Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Tyler McBrien

@tylermcbrien.com

19K followers 1.2K following 670 posts

Managing Editor at Lawfare @lawfaremedia.org Signal - tylermcbrien.97 Writing in the New York Times, The Atlantic, Washington Post, Slate, Mother Jones, Foreign Policy, The New Republic, the Los Angeles Review of Books, and more: www.tylermcbrien.com

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Pinned

Tyler McBrien @tylermcbrien.com · Aug 13

For @thebaffler.com I wrote about how the hollow-point bullet went from humanitarian's lament to the round of choice for U.S. police.

The history shows how police militarization works like a reverse ratchet—unleashing is easy, but putting the restraint back on is much harder.

11 65 240

Reposted by Tyler McBrien

Anna Hickey @annahickey.bsky.social · 16h

There's an overwhelming amount of litigation surrounding the Trump administration so over at @lawfaremedia.org we have tried to make it easier to parse it. You can find district court, appellate level, and SCOTUS cases all in one place!

Check it out ⬇️

1 25 60

Tyler McBrien @tylermcbrien.com · 23h

Jokes aside, this was a fascinating conversation about an incredible book — the U.S. edition of which is out today!

Listen to our episode on #38LONDRESSTREET: On Impunity, Pinochet in England, and a Nazi in Patagonia here (or wherever you get your podcasts): www.lawfaremedia.org/article/lawf...

Lawfare Daily: ‘38 Londres Street,’ Impunity, and Immunity with Philippe Sands

How did Pinochet's arrest impact international criminal law?

www.lawfaremedia.org

Tyler McBrien @tylermcbrien.com · 23h

I hereby apologize to my esteemed guest, Professor @philippesands.bsky.social KC FRSL Hon FBA, for referring to him as "the Forrest Gump of international law" not once but several times during this otherwise wonderful @lawfaremedia.org podcast conversation on his new book 38 LONDRES STREET.

1 1 4

Tyler McBrien @tylermcbrien.com · 1d

Still very much happening…

Tyler McBrien @tylermcbrien.com · 1d

Just wanted to let everyone know this is still happening…

1 2 16

Tyler McBrien @tylermcbrien.com · 4d

POV you’re meeting the new refugees who were just resettled in your small American town

1 2 8

Tyler McBrien @tylermcbrien.com · 4d

ICYMI: This week, Sen. Blumenthal (D-CT) and Rep. Goldman (D-NY) intro'd the PREVENTING POLITICAL PROSECUTIONS ACT which would enact grand jury reforms, create right of action agnst officials who engage in political prosecution, prohibit WH-DOJ instruction, and more, per Blumenthal's office.

20 120 350

Reposted by Tyler McBrien

Roger Parloff @rparloff.bsky.social · 4d

I'll be trying to live-blog the 1pm ET hearing in Oregon v Trump for @lawfaremedia.org , filling in for @annabower.bsky.social (who is listening but driving). Oregon & Portland are seeking a TRO to block deployment of 200 national guard troops Secy Hegseth ordered sent on 9/28. ...
/1

12 140 450

Reposted by Tyler McBrien

southpaw @nycsouthpaw.bsky.social · 5d

I love when student journalists break a crazy story, especially about their own school. This one is extraordinarily macabre. www.uscannenbergmedia.com/2025/10/01/u...

USC sold dead bodies to U.S. military to train IDF medical personnel

A review of seven years’ worth of contracts unveiled more than $860,000 to use cadavers in surgical trainings involving the Israeli Defense Forces.

www.uscannenbergmedia.com

85 1.3K 3.6K

Reposted by Tyler McBrien

Tyler McBrien @tylermcbrien.com · 5d

ok ❤️ yay ❤️

10 15 190

Tyler McBrien @tylermcbrien.com · 5d

(grateful for friends like @qjurecic.bsky.social)

1 13

Tyler McBrien @tylermcbrien.com · 5d

ok ❤️ yay ❤️

10 15 190

Reposted by Tyler McBrien

Michael Feinberg @michael-feinberg.bsky.social · 6d

If a Hatch Act violation takes place in a forest, but the Office of Special Counsel is vacant, did the violation actually occur?

5 43 170

Tyler McBrien @tylermcbrien.com · 6d

(above h/t @jakemgrumbach.bsky.social)

1 3

Tyler McBrien @tylermcbrien.com · 6d

It's official: RIP X (née Twitter) 2006-2025

1 1 25

Reposted by Tyler McBrien

Anna Bower @annabower.bsky.social · 7d

Lindsey Halligan, the attorney selected by Donald Trump to bring criminal charges against James Comey, has never prosecuted a case.

But, like Trump, she did get her start in reality TV — with a brief cameo on South Beach Tow.

Here is Halligan’s newly resurfaced TV moment:

190 710 2.3K

Tyler McBrien @tylermcbrien.com · 7d

hi, federal judge expert here! this is not funny. conservative, Reagan-appointed district judges only use epistolary framing devices in their opinions when they are in extreme distress.

Quinta Jurecic @qjurecic.bsky.social · 7d

the postcard cited in judge young's ruling isn't just at the top, it's a framing device. the whole opinion is a letter to the postcard writer. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

Post card dated June 19, 2025
(On file in Chambers) TRUMP HAS PARDONS AND TANKS ... WHAT DO YOU HAVE?
Dear Mr. or Ms. Anonymous,
Alone, I have nothing but my
sense of duty.
Together, We the People of the
United States –- you and me --
have our magnificent Constitution.
Here’s how that works out in a
specific case –-
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
DISTRICT OF MASSACHUSETTS

I hope you found this
helpful. Thanks for writing.
It shows you care. You
should.

Sincerely & respectfully,
Bill Young

P.S. The next time you’re in
Boston [the postmark on the card
is from the Philadelphia area]
stop in at the Courthouse and
watch your fellow citizens, sitting
as jurors, reach out for justice.
It is here, and in courthouses
just like this one, both state and
federal, spread throughout our land
that our Constitution is most vibrantly
alive, for it is well said that “Where a
jury sits, there burns the lamp of
liberty.”

22 560 2.6K

Tyler McBrien @tylermcbrien.com · 7d

The ultimate "this could have been an email"

10 17 67

Reposted by Tyler McBrien

Lawfare @lawfaremedia.org · 8d

Unless the Senate acts, the government will shut down midnight on Wednesday.

@nicholasbednar.bsky.social evaluates OMB Director Russ Vought's plan to use this shutdown as a springboard for permanent federal workforce cuts.

Reductions in Force During Shutdowns

The Trump administration plans to use the pending shutdown as justification for additional RIFs.

www.lawfaremedia.org

12 33 94

Tyler McBrien @tylermcbrien.com · 8d

This is happening in 10 minutes, don't miss it ⬇️⬇️⬇️

@klonick.bsky.social will sit down with @benjaminwittes.lawfaremedia.org, @annabower.bsky.social, and Bob Bauer to discuss the Trump administration's politicization of the Justice Department and the indictment of former FBI Director James Comey.

Lawfare @lawfaremedia.org · 8d

Today at 2pm ET, @klonick.bsky.social will sit down with @benjaminwittes.lawfaremedia.org, @annabower.bsky.social, and Bob Bauer to discuss the Trump administration's politicization of the Justice Department and the indictment of former FBI Director James Comey.

Tune in on Substack or YouTube!

LIVE SOON: Lawfare Live, the Day After: The Justice Department as a Political Weapon

Starting Sep 29 at 2:00 PM EDT

open.substack.com

1 4 7

Tyler McBrien @tylermcbrien.com · 8d

You can find Dr. Khan Suri's response to the government's appeal brief, along with all case files, on @ccrjustice.org's website here: ccrjustice.org/home/what-we...

Khan Suri v. Trump

Dr. Badar Khan Suri is a visiting scholar and postdoctoral fellow at Georgetown University, and an Indian national.

ccrjustice.org

2 7

Tyler McBrien @tylermcbrien.com · 8d

INBOX: Dr. Khan Suri—the Georgetown scholar the Trump admin tried to deport on foreign policy grounds—urged the Fourth Circuit to uphold lower court rulings ordering release on bail.

Suri challenged his arrest and detention under the First Amendment & Due Process Clause, among other arguments.

1 3 18

Reposted by Tyler McBrien

Scott R. Anderson @sranderson.bsky.social · 8d

In today's hearing in Widakuswara v. Lake re: the dismantling of Voice of America, Judge Lamberth just indicated he intends to issue an order later today enforcing his prior preliminary injunction, which—if as requested by plaintiffs—would pause RIFs there.

www.courtlistener.com/docket/69846...

WIDAKUSWARA v. LAKE, 1:25-cv-01015 - CourtListener.com

Docket for WIDAKUSWARA v. LAKE, 1:25-cv-01015 — Brought to you by Free Law Project, a non-profit dedicated to creating high quality open legal information.

www.courtlistener.com

1 18 58

Reposted by Tyler McBrien

Quinta Jurecic @qjurecic.bsky.social · 13d

Ka$h appears to be Posting through an investigation again. Here is an article I wrote last time around about why this is a terrible idea and you shouldn't have influencers running the FBI

The Influencer FBI

The skill set required to succeed online may not always translate to effective law enforcement.

www.theatlantic.com

17 180 760

Tyler McBrien @tylermcbrien.com · 14d

🙏

4 6 47