 7.3K following 3.9K posts

Law professor & book author of Corporatocracy, Political Brands & Corporate Citizen; Brennan Center fellow; board of CREW; campaign finance expert. Podcaster of Democracy & Destiny. I’m a lawyer not your lawyer. https://soundcloud.com/profciara #beans

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Ciara Torres-Spelliscy @profciara.bsky.social · Nov 18

👋Hello, to my new followers!
So glad we’re all here together. I’m a law professor who works on the intersection of corporate law and election law. I write about corruption. If you have a podcast I’d love to talk about my new book 📖 Corporatocracy. 🥰https://nyupress.org/9781479828326/corporatocracy/

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NotreDale @notredale.bsky.social · 1d

Court Reporter: “I’m sorry, counsel, could you spell your client’s name again?”

Copyright infringement lawsuit case caption: “Divitidirect Trading FZCO v. Amazon Seller “fuqingshiyupingjiedaoyeyoulianbaihuolingshouchaoshi”

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Robert Mackey @robertmackey.bsky.social · 1d

The Oregon Republican Party tried to help Donald Trump make the case for military intervention in Portland with an image of a fiery protest — but since Portland is calm, they had to fabricate one by merging old photos of police in Ecuador and protesters in Brazil www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Republicans post fake image of Oregon protest – using photos of South America

A federal judge had blocked Trump’s request to deploy California national guard to Portland

www.theguardian.com

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Felipe De La Hoz @felipedlh.bsky.social · 1h

You cannot be fucking serious

SCOOP: Apple Quietly Made ICE Agents a Protected Class

Internal emails show tech giant used anti-hate-speech rules meant for minorities to block an app documenting immigration enforcement.

migrantinsider.com

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Michael Clemens @mclem.org · 4h

Former USAID official here.

The current Administration has done zero impact analysis to estimate the effects of its obliteration of USAID on deaths around the world.

It just keeps saying "no one has died" as a mesmeric incantation.

The facts, below. 🧵

Nathan Kalmoe (he/him) @nathankalmoe.bsky.social · 7h

apnews.com/article/myan...

Starving children screaming for food as US aid cuts unleash devastation and death across Myanmar

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has repeatedly said “no one has died" because of his government’s decision to gut its foreign aid program.

apnews.com

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Ciara Torres-Spelliscy @profciara.bsky.social · 2h

Here we go. Let’s see how the rule of law holds up. 👀⚖️
#comey #selective & #vindictive #prosecution

Anna Bower @annabower.bsky.social · 3h

The judge also set an initial schedule for pre-trial motions.

The first set is expected by Oct. 12. Per Comey’s defense counsel, that batch will include motions to dismiss for selective and vindictive prosecution, as well as a motion challenging the legality of Halligan’s appointment as US attorney

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Ciara Torres-Spelliscy @profciara.bsky.social · 2h

✅⚖️ #ice #Chicago (And if you think this is the wrong result because they had guns, thank the Supreme Court in Heller, McDonald and Bruen).

Jon Seidel @jonseidel.bsky.social · 3h

With an unusually loud bang of his gavel Wednesday, a federal magistrate judge agreed to dismiss charges without prejudice against a Chicago couple found lawfully carrying guns outside an ICE facility.

"Case dismissed."

UPDATED @chicago.suntimes.com story: chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/...

Federal grand jury refuses to indict couple found with guns outside ICE facility in Broadview

Prosecutors moved to dismiss a criminal complaint against the couple but have not ruled out new charges.

chicago.suntimes.com

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Ciara Torres-Spelliscy @profciara.bsky.social · 2h

😇 #pope #immigration

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Ciara Torres-Spelliscy @profciara.bsky.social · 2h

Thanks ✍🏾⚖️📖

kellystories.bsky.social @kellystories.bsky.social · 3h

Your work sounds incredibly timely and important, congratulations on the new book, it’s such a vital topic to explore!

Ciara Torres-Spelliscy @profciara.bsky.social · 2h

In many states, there is no automatic voter registration or the option of same day registration. If you want to vote, you have to register typically 30 days out from an election. Special elections pop up at odd times. Thus, registering at 18 is one way that you ensure you are even able to vote. 🗳️

Jack Phantom @jackphantom.bsky.social · 3h

Never understood "voter drives".

Just be worth voting for. Have something to offer. If you have to whine to get people to vote for you, do some soul searching as to why they don't bother.

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emptywheel @emptywheel.bsky.social · 9h

Make sure you read the report about how Stephen Miller deported Waco's favorite Mexican restaurant owner.

www.texastribune.org/2025/10/07/t...

A picture of Sergio Garcia and George W and Laura Bush. It is signed, To Sergio Garcia with best wishes.

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Ciara Torres-Spelliscy @profciara.bsky.social · 3h

Cc @cnn.com

Leta McCollough Seletzky @letaseletzky.com · 1d

It’s a sad (and chilling) day when legacy media cannot be trusted to follow even the most basic tenets of journalism.

But when one of the world’s most influential and ubiquitous news sources uses a photo from the 1992 LA uprisings to characterize events in 2025 Portland, we’re at that point

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Ciara Torres-Spelliscy @profciara.bsky.social · 4h

So infuriating. They don’t care. 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

Taniel @taniel.bsky.social · 21h

SCOTUS signaled at its hearings today it may strike down Colorado's ban on conversion therapy

ballsandstrikes.org/scotus/chile...

The Conservative Justices Don't Trust Any Science That Supports LGBTQ Kids

States that want to facilitate discrimination against LGBTQ people have the Court's blessing. States that want to protect LGBTQ people from discrimination do not.

ballsandstrikes.org

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Ciara Torres-Spelliscy @profciara.bsky.social · 5h

🎯

jbaileywrites @jbaileywrites.bsky.social · 5h

I love Amazon’s aggressively tone-deaf out of touch evil billionaire Prime Say optimism

Your groceries just went from $400/month to $1200? You’re about to get evicted due to a 40% rent hike? Insurance rates just tripled? Here. Buy a set of feel-good $350 dollar headphones & a smokeless fire pit!

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Josh Johnson @joshjohnsoncomedy.bsky.social · 19h

Thank you all so much. 💐

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AFP News Agency @en.afp.com · 15h

"It is going to be disastrous if this continues"

Nobel Prize physics laureate John Clarke says Trump cuts will 'cripple' US scientific research

u.afp.com/SmAy

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Ciara Torres-Spelliscy @profciara.bsky.social · 15h

empirically correct. 📉 #us #jobs adpemploymentreport.com

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Ciara Torres-Spelliscy @profciara.bsky.social · 15h

Agreed. 👇🏾 Professor Heather Cox Richardson was on my podcast Democracy & Destiny: m.soundcloud.com/profciara/de... 🎧😎🗳️

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Ciara Torres-Spelliscy @profciara.bsky.social · 16h

Here’s where to go vote.gov #registertovote 🗳️

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Ciara Torres-Spelliscy @profciara.bsky.social · 16h

Did you just turn 18? If so please register to vote. Thanks 🗳️🇺🇸

an illustration of a woman wearing sunglasses with the words go register to vote written above her

ALT: an illustration of a woman wearing sunglasses with the words go register to vote written above her

media.tenor.com

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Ciara Torres-Spelliscy @profciara.bsky.social · 16h

How does this get all the way to air again and again and again? 📺 #fox

Andy @andyoregon.bsky.social · 1d

Jess Waters recycling the same guy over and over to represent “former” different enemies

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Ciara Torres-Spelliscy @profciara.bsky.social · 17h

A+ (and boop!)

Josh Sternberg @joshsternberg.com · 19h

You deserve a boop.

Bodie the tan pup and his nose says hello!

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Caleb Crain @calebcrain.bsky.social · 18h

Chilling insight by @barbarafwalter.com: "Once citizens view their own government’s security forces as an occupying army, violence becomes inevitable. Trump’s team knows this… They’re trying to trigger the very unrest that would justify further crackdowns."

via www.nytimes.com/2025/10/07/o...

Screenshot from a NYT article by Thomas Edsall, quoting Barbara Walter of UC-San Diego: "The quickest way to piss people off is to send soldiers into their neighborhoods especially when there’s no reason for them to be there. It’s inherently provocative, and Trump and his team understand this. Research by the political scientist Robert Pape shows that the single most powerful predictor of suicide terrorism is the presence of foreign troops on local soil. People hate, hate, hate that. They hate the humiliation, the powerlessness, the feeling of being occupied.

"Once citizens begin to view their own government’s security forces as an occupying army, violence becomes inevitable. Trump’s team knows this. In fact, that’s the point. They are not trying to restore order; they’re trying to trigger the very unrest that would justify further crackdowns. In the end, violence serves their ultimate end: They want to create the illusion of disorder so they can tighten control and stay in power indefinitely."

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Scott Horton @robertscotthorton.bsky.social · 18h

Photo of the day: Chicago Sun-Times captures this image of Trump's secret police assaulting and shooting in the head a Presbyterian pastor who was speaking to anti-ICE protestors.

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Mueller, She Wrote @muellershewrote.com · 23h

Pam Bondi admits she spoke to Apple to "get the ICEBlock app taken down." Sounds an awful lot like coercion to suppress disfavored speech to me. A clear violation of the 1st Amendment.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 1d

Bondi claims that the ICEBlock app was "criminal in that people were posting where ICE officers lived"

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Governor JB Pritzker @govpritzker.illinois.gov · 22h

BEST BIG CITY IN THE US 9 YEARS IN A ROW.

While critics try to paint Chicago as something to fear, the rest of the world knows the truth — this is the best big city in America.

Best Big City: Chicago Wins Award 9th Year in a Row

Learn why Chicago was voted the Best Big City for the 9th consecutive year by exploring our vibrant culture, welcoming inclusion, and so much more.

www.choosechicago.com

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