Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Dan Walters @profdanwalters.bsky.social · 19h

🔥

Beau Baumann 🍏 @beaubaumann.bsky.social · 19h

ICYMI, I did a blog post today at @lpeproject.bsky.social that’s really about the death of a 20 c mode of liberal/progressive politics. It’s about the need, as a first-order objective, to relegitimize the state around a representational legitimacy.

Rebuilding State Authority In A Post-Trump America

In the ruins of the administrative state after Trump, many on the left see an opportunity to design a New Deal-type reconstruction agenda. But building state capacity requires a government that is…

lpeproject.org

1 4

Dan Walters @profdanwalters.bsky.social · 1d

Hmm, all that money and programming but the poor little libertarian think tanks have been sidelined. Not buying that. More likely they aren't going to say much because they care much more about tax breaks than civil rights.

1

Dan Walters @profdanwalters.bsky.social · 1d

There are plenty who aren't in government (i.e., big donors) who are part of what I'm talking about who are at least not vocally breaking from what the party is doing now.

1

Dan Walters @profdanwalters.bsky.social · 1d

I'm old enough to remember when the talk of the town was how the libertarian wing of the GOP had seen the light and was working to deconstruct the politics of the "war on crime." Don't hear much about that anymore.

1 8

Dan Walters @profdanwalters.bsky.social · 1d

Maybe I'm missing something about Danielle Allen's pitch to lean into the higher ed compact shakedown, but couldn't higher ed collaborate without the Trump admin? And so what would be the benefit of engaging Trump on his terms? Optics with Trump supporters? Are they ever going to support higher ed?

1 1 2

Dan Walters @profdanwalters.bsky.social · 4d

Our Center on the Structural Constitution, led by @crockeroncourts.bsky.social and Neil Siegel, has organized an amazing symposium with the Harvard Law Review on the politics and law of judicial review. And the best news is that you can attend online!

harvardlawreview.org/judicial-rev...

Judicial Review in Jeopardy? Symposium - Harvard Law Review

The Harvard Law Review is proud to host, in collaboration with the Center on the Structural Constitution at Texas A&M University School of Law,...

harvardlawreview.org

1 8 20

Dan Walters @profdanwalters.bsky.social · 7d

What I hear is a person who has no competence in anything other than performative grievance trying to distract us from that fact.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 7d

Hegseth: "No more dudes in dresses. No more climate change worship ... we are done with that shit."

1 4

Dan Walters @profdanwalters.bsky.social · 11d

It doesn't make much sense to draw hard distinctions between agencies and the president in this era of presidential administration. They are for all intents and purposes his agencies.

1 2

Dan Walters @profdanwalters.bsky.social · 11d

It is not remarked upon enough that many of the SCOTUS justices spent years peddling hysterics about agencies having an unfair advantage in litigation, and now that their preferred party firmly controls them, agencies can seemingly do no wrong.

1 10 37

Dan Walters @profdanwalters.bsky.social · 12d

This is a bluff, and not a particularly good one. As we've seen, layoffs can be challenged and workers can be reinstated. I hope the Democrats are not tricked by this empty threat.

www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...

White House directs mass firings if there is a government shutdown

The Office of Management and Budget sent a memo to federal agencies Wednesday night instructing them to plan for staff reductions, including firings.

www.washingtonpost.com

3 8

Dan Walters @profdanwalters.bsky.social · 13d

Indeed. It's almost like there's no accountability for poor management in the private sector, which sort of undermines the case for importing the business model to public service.

1

Dan Walters @profdanwalters.bsky.social · 13d

1 3 9

Dan Walters @profdanwalters.bsky.social · 15d

Honestly, I'm not sure it makes much difference whether Humphrey's is overturned sub silentio on the shadow docket. It's not like a single good argument will be concocted while we wait for the merits. And it will be that much easier to restore agency independence in the future using this device.

2 7

Dan Walters @profdanwalters.bsky.social · 16d

Not to say that's what happened here, but there's plenty of evidence in other contexts that Trump is attempting to operate by threat and deals. It's certainly possible that Homan got the memo. You'd say that's not part of the presz's official duty, but I am not so sure how we know that.

1

Dan Walters @profdanwalters.bsky.social · 16d

That's fair. I think you're persuading me that SCOTUS isn't responsible if Homan is really acting alone. I do think we glossed over the possibility that Trump v. US excludes from immunity a prez establishing bribery and shakedowns as official state policy. I could see SCOTUS saying that's legit.

1 2

Dan Walters @profdanwalters.bsky.social · 17d

Sure, I think that removal of ambiguity matters, even to Trump.

1 1

Dan Walters @profdanwalters.bsky.social · 17d

It's about encouraging edge behavior. There was some deterrence wrt playing interference before Trump v. US. Now it's a green light.

1 2

Dan Walters @profdanwalters.bsky.social · 17d

You're right this isn't the president's bribery (that we know of), but he certainly could pardon Homan and others, not to mention ordering Bondi and others to kill it is well within his immunity. You'd have to be an idiot to think you would be prosecuted/ punished when you have the prez's backing.

1 1

Dan Walters @profdanwalters.bsky.social · 17d

Come on. You can't preach about accountability at every opportunity and then deflect from the obvious implications of giving presidents immunity and gutting anti-corruption laws. The selective enforcement of law is what Lon Fuller noted as a hallmark of the demise of the rule of law.

1 1

Dan Walters @profdanwalters.bsky.social · 17d

We all know how this will play out. We can never forget the role SCOTUS played in ending the rule of law.

Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 17d

OMG. Tom Homan was reportedly under FBI investigation for taking $50,000 in cash allegedly in exchange for a commitment to steer government contracts to a specific company. The entire thing was recorded, as it was an FBI sting operation.

The Trump admin dropped the investigation entirely.

Tom Homan was investigated for accepting $50,000 from undercover FBI agents. Trump's DOJ shut it down.

The FBI and Justice officials closed the investigation, which a Justice Department appointee had called a “deep state” probe in early 2025.

www.msnbc.com

1 7

Dan Walters @profdanwalters.bsky.social · 19d

Could be he really wanted to stay but the acquiescence was not enough. Which is a really scary prospect.

2

Dan Walters @profdanwalters.bsky.social · 19d

You are. My hope is that he really wants to say some things and thought it would be best to say them without the sword of Damocles hanging over him. But who knows.

Dan Walters @profdanwalters.bsky.social · 19d

Wow. I hope he uses his newfound freedom to say what he really thinks about the assault on academic freedom here, and I really hope it isn't that "this is about academic responsibility, not academic freedom," because that didn't really do much for anybody.

www.texastribune.org/2025/09/18/t...

Texas A&M President Mark A. Welsh III to step down after a week of turmoil over viral classroom video

Calls for Welsh’s ousting intensified over his handling of a student’s complaints about gender identity discussions in a children’s literature class.

www.texastribune.org

2 6

Dan Walters @profdanwalters.bsky.social · 21d

Sorry, didn't realize Fede was on here!

2 2

Dan Walters @profdanwalters.bsky.social · 21d

What a cool diagram from @jamesgoodwin.bsky.social and @progressivereform.bsky.social showing the changes from the Fall 2024 Unified Agenda to the (recently issued) Spring 2025 Unified Agenda.

progressivereform.org/cpr-blog/tru...

1 2 4